The Binding
Fiction & Poetry, Modern & Contemporary Fiction | Paperback Published on: 26/12/2019
£8.99
Bookseller Reviews
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Love, memory and bookbinding.....
Imagine, your memories are taken from you and stored in a book and you completely forget them. Then, people can read them like written novels without your ... READ MORE
Unforgettable
WOW.
Every once in a while a truly special book comes out, one that you know you will never forget, one that you will never lend out as it means something ... READ MORE
A wonderful adult fantasy that has all the right elements to be a page turner.
I was very lucky to receive a beautiful proof copy of this book from the folk at Borough Press and I am so pleased I did. This is a phenomenal book that i... READ MORE
Spellbinding
I requested a proof copy of this book because I was immediately engaged by the intriguing and highly original premise: if you could erase your pain, shame,... READ MORE
Spellbinding!
I absolutely loved the concept of what a book is in this story. It manages to be both magical and sinister, and yet somehow feels perfectly plausible and p... READ MORE
If this book was a person, i'd swoon when it entered the room.
Oh how I adored this book.
More than anything else, for me this is a book about the power of memories and the simple joy we get from them and often take fo... READ MORE
Iconic.
I read this 4-5 months ago, however it’s taken me a long time to review this as I didn’t think I could ever put into words how much I enjoyed this book ...... READ MORE
An excellent start to the year
Some books build slowly and you just know that the book isn't for you. Others build slowly and you just know that it's going to be amazing! This is how I f... READ MORE
It will leave you spellbound...
I love everything about this book. So rich in detail you can feel and see everything that the characters feel and see. So unique it is unlike anything I ha... READ MORE
A Dickensian Dystopia (maybe)
At the risk of sounding dramatic, this book took over me. It was the last thing I thought about at night and the first thing I thought about in the morning... READ MORE
Absolutely fabulous
The best book I have read this year. Not only does it have the most beautiful cover it has the most wonderful story inside. It is a story of love, lust an... READ MORE
A fairytale for adults
Bridget Collins' novel is incredible. Set in an ahistorical past, the narrative follows Emmett as he is called to leave his family and work for the (repute... READ MORE
Spell-binding!
The central themes of forbidden love are very well executed in the brilliant novel. I was kind of expecting a bit more "magic", but with the nature of the ... READ MORE
One of my books of the year
I fell in love with this book, firstly because it’s one of the most beautiful I’ve seen, (beautiful slipcover, even more beautiful hard cover, marbled end ... READ MORE
One of my books of the year
I fell in love with this book, firstly because it’s one of the most beautiful I’ve seen, (beautiful slipcover, even more beautiful hard cover, marbled end ... READ MORE
A deeply captivating puzzle of a book
If you think the cover is beautiful, just wait until you open the pages and read the story inside. It is astonishingly wonderful. Few books hit me like thi... READ MORE
A phenomenal read and a story that will live on in you long after you close the book
What a phenomenal book!! I received a proof of this book at a Bookseller event, and had the privilege of meeting Bridget Collins and hearing her speak abou... READ MORE
Captivating!
I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of this to review and I'll be honest, I was initially drawn in solely because of its oh-so-beautiful cover! Then I fou... READ MORE
A delight both inside and out.
An epic, spellbinding and richly imagined novel of magic, memory, books and love. This wonderful novel is a poignant love story, a page turning thriller, a... READ MORE
Gorgeous book and a great concept
Great concept and well imagined world. Pleasure to read :)
Would You Bind?
As the blurb is rather cryptic I wondered what I would be reading.
We follow Emmett Farmer after his illness that has rendered him weak and unable to tend ... READ MORE
Haunting historical fantasy that will enchant all readers
I loved it last year as a proof, and I love it even more now that it graces our shelves. This book is special. A dark, twisted roller-coaster, full of br... READ MORE
I finished it and wanted read from the beginning all over again
I adored this book.
More than anything else, for me this is a book about the power of memories and the simple joy we get from them and often take for grant... READ MORE
Truely unique, spellbinding story!
When I came to read this book I was sold by the concept, and when the story unfolded I was totally hooked, the story was multi-fascited in its characters a... READ MORE
The perfect bibliophile's book
It's going to be hard to top this for book of the year, despite it only being Janaury! Just WOW. I was totally absorbed by this gorgeous tale of memory, gr... READ MORE
Surprising and suspenseful
Almost everyone will be drawn to this book because of the gorgeous hardback design and the intriguing premise, but the best thing about this book is that i... READ MORE
Gorgeous historical fantasy!
It’s not often that I manage to sit down and finish a book in one go, BUT sometimes gorgeous shiny things come into my life and I just have to devour them ... READ MORE
You need to read this book. You just don’t know it yet.
This is going to be a difficult review for me due to the fact that I absolutely loved the book and I’m probably not going to make it justice with a written... READ MORE
Captivating
Wow, just wow. I was intrigued by the idea of this book after hearing about it at a publisher event, and it quickly captivated my attention! It wasn't quit... READ MORE
Spellbinding
A spellbinding and beautiful novel of lost love and the corruption of power.
It’s hard to believe that this is Collins’ first novel, the characters are so... READ MORE
Unbelievably brilliant
I absolutely inhaled this book over several sittings. It's one you'll willingly sacrifice sleep to finish.
I would describe it as Eternal Sunshine of the... READ MORE
A love letter to books and readers
The Binding introduces us into a magical world, where memories are tangible, and books are much more read than we could ever imagine. We’re introduced to E... READ MORE
A love story with added magic and power struggles
In Bridget Collins’ novel, The Binding, there are the familiar divides between the rich and the poor; those who live in rural areas and city-dwellers; the ... READ MORE
Intriguing, exciting romance
A clever take on the art of book binding, gluing a tangled love story together. A great read.
Magical Realism Done Right
For the first hundred or so pages I felt this book was rather slow. I’m not someone who typically enjoys slow burn events interspersed by artful yet dense ... READ MORE
Fascinating Concept
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for review.
As you can probably tell from all of the glowing reviews from Waterstones bookse... READ MORE
Born a Binder.
Binding is the ancient art of locking away ones memories be it by asking for it to be so or if someone else wants you to forget. But what happens when Emme... READ MORE
Reading this is not something I want to forget
This is a truly stunning and beautifully written book. I was expecting straight up fantasy with an interesting premise. What I got was a tug at the heartst... READ MORE
Beautifully spell-binding...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it created a world that is atmospheric and full of wonder. In a place where books are banned as they contain peoples lives ... READ MORE
All Kinds of Forbidden Magic
An enjoyable, well-spun tale set somewhere, somewhen in the past, following the heartfelt struggles of of a young man finding his feet in a harsh world. As... READ MORE
Completely Enchanting
WOW! What a book. This had me captured from the start with an unusual story and a gorgeous cover to go with it.
Imagine a world where books are frowned u... READ MORE
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Bookshelf
This Gothic romance had a lot of magic about it... just a splash of it in its world building and an immense amount of it in the quality of the book itself.... READ MORE
The most fun I've had reading in a while
I was in a reading funk, before this book. And actually, I'm in a reading funk after it now too, because nothing else has yet been quite as good. It never ... READ MORE
Amazing
I first heard of this novel when attending a Q and A with the author, and as a result added the book to my 'To Buy' list but never got round to it. 9 month... READ MORE
Gothic history and heart-aching romance
I love the type of book that mixes a historical period fiction with magic - and this one didn't disappoint.
Gothic history mixes with heart-aching romance ... READ MORE
Captivating, so incredibly unique
I feel like everyone has certain books that become special to them. There's the books that get you into reading; the ones that help you fall in love with i... READ MORE
A Stunning Novel
The Binding was one of those books that I couldn't put down.
Imagine a world where parts of your memory could be bound into a book, allowing you to live ... READ MORE
Quietly excellent
Despite this book being recommended to me on multiple occasions and then being shortlisted for our book of the year in 2019, my copy of the Binding had bee... READ MORE
Absolutely devastating and glorious in one
If you could trade your memories to forget the grief, the pain, the sorrow- would you? In a world where memories can be bound inside the pages of books, ‘T... READ MORE
Synopsis
Waterstones Fiction Book of the Month for January 2020
Shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2019
One of 2019’s standout debuts, The Binding became an instant favourite with our booksellers from the moment it landed in their hands in January. Heart-racingly exciting, chilling and with a startlingly original premise, it is a supernaturally tinged tale of forbidden love, buried secrets and unspeakable betrayal that is simply unforgettable.
Set against a landscape that is part Victorian gothic, part medieval outlier and yet strikingly modern, The Binding slowly unravels a mystery surrounding Emmett Farmer, a farm labourer whose life is irrevocably altered when he receives a cryptic summons, pressing him into service as an apprentice to a Bookbinder. It is an invitation he is both drawn to and desperate to run from.
For a Bookbinder’s trade is like no other.
In the house set deep in the marshes, Emmett learns the skills to make exquisitely beautiful volumes, every one as unique as the last and each holding a dark and peculiar secret: a person’s most unconscionable memories. And to Emmett, they whisper in the darkness. Then one day he discovers a book with his own name on it and is forced to choose between forgetting and the dreadful, tantalising promise of remembrance.
Conjuring a magic all of its own, The Binding is a richly imagined story of boundary-defying desire and prejudice wrapped in layers of enchantment, enigma and stunningly evoked detail. Peopled by fully-fledged characters that live and breathe from the book’s pages, it is a novel to fall in love with.
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- ISBN: 9780008389574
- Number of pages: 448
- Weight: 270g
- Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
Customer Reviews
View allAll consuming...
If you judge a book by it’s cover, this one is simply beautiful. A shining light of great magnitude. A book about books. Binding is an art, taking memories... READ MORE
Loved it
Well, "The Binding" was such a great read! Firstly, it was about books, secondly I loved the ending, thirdly I really liked the language, it made me feel l... READ MORE
Beautiful, atmospheric and gripping - a book that lives up to its gorgeous cover!
Loving books (as I do) it might seem hard to imagine a world where all books are banned, secret and kept locked away. However, Bridget Collins conjures up ... READ MORE
I'm in love!
Thank you to Ammara from Harper Collins / Borough Press for this surprise review copy.
Lets keep life simple - I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK!
But please tell... READ MORE