Elizabeth Macneal

The Doll Factory, the debut novel by Elizabeth Macneal, is an intoxicating story of art, obsession and possession. 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 . . .'A gorgeously evocative tale of love, art and obsession' Paula Hawkins

The Doll Factory

The #1 international bestseller and The New York Times Editor’s Choice “As lush as the novels of Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield, as exciting as The Alienist and Iain Pears’ An Instance of the Fingerpost, this exquisite literary thriller will intrigue book clubs and rivet fans of historical fiction.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window “A lush, evocative Gothic.” —The New York Times Book Review “This terrifically exciting novel will jolt, thrill, and bewitch readers.” —Booklist, starred review Obsession is an art. In this “sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art, and obsession” (Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train), a beautiful young woman aspires to be an artist, while a man’s dark obsession may destroy her world forever. Obsession is an art. In 1850s London, the Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and, among the crowd watching the dazzling spectacle, two people meet by happenstance. For Iris, an arrestingly attractive aspiring artist, it is a brief and forgettable moment. But for Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by all things strange and beautiful, the 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 beyond her wildest dreams—but she has no idea that evil is waiting in the shadows. Silas has only thought of one thing since that chance meeting, and his obsession is darkening by the day. “A lush, evocative Gothic” (The New York Times Book Review) that is “a perfect blend of froth and substance” (The Washington Post), The Doll Factory will haunt you long after you finish it and is perfect for fans of The Alienist, Drood, and Fingersmith.

A Novel

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

Would've been a 5 star read if the ending wasn't so lackluster 😑 slightly confusing at times but the confusion cleared up towards the end. By the way, this is nothing like The Alienist, per the synopsis. Same time period but that's it.

The #1 International Bestseller New York Times Editor’s Choice “A lush, evocative Gothic.” —The New York Times Book Review “This terrifically exciting novel will jolt, thrill, and bewitch readers.” —Booklist, starred review Obsession is an art. In this “sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art, and obsession” (Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train), a beautiful young woman aspires to be an artist, while a man’s dark obsession may destroy her world forever. In 1850s London, the Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and, among the crowd watching the dazzling spectacle, two people meet by happenstance. For Iris, an arrestingly attractive aspiring artist, it is a brief and forgettable moment but for Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by all things strange and beautiful, the 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 beyond her wildest dreams—but she has no idea that evil is waiting in the shadows. Silas has only thought of one thing since that chance meeting, and his obsession is darkening by the day. “A page-turning psychological thriller” (Essie Fox, author of The Somnambulist) that will haunt you long after you finish it, The Doll Factory is perfect for fans of The Alienist, Drood, and The Historian.

Colleen

3 Stars
 
*A grisly but intriguing Historical Suspense story*
 
 
In London 1851, a young woman who works in a doll shop catches the eye of two men. One is a Pre-Raphaelite painter; the other is a taxidermist. Both men obsess over and idealize Iris. But one of them is hiding a dark secret.
 
I enjoyed the setting, particularly that the story revolved around the Great Exhibition. Fiction was woven into facts in a creative way. I was in the mood for Historical Fiction but (as usual) was having difficulty finding anything not about WWII. So The Doll Factory caught my eye.
 
In terms of gruesome content, The Doll Factory is in the middle of the road. It certainly isn’t as graphic as some books. (The Wolf and the Watchman comes to mind as another Historical Mystery that I read recently that had much more explicit violence.) But there is enough graphicness to deter a sensitive reader. I will include a content warning for violence, misogyny, voyeurism, stalking, abduction, prostitution, destitution, and animal cruelty. These things are described in varying amounts of detail. There are also detailed descriptions of the taxidermy process. I am not including those under the animal cruelty section because post-mortem does not count. But I can understand that some people would be deterred by those scenes.
 
The story kept my interest, but overall it was predictable. While I was reasonably engaged in the story, there was never a moment when I was surprised. This also made it impossible to feel any real tension in the story. It is also a slow-burn story, so it’s easy to see where everything is going. The hints lacked subtlety.
 
The other disconnect for me was the main character, Iris. I never connected with her. I would have thought that a young women struggling to overcome societal expectations and strictures in order to follow her dreams would have resonated more with me. But Iris was a frustrating character. She was impetuous, impulsive, and peevish. 
 
The romance in the story was too melodramatic for my tastes. I was never invested in their relationship, and those scenes were when I was most aware of my disconnect from the characters. It didn’t help that those also tended to be the moments when Iris was the most petulant and angsty. She really did irritate me sometimes. I have to admit, I was never rooting for that romance to work out. I wish the story had had more of a Gothic feel to it.
 
The ending was also abrupt and does not answer all questions. As I mentioned, it was predictable although still entertaining enough.
 
I do recommend reading the author’s note. It gave valuable insight into the themes of the novel. The materialistic opulence of the Great Exhibition versus the struggling masses was one theme. I liked how the heavy symbolism of the pre-Raphaelite painters was mirrored in the overall story. The psychology of collectors was also a recurring theme. That examination of collectors was shown in Victorian society (particularly the idle rich), the Great Exhibition itself, and the men in the story “collecting” women. The theme I liked best was “The male gaze.” Much of the story revolves around objectification of women. And I do mean objectification in the most literal meaning. Whether it is idealizing them in a painting or seeing them as pretty dolls to collect, the women in this story are dehumanized and viewed as objects rather than people. I feel that this was done for the purpose of highlighting those lasting prejudices, not in a way that supports that attitude. This would probably be a good selection for a bookclub, because the wealth of symbolism would be interesting to discuss.
 
Although I didn’t love The Doll Factory, I do think that it was a solid debut effort. Macneal shows a lot of potential, and I look forward to seeing what she does next. Hopefully she will be able to wander off the beaten path regarding her plots and incorporate her symbolism in a more impactful way.
 

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

'A sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art and obsession.' - Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train.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 . . .

very interesting and shows many different perspectives of issues.

Sara maria dos santos venturinha

"A sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art and obsession" Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the TrainThe Doll Factory, the debut novel by Elizabeth Macneal, is an intoxicating story of art, obsession and possession.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 . . .

Emma

omg. This book was gross and disturbing but at the same time beautiful. The book was addictive from the very beginning but sadly I was disappointed with the ending. 

I found it very interesting to follow how Silas’s obsession grows and how insane he can be. I never wasn’t entirely sure what was going on in his head. 

sara louise

Josephine Lemonade 

that was very stressful but definitely good. 

loved the way it ended but i am little sad i won't get to read more of Iris and Louis tbh

Vicki Hesketh

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it's well written a builds a believable picture of a Victorian Britain enamoured by the arrival of The Great Exhibition. 

I love stories about art and artists and I have always been fascinated by The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Whilst this novel is entirely fictional it does communicate well some of the central philosophies of the PRBH. As well as this it is an exciting and engaging read that at points is really get to like any of the main characters. Though this is worth picking up to pass the time difficult to put down. 

3.5 stars, rounding down just because though I really enjoyed it, it didn't stay with me, and I didn't because it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

everlinet

Wow. This was very disturbing book. Made me feel lot of emotions, truly. The characters were so well written, so alive. The author is definitely not afraid to describe ugly or gross things that happen to people on daily basis. Sometimes it was so GROSS but honestly I cannot imagine this book being written differently. 
This book is something you wouldn’t forget easily. It’s about a woman who has ambitions and who wants to create art instead of just working for little money and so much work. She wants to be a painter. And on the other hand it’s about a very awful human being, about a man who is capable of inhuman things. And believe me it was very hard for me to read all the things he’s done. 
It’s about obsession that leads to even more terrible actions. 
Definitely a story that won’t leave my mind for a long time.

Lisa Beasley

I really enjoyed this right up until the last 50 or so pages. There was just no resolution and we were left totally hanging. I ended up caring a lot about Iris and the fact that her story just sort of ended without any kind of proper ending was really frustrating.

Such a shame as otherwise it was a great read. But I couldn't give it more than 3 stars.

Olivia Harris

Emily Carruthers 

In this “sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art, and obsession” (Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train), a beautiful young woman aspires to be an artist, while a man’s dark obsession may destroy her world forever. The Doll Factory is a sweeping tale of curiosity, love, and possession set among all the sordidness and soaring ambition of 1850s London. The greatest spectacle London has ever seen is being erected in Hyde Park and, among the crowd watching, two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist of unique beauty, it is the encounter of a moment—forgotten seconds later—but for Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by the strange and beautiful, the 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, and suddenly her world expands beyond anything she ever dreamed of. But she has no idea that evil stalks her. Silas, it seems, has thought of only one thing since that chance meeting, and his obsession is darkening by the day...

The Doll Factory

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