A Sunday Times Bestseller, BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick and BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime.
The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal is the intoxicating story of one woman's dreams of freedom in Victorian England and the man whose obsession threatens to destroy them forever . . .
'A sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art and obsession' - Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train.
London. 1850. On a crowded street, the dollmaker Iris Whittle meets the artist Louis Frost. Louis is a painter who yearns to have his work displayed in the Royal Academy, and he is desperate for Iris to be his model. Iris agrees, on the condition that he teaches her to paint.
Dreaming of freedom, Iris throws herself into a new life of art and love, unaware that she has caught the eye of a second man. Silas Reed is a curiosity collector, enchanted by the strange and beautiful. After seeing Iris at the site of the Great Exhibition he finds he cannot forget her.
As Iris's world expands, Silas's obsession grows. And it is only a matter of time before they meet again . . .
'A dark delight and fans of The Miniaturist and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock will love it' - Red
A Sunday Times Best Paperback of 2020 Pick,
The Doll Factory will be made into a major TV series. 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. Add a keen exploration of the restrictions that were placed on women and the possessiveness of men, and you get a remarkable example of historical fiction . . . In Macneal's novel, Iris is condemned to be imprisoned by men's ideas of her . . . a story full of life, colour and intelligence * 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 Emotionally and intellectually engaging, 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 . . . perfectly paced and richly atmospheric . . . deeply moving . . . I literally couldn't put it down for the final breathtakingly tense 70 pages . . . utterly gripping * Irish Times * Gothically good -- Eithne Farry * Daily Mirror *
The Doll Factory
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