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A review by jensreadinglife
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale
3.0
3-1/2 Stars
I wanted to LOVE this book, I really did. And while I enjoyed it, it wasn’t as good as I’d been hoping. I really liked the writing style and I thought the author created a great sense of place and he wove the magical realism seamlessly into the world he created. But for the longest time I couldn’t figure out where the story was trying to go and it took me a long time, over half the novel, to get fully invested.
I felt like Cathy wasn’t as fully realized a character as I wanted her to be and I didn’t fully buy into her relationship with Kaspar. And Emil was a character I felt conflicted about. Was I supposed to like him or not like him? Was he good or bad? Or a little of both as most people are? It made for a bit of a tumultuous reading experience.
That being said, once Kaspar went to war, the book took off for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the second half. I felt like the action took off and I could finally see where the story was going and what the conclusion might be. Though I did not see the final moments coming and that was a lovely surprise.
I actually think this book would make a fantastic movie. I would love to see that!
I wanted to LOVE this book, I really did. And while I enjoyed it, it wasn’t as good as I’d been hoping. I really liked the writing style and I thought the author created a great sense of place and he wove the magical realism seamlessly into the world he created. But for the longest time I couldn’t figure out where the story was trying to go and it took me a long time, over half the novel, to get fully invested.
I felt like Cathy wasn’t as fully realized a character as I wanted her to be and I didn’t fully buy into her relationship with Kaspar. And Emil was a character I felt conflicted about. Was I supposed to like him or not like him? Was he good or bad? Or a little of both as most people are? It made for a bit of a tumultuous reading experience.
That being said, once Kaspar went to war, the book took off for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the second half. I felt like the action took off and I could finally see where the story was going and what the conclusion might be. Though I did not see the final moments coming and that was a lovely surprise.
I actually think this book would make a fantastic movie. I would love to see that!