jomolls's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
rhi_ding's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book!
I’d have loved it if there was an Iris-Louis reunion scene at the end.
I’d have loved it if there was an Iris-Louis reunion scene at the end.
bookworm_oakey's review against another edition
5.0
I was in the mood for something dark, something Victorian and this marvelous gothic, grimey tale totally hit the mark.
It's Victorian London and Iris works painting dolls faces in a stifling Doll emporium. She dreams of becoming an artist and ends up falling in with The Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood.
The novel stinks of Dickensian London and I ADORE that. Rich, rough, delicious and vile characters. Silas the taxidermist is positively grotesque.
Fictional and real life characters are entwined in this atmospheric dark novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
It's Victorian London and Iris works painting dolls faces in a stifling Doll emporium. She dreams of becoming an artist and ends up falling in with The Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood.
The novel stinks of Dickensian London and I ADORE that. Rich, rough, delicious and vile characters. Silas the taxidermist is positively grotesque.
Fictional and real life characters are entwined in this atmospheric dark novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
pachuulia's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
philomath_in_phila's review against another edition
4.0
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
The Doll Factory is the debut novel of Elizabeth Macneal. It is not a children's book. Before reading it, some reviewers thought it could be because of the cover. Afterward, they realized they were mistaken.
It is a historical fiction novel set in 1850 London. It revolves around Iris, a doll maker, who dreams of a better life. Iris knows her life drastically changes when she meets Louis Frost, a painter, who agrees to teach her to paint in exchange for sitting as his model. What she does not know is it also drastically changes with a brief exchange with Silas, a strange collector who is entranced and quickly becomes obsessed with Iris.
The story is a slow burn and took a while for me to really get into it. It was because of this, the story felt longer than 336 pages. Macneal's description of Silas's increasing obsession with Iris is creepy, dark, and extremely believable. What made it creepier is that Iris does not even remember meeting Silas. Yet, he believes Iris is as infatuated with him as he is with her. This theme has been done before but the 1850 London setting helps make the obsession even darker.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 2/6/2020.
The Doll Factory is the debut novel of Elizabeth Macneal. It is not a children's book. Before reading it, some reviewers thought it could be because of the cover. Afterward, they realized they were mistaken.
It is a historical fiction novel set in 1850 London. It revolves around Iris, a doll maker, who dreams of a better life. Iris knows her life drastically changes when she meets Louis Frost, a painter, who agrees to teach her to paint in exchange for sitting as his model. What she does not know is it also drastically changes with a brief exchange with Silas, a strange collector who is entranced and quickly becomes obsessed with Iris.
The story is a slow burn and took a while for me to really get into it. It was because of this, the story felt longer than 336 pages. Macneal's description of Silas's increasing obsession with Iris is creepy, dark, and extremely believable. What made it creepier is that Iris does not even remember meeting Silas. Yet, he believes Iris is as infatuated with him as he is with her. This theme has been done before but the 1850 London setting helps make the obsession even darker.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 2/6/2020.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
Historical fiction starring the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood? Yes, please. Sadly, the real PRB makes a tangential appearance with "Johnnie" Millais being the most frequent member we see. There's a good description of London during their era and the art scene, along with some talk about their philosophy of art (and a cameo by Ruskin) but the real focus is on the obsessions of Silas and the life of Iris as a worker and then model. For me, either more PRB or more on the Silas/Iris relationship would have worked but the combination doesn't.
eARC provided by publisher.
eARC provided by publisher.
georgielester's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mazza57's review against another edition
3.0
Overall I think there will be many people who buy and thoroughly enjoy this book. It is a bit slow moving at the beginning but Macneal builds a strong narrative. The times are captured well but this is less an historical fiction than a mystery / thriller/ horror . Her characterisation is excellent - particularly of Silas and Albie. However, I have to say, it verged too far towards horror for me. It was very dark at times and I really didn't enjoy reading some of the book - I think I am a bit too much of a wimp. Despite that I wanted to credit the writing and the power of the storyline and thats why I decided on 3 stars.
rhiancmoore's review against another edition
Beautiful prose and evocative setting (could feel that grime!).
The start of the story was amazing and then it was like all those strands were dropped. It was if there were multiple versions of the story written (one a romance, one a gothic, another a thriller) and then merged together. As such it felt a little disjointed and I could not settle into the read at all.
The characters could not save it for me and in fact at least one of the POVs could have been cut and we would not have noticed. Iris had so much promise.
The start of the story was amazing and then it was like all those strands were dropped. It was if there were multiple versions of the story written (one a romance, one a gothic, another a thriller) and then merged together. As such it felt a little disjointed and I could not settle into the read at all.
The characters could not save it for me and in fact at least one of the POVs could have been cut and we would not have noticed. Iris had so much promise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty