Review of 'The Bookbinder's Secret' - A.D. Bell

This was one of the those books where the blurb sent shivers down my spine. The premise is that a young female bookbinder (and already I love the fact that it's a female lead in historical fiction) finds a piece of paper secreted in the binding of a burned book. Her desire for answers to the questions it throws up, lead her into the dark underworld of the book business, putting not only her own life, but everything she holds dear, at risk.

As the plot progresses and the reader learns more of Lily's character, I found it increasingly difficult not to think of her as a real person. The challenges she faces - and, more particularly, the ones she has faced in the past - are ones which still face many women today, even in a world where we like to think of ourselves as more enlightened and equitable. The choices she makes and the treatment she receives are so starkly 'female' that when the characters themselves comment on this, I found myself nodding along with them. Whilst this is historical fiction, it has an extremely contemporary feel, but never loses its sense of time and place.

One of the real strengths of this book is that in placing Lily within the bookbinding trade, it allows her to demonstrate that at a time when we, in the twenty-first century, tend to think women had no agency or control over their lives, they were in fact in positions of responsibility and though bound by social constraints, had a degree of control over their lives. Representation of other (what would have been regarded then as) sub-groups within society is also a very welcome side plot, although with one of these, I would have liked more of a sense of closure at the end, as the character seems to simply drift out of the story.

This is a well-constructed narrative, with strong, fully-developed characters and a plot that will keep you reading way past bedtime!

Publication date: 6th November 2025