A review of the book ‘The Doll Factory‘ by Elizabeth Macneal. It was published in 2019, and is classified as a gothic thriller. The book has won awards from BBC radio, received the Caledonia novel award and is also a Sunday TImes top bestseller. If you have ready any of my other book reviews then you may know, I love an audio book. I don’t actually get the time to read many books so I listen to most books on audible. It has definitely reignited my love for books and fiction. This is where I listened to this one!
The book was recently made into a TV series. I was excited to watch it, but ended up feeling slightly disappointed. I felt parts of the TV series were rushed, and certain relationships were underplayed. However, this review is not about the TV series it is about the book, so let’s get back to that!
When the streets are at their darkest and quietest, a girl settles at a small desk in the cellar of a dollmaker’s shop
What is The Doll factory about?
The doll factory is set in Victorian London, two sisters work together in a dollmaker’s shop creating dolls. Iris, one of the sisters paints the dolls faces. Although, she wants to paint more. She is offered the chance to model for a pre-raphaelite artist. Iris decides to shun the thoughts of society and her sister and take him up on the offer. With one condition, he needs to teach her to paint! Louis, the artist, is painting Iris for the upcoming Great exhibition. In the excitement leading up to this exhibition, Iris bumps into another gentleman Silas. Although she seems to barely notice him, he develops an obsession with the beautiful red-haired girl.
Is it worth my time?
As mothers we know time is precious, so the question you really want answering with this review of the doll factory, is whether it is worth your time? In a word, yes! I could not stop listening to this book, I ended up with a couple of late nights just wanting to listen to the next bit. If you like historic novels and you like thrillers then you will like this one.
It’s well written, the descriptions of London and the characters make you feel like you are there. At times the novel can be very dark, but if you are ok with that then definitely give this book a chance.
What I liked about The Doll Factory
Being as I listen to books rather than read them I often listen when I am doing things around the house. This can make it difficult for me to follow along sometimes. With this book although there were a lot of characters, yet I managed to keep track of who was who throughout. The characters within the book are likeable, and you want the best for them – well most of them.
There are a number of different story lines running through the book also. This keeps it interesting and they all tie together nicely. As I said before I found it easy to follow along with while pottering round the house.
Final words on the review of The Doll factory
Although there are moments of romance and love in this book, there are also moments of sadness and horror. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t fully convinced on the ending, but I won’t go into that as I don’t want to give anything away. I will definitely read more of Elizabeth Macneal’s books. Let me know in the comments below if you have read this book, or recommend my next listen.
Soph x
