A young woman's determination to make her way in Victorian London is exploited by both an artist and a taxidermist in this darkly atmospheric period debut about misogyny and ownership.
Waterstones Fiction Book of the Month for March 2020
The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal is the intoxicating story of a young woman who aspires to be an artist, and the man whose obsession may destroy her world for ever.
London. 1850. The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and among the crowd watching the spectacle two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of a moment - forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, a collector entranced by the strange and beautiful, that meeting marks a new beginning.
When Iris is asked to model for pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly her world begins to expand, to become a place of art and love.
But Silas has only thought of one thing since their meeting, and his obsession is darkening...
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781529002430
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 265 g
Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 26 mm
A remarkable example of historical fiction . . . full of life, colour and intelligence - Sunday Times
Stunningly confident . . . thoroughly engrossing - Ian Rankin
A must read . . . Elizabeth Macneal's compelling debut is a darkly brilliant tale of Gothic suspense - Daily Mail
Fantastic - vivid, poignant, colourful, and elegantly horrifying - Bridget Collins, author of The Binding
Macneal is excellent on the tension between idealised women and the reality . . . The Doll Factory is a remarkably strong debut; clever and readable with flashes of wonderful, descriptive prose - Book of the Month, The Times
Astounding . . . I recommend it wholeheartedly - Jo Whiley, BBC Radio 2 Book Club
This is a dark delight and fans of The Miniaturist and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock will love it - Red Magazine
A deliciously gothic concoction that abounds with energy and imagination, conjuring up 1850s London life in all its Dickensian glory. Macneal marries art, obsession and possession in a plot that gains momentum and leaves the reader breathless - Daily Mail
I loved The Doll Factory from the very first page . . . an exquisite novel of obsession, delusion, resilience and love . . . breathtaking - AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs Bird
Astonishingly good . . . with and a plot that rattles like a speeding carriage to its thrilling conclusion. I couldn’t put it down. You won’t be able to either - Elizabeth Day, author of The Party
Magnificent . . . features an extraordinary, unforgettable cast of characters . . . you can't help but be entranced by this uniquely evocative and arresting story . . . the tension ramps up to a breathtaking climax . . . if you love books like The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, Tulip Fever and Perfume then add The Doll Factory to your reading list - Daily Express
Vividly rendered . . . captivating . . . engrossing - Evening Standard
This brilliant literary thriller gripped me from the opening page . . . a beautifully researched historical novel with a plot to stop your heart - Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites and The Good People
Brilliant . . . refreshingly original . . . beautifully orchestrated . . . fascinating - Andrew Taylor, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The American Boy
The summer's hottest author . . . at once a love story and a thriller . . . Iris is a fierce creation. She chafes against the Victorian constraints on her freedom, carves out her own space in the male art world - Sunday Times
Stunning . . . with an unbearably tense and chilling denouement that had me totally gripped - Sophie Mackintosh, Man Booker Prize longlisted author of The Water Cure
Elegantly plotted . . . compelling and chilling - The i
Exquisitely executed, well-researched and richly evocative . . . a fast-paced, inventive ride through the dirt and squalor of Victorian London - Mail on Sunday
Exquisite . . . authentic and suspenseful - Woman & Home
Pretty much everything you could want from a book set in Victorian London . . . terrific storytelling . . . Ever since the success of The Essex Serpent, there's been no shortage of good modern gothic novels. The Doll Factory might just be the best yet - James Walton, Reader's Digest
One of the best books I’ve read in ages – heartbreaking and evocative . . . a perfectly structured and page-turning story of love and passion; crime and obsession . . . wonderful - Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl
Remarkably assured and beautifully written . . . truly captivating - E C Fremantle, author of The Poison Bed
This dark, enchanting tale is beautifully written. We couldn't put it down - Take a Break
A brilliant literary thriller that you won't want to put down - Surrey Life
[A] gripping historical thriller . . . Macneal paints a masterpiece with her vivid descriptions, and the conclusion will have you racing to the end - Book of the Week, Woman's Weekly
A vivid depiction of a morally dubious world, and a page-turning psychological thriller, with a truly compelling villain - Essie Fox, author of The Somnambulist
Gripping, artfully written . . . part love story, part gothic novel and leading up to a truly breathless conclusion, this book is destined to be one of the biggest titles of 2019 - Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti
Darkly brilliant - The Collector meets Possession with added female power - Anna Mazzola, author of The Unseeing and The Story Keeper
Engrossing and atmospheric . . . I can practically see the TV version! - Adele Geras, author of The Ballet Class
A sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art and obsession - Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train
In its evocation of the seething energy of 1850s London, its immersion in the detail of the 19th-century city’s everyday life and in its fascination with the macabre and the eccentric, Elizabeth Macneal’s debut novel does feel genuinely Dickensian. - Sunday Times
The sort of book you want to read curled up by a fire while your fingers twitch to find out what happens next - Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You
Macneal has a magpie's eye for whatever is bright and glittering, and she writes vividly - Scotsman
Memorable - Herald
Gripping - India Knight, Sunday Times
Elizabeth Macneal’s debut is a stunner . . . both a page-turning thriller and a thoughtful, moving exploration of what it meant to be a woman and an artist in the 19th century. - Irish Times
Gothically good - Eithne Farry, Daily Mirror
This startling novel about obsession will be all consuming. Iris was a great character. I loved her from the start and this is her story. Time to shine...Follow your dreams. But be cautious it can take you on a... More
This is a story of having dreams, breaking free and trying to achieve them against all odds.
Set in the Victorian era during the Great Exhibition, Elizabeth Macneal presents us a wonderful set of characters, Rose,...
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This is a wonderful read. Set in dirty London of 1850s the distinctive mood is set from the beginning of the story. You feel apart of the storyline. Totally involved and captivated by it. London is so carefully and... More
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