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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Slowly realizing how dangerous Silas was over the parts in this book was genuinely terrifying. His psychotic obsession with Flick reimagined into Iris was so so scary it made me sick to think about him stalking her and his eventual actions to make her his. The differing perspectives was needed but really showcased how you really *don't* know about some people and what they are capable of. I wish there was more to the ending but at the same time it ended with a lot of speculation on her safety and Silas' outcome. I feel so bad for ALBIE he was soo internally conflicted.
In this imagined period and applying it to today's society- the imprisonment and capture of women is so important and what they do to (or not) break free. Ughhhh wow. What a book to read after my last one, I'm sensing a common theme here....
In this imagined period and applying it to today's society- the imprisonment and capture of women is so important and what they do to (or not) break free. Ughhhh wow. What a book to read after my last one, I'm sensing a common theme here....
2.25
This book is not "bad" per se, but it wasn't as good as I expected. I think that it is well-written, but I did not care about the characters, especially Iris and Louis. I felt bad for Albie, and Silas is definitely deranged, but I found it hard to care for the story as a whole. Plus, I wanted more Victorian shenanigans.
This book is not "bad" per se, but it wasn't as good as I expected. I think that it is well-written, but I did not care about the characters, especially Iris and Louis. I felt bad for Albie, and Silas is definitely deranged, but I found it hard to care for the story as a whole. Plus, I wanted more Victorian shenanigans.
I have been in need of creepy Victorian novels since reading [b:Fingersmith|8913370|Fingersmith|Sarah Waters|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545241494l/8913370._SY75_.jpg|1014113] and this fit the bill beautifully. Plus the inclusion of art, artists and The Great Exhibition.
Happy pub day to this creepy blend of hist fic and mystery!
Beautifully written and full of wonderful description, but ultimately completely boring. Loved the first half, but the second half dragged and dragged to a disappointing conclusion. I would read the author again for her writing style though.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a perfect blend of historical fiction, art, and thriller. The last about ten pages were a tad slow, but the epilogue made it worth it. I will definitely reread this book in the future and hopefully more novels by this author as well.
Sorry...not for me....a lot of hype...no substance. I didn't like anything about this novel.
This was a very atmospheric novel. Set in the Victorian era, it looks at some of the quirks of the period, such as the obsession with taxidermy and the posing of dead animals for display. It's also pretty creepy in how it builds up Silas' obsession with Iris, and the general obsession with things considered to be oddities.
The characters are interesting and the atmosphere around the rise of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the Great Exhibition are well rendered. There's also a strong feminist aspect in Iris' desire to paint and be recognised for her work in spite of her family and social expectations.
This was a good debut. I think people interested in Gothic literature will like this. I wouldn't say that I loved it, though. I kind of wanted more on the relationship between Iris and Rose, because that kind of fizzled out towards the end. I liked it well enough, though, and I'd be interested to see what Macneal does next.
The characters are interesting and the atmosphere around the rise of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the Great Exhibition are well rendered. There's also a strong feminist aspect in Iris' desire to paint and be recognised for her work in spite of her family and social expectations.
This was a good debut. I think people interested in Gothic literature will like this. I wouldn't say that I loved it, though. I kind of wanted more on the relationship between Iris and Rose, because that kind of fizzled out towards the end. I liked it well enough, though, and I'd be interested to see what Macneal does next.
I have finally got round to reading it! It took me a few chapters to get into it, I wasn’t immediately hooked but I loved the Victorian gothic atmosphere and Silas was truly a terrifying specimen. It’s an impressive debut novel and weaves fiction with reality well. I would have liked the ending to have a little more fleshing out, but then maybe that’s just selfish indulgence as by then I was completely invested in the characters. I do think too this would adapt well to screen. I will definitely be looking for further reads from @elizabethmacneal
(Gifted)
Blog Post: https://museofnyxmares.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/gifted-the-doll-factory-by-elizabeth-macneal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/museofnyxmares/
*I was provided with an ARC by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All quotes used may be subject to change upon publication.
Firstly, I want to state that I’m still not completely over this book and consequently, my feelings are all over the place, but I will to try and write a review worthy of this book. It’s just magical when a book transports you to another time and place, and that’s exactly what The Doll Factory did. I was walking alongside Iris through the streets of 1850s London, with the rules and conventions of the time period so clearly etched in my mind, indulging in the pleasures of art and love. For me, nothing can beat a historical fiction done well and so I loved all the talk of the art movements etc, but particularly the examination of women in that society, ‘She has been brought up on tales of innocent girls lured in by promises which are not kept, warned of all the dangers which lie in wait like a wolf in the shadows’. I felt like Iris was the perfect person to demonstrate the invisible restraints that society places on women and the poor, and how not everyone sticks to, or believes in these social conventions. And moreover, how you have the power to change your life.
When I first started reading this, I felt like it was going to be quite a heavy story, and by that I mean, that the characters seemed to have such bleak existences. Iris and her sister are stuck in this shop making dolls to help their parents with bills. Their mistress is a mean spirited woman, who even administers pinches to the girls. Their work is repetitive and uneventful. Iris feels like she’ll never escape this pitiful existence she has and repeatedly envisions running away, the only solace she finds is sneaking down to the basement at night and painting naked. She knows what others would think if she were found out, but it thrills her in a way that she can’t explain and she almost wishes that someone would catch her, put her out of the misery that is her life. Rose on the other hand, already feels like she had everything she wanted and it was so cruelly taken from her.
Rose was considered the beauty of the two and had a fiance, that is until she got smallpox and her face became scarred and her vision lost in one eye. Where Iris dares to dream of a better life, Rose almost seems resigned to her fate and is constantly scolding Iris to behave in a more socially acceptable way. All they truly have is each other to cling to, but they haven’t been close since Rose’s looks were taken from her. Iris feels like Rose is holding her back, but she’s also devastated that they aren’t as close as they used to be. She also knows that Rose is jealous of her and that Rose even blames her for how her life has turned out, ‘why me? why me?’ she wailed, and then, only once, a hissed whisper that Iris wondered if she misheard: ‘It should have been you.’. Their relationship was a big part of the book and the complexities of it made it fascinating to read about, ‘Even though they are identical, the twins could not be less alike. As young girls, Rose was always singled out as the real beauty of the two, their parents’ favourite, and she clutched this understanding like a treasure’.
The other two characters that were living less than desirable lives, were Silas and Albie. Silas is miserably lonely, but tries to convince himself otherwise, by loathing almost everyone around him. Like most people with his disposition, he is consumed by his work. He collects his dead animals and insects and works them into stuffed pieces or between glass, selling them to artists for study or the curious, or keeps them for his own personal collection. He is a removed and sinister character altogether and he is sure to unnerve a few people, mostly by the grandeur of illusions that he creates in his head. He is probably the poster child for how deeply ones childhood can affect them later in life, ‘It makes him draw back into himself, to recall himself at Albie’s age…his arms aching from his mother’s fists. It makes him wonder if he’s ever truly left that life’. And then we have Albie, who is currently experiencing his childhood, which is probably as awful as Silas’.
Albie and his sister are dirt poor, they have to rely on Albie thieving things to have any money or on his sister selling her body for money, Albie even has to share the room with her that she sees her clients in. It’s honestly so horrific to think about, they are both just children. Albie also only has one tooth and he’s desperate to save up enough money to get a false set. Albie and Iris are familiar with each other, as he sells doll clothes to her mistress to make money and Iris watches out for him. Their friendship was so sweet and the way that Alfie was so protective of her was so adorable. He really was a rascal and an angel at the same time and he didn’t deserve anything that happened to him, ‘He hates it…though he accepts it too, and does not think of his life in terms of happiness or unhappiness, just as survival’. His plight broke my heart and I can feel the tears coming again just thinking about everything he went through, and how he was constantly trying to do right by Iris and his sister.
It isn’t until all these characters lives start to intersect, that things really start to change for them all. After a chance encounter, Albie introduces Silas to Iris, reluctantly and quite unintentionally. Silas then locks on to her with a vice like grip and she becomes his new obsession, he’s struck by how much her red hair reminds him of a girl from his past and is mesmerized by the strange defect in her collar bone, like how the unusual animal corpses set his heart racing. From that single encounter, he’s in Iris’ life, watching from the shadows or making his bizarre attempts to win her affection. But in his deep rooted desire to win others approval, he throws an obstacle in his way when he suggests to an artist that he should paint her, ‘covers his neck as if to pack the words back down his throat. She is too prized, she is his, and he can scarcely believe what he has done’.
Louis is a charismatic young artist, who sometimes buys pieces off of Silas. Against her better judgement, in a desperate attempt to create some resistance to the stagnant flow of her life, Iris agrees to model for him, knowing that she’ll lose her family and her job. But she accepts on one condition, that Louis teach her to paint. What ensues are the most glorious chapters of Iris relishing in this new found freedom, falling in love with Louis, as well as painting, grappling with how others would view their relationship as they are unmarried and if she’ll make any real success being a female painter. Louis and Iris’ relationship was so beautiful to me, the progression of it felt so natural and I enjoyed the slow build of emotions between them, ‘She nods, and he tucks it into her hair, his finger brushing her ear. This is all too much – it is too fast, too enchanting, and she wants everything to slow down’. They were such a great pairing, I adore them both and may have fallen a bit in love with Louis myself.
This was a deliciously addictive novel that made me squirm as many times as it made me smile. It honestly had everything, extremely well written characters, stunning writing – that wasn’t overdone, fantastic setting and an unfathomably clever and greatly crafted plot. The plot for me, besides the characters and the writing, was probably what blew me away the most. The book is split into three parts and each one was just as thrilling as the others, with that last one being gripping and tense beyond belief. The Doll Factory was the complete experience, I was moved by the portrayal of the ugly truths of life, the Beauty of art and falling in love, and it had the heart racing suspense of a thriller. This is without a doubt one of the best debut novels that I’ve read, I’m even willing to forgive the author for breaking my heart, because it was a masterpiece.
Blog Post: https://museofnyxmares.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/gifted-the-doll-factory-by-elizabeth-macneal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/museofnyxmares/
*I was provided with an ARC by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All quotes used may be subject to change upon publication.
Firstly, I want to state that I’m still not completely over this book and consequently, my feelings are all over the place, but I will to try and write a review worthy of this book. It’s just magical when a book transports you to another time and place, and that’s exactly what The Doll Factory did. I was walking alongside Iris through the streets of 1850s London, with the rules and conventions of the time period so clearly etched in my mind, indulging in the pleasures of art and love. For me, nothing can beat a historical fiction done well and so I loved all the talk of the art movements etc, but particularly the examination of women in that society, ‘She has been brought up on tales of innocent girls lured in by promises which are not kept, warned of all the dangers which lie in wait like a wolf in the shadows’. I felt like Iris was the perfect person to demonstrate the invisible restraints that society places on women and the poor, and how not everyone sticks to, or believes in these social conventions. And moreover, how you have the power to change your life.
When I first started reading this, I felt like it was going to be quite a heavy story, and by that I mean, that the characters seemed to have such bleak existences. Iris and her sister are stuck in this shop making dolls to help their parents with bills. Their mistress is a mean spirited woman, who even administers pinches to the girls. Their work is repetitive and uneventful. Iris feels like she’ll never escape this pitiful existence she has and repeatedly envisions running away, the only solace she finds is sneaking down to the basement at night and painting naked. She knows what others would think if she were found out, but it thrills her in a way that she can’t explain and she almost wishes that someone would catch her, put her out of the misery that is her life. Rose on the other hand, already feels like she had everything she wanted and it was so cruelly taken from her.
Rose was considered the beauty of the two and had a fiance, that is until she got smallpox and her face became scarred and her vision lost in one eye. Where Iris dares to dream of a better life, Rose almost seems resigned to her fate and is constantly scolding Iris to behave in a more socially acceptable way. All they truly have is each other to cling to, but they haven’t been close since Rose’s looks were taken from her. Iris feels like Rose is holding her back, but she’s also devastated that they aren’t as close as they used to be. She also knows that Rose is jealous of her and that Rose even blames her for how her life has turned out, ‘why me? why me?’ she wailed, and then, only once, a hissed whisper that Iris wondered if she misheard: ‘It should have been you.’. Their relationship was a big part of the book and the complexities of it made it fascinating to read about, ‘Even though they are identical, the twins could not be less alike. As young girls, Rose was always singled out as the real beauty of the two, their parents’ favourite, and she clutched this understanding like a treasure’.
The other two characters that were living less than desirable lives, were Silas and Albie. Silas is miserably lonely, but tries to convince himself otherwise, by loathing almost everyone around him. Like most people with his disposition, he is consumed by his work. He collects his dead animals and insects and works them into stuffed pieces or between glass, selling them to artists for study or the curious, or keeps them for his own personal collection. He is a removed and sinister character altogether and he is sure to unnerve a few people, mostly by the grandeur of illusions that he creates in his head. He is probably the poster child for how deeply ones childhood can affect them later in life, ‘It makes him draw back into himself, to recall himself at Albie’s age…his arms aching from his mother’s fists. It makes him wonder if he’s ever truly left that life’. And then we have Albie, who is currently experiencing his childhood, which is probably as awful as Silas’.
Albie and his sister are dirt poor, they have to rely on Albie thieving things to have any money or on his sister selling her body for money, Albie even has to share the room with her that she sees her clients in. It’s honestly so horrific to think about, they are both just children. Albie also only has one tooth and he’s desperate to save up enough money to get a false set. Albie and Iris are familiar with each other, as he sells doll clothes to her mistress to make money and Iris watches out for him. Their friendship was so sweet and the way that Alfie was so protective of her was so adorable. He really was a rascal and an angel at the same time and he didn’t deserve anything that happened to him, ‘He hates it…though he accepts it too, and does not think of his life in terms of happiness or unhappiness, just as survival’. His plight broke my heart and I can feel the tears coming again just thinking about everything he went through, and how he was constantly trying to do right by Iris and his sister.
It isn’t until all these characters lives start to intersect, that things really start to change for them all. After a chance encounter, Albie introduces Silas to Iris, reluctantly and quite unintentionally. Silas then locks on to her with a vice like grip and she becomes his new obsession, he’s struck by how much her red hair reminds him of a girl from his past and is mesmerized by the strange defect in her collar bone, like how the unusual animal corpses set his heart racing. From that single encounter, he’s in Iris’ life, watching from the shadows or making his bizarre attempts to win her affection. But in his deep rooted desire to win others approval, he throws an obstacle in his way when he suggests to an artist that he should paint her, ‘covers his neck as if to pack the words back down his throat. She is too prized, she is his, and he can scarcely believe what he has done’.
Louis is a charismatic young artist, who sometimes buys pieces off of Silas. Against her better judgement, in a desperate attempt to create some resistance to the stagnant flow of her life, Iris agrees to model for him, knowing that she’ll lose her family and her job. But she accepts on one condition, that Louis teach her to paint. What ensues are the most glorious chapters of Iris relishing in this new found freedom, falling in love with Louis, as well as painting, grappling with how others would view their relationship as they are unmarried and if she’ll make any real success being a female painter. Louis and Iris’ relationship was so beautiful to me, the progression of it felt so natural and I enjoyed the slow build of emotions between them, ‘She nods, and he tucks it into her hair, his finger brushing her ear. This is all too much – it is too fast, too enchanting, and she wants everything to slow down’. They were such a great pairing, I adore them both and may have fallen a bit in love with Louis myself.
This was a deliciously addictive novel that made me squirm as many times as it made me smile. It honestly had everything, extremely well written characters, stunning writing – that wasn’t overdone, fantastic setting and an unfathomably clever and greatly crafted plot. The plot for me, besides the characters and the writing, was probably what blew me away the most. The book is split into three parts and each one was just as thrilling as the others, with that last one being gripping and tense beyond belief. The Doll Factory was the complete experience, I was moved by the portrayal of the ugly truths of life, the Beauty of art and falling in love, and it had the heart racing suspense of a thriller. This is without a doubt one of the best debut novels that I’ve read, I’m even willing to forgive the author for breaking my heart, because it was a masterpiece.