I adored this lovely historical thriller set in a world of art and taxidermy.

Two sisters Iris and Rose work together making dolls. It is the mid 19th century and whilst nearby the great exhibition is being planned, their days are long and repetitive, working for a hard taskmistress the girls dream of escaping to a more congenial life, Rose wants her own genteel little shop and Iris dreams of learning to paint. But both girls bear the scars of living in an era where medical care wasn't great. Rose has lost her beauty to the scarring of smallpox whilst Iris has a hunched shoulder, due to a break in her collarbone at birth.and both girls fear no man will even look at them now.

Iris's beauty, however, attracts the attention of two very different men. She is approached by artist Louis Frost, a member of the burgeoning pre Raphaelite brotherhood who begs her to model for his painting for which she barters art lessons in return.

Whilst in the shadows of the grimiest rookeries of old London, lurks lonely Silas, a taxidermist who admires Iris from afar and whilst his shyness prevents him voicing his admiration for her, he remains on the periphery of her world fantasising about when they eventually meet, sure she will eventually love him as he adores her.

As we move between the courts and shops of Victorian London, we glimpse everyday life at its most brutal the descriptions are superb and I felt as though I was one step behind Iris throughout her journey. The reader meets several wonderful characters and young Albie, a street urchin who longs only for some false teeth to replace the one worn stump of a tooth which is all that remains of his gnashers, earned a place in my heart.

As Iris begins to shake off her shackles, Rose remains in the doll factory, modelling tiny faces and fitting miniature gowns to dolls for rich little girls. Iris grows further apart from her sister and whilst she does begin to feel love for one of the men in her life, in the other, builds an unhealthy obsession.

As she falls in love, she also becomes the object of a dangerous obsession.

This is a wonderfully atmospheric historical novel, woven around a world of art and creativity with lots of details about pre-raphaelite artists, and a tense thriller and mystery which will have you on the edge of your seat. Its a creeper, beginning slowly until you are immersed in it ad it just won't let go. I loved it and feel the characters will stay with me for a long time.

A compelling and beautifully-written book. The Collector meets Possession with added female power. I think this will be one of the big novels of 2019.

I picked this up looking to read for an hour or so and could not put it down. Dark and delicious , brimming with atmosphere. Be warned though the character Silas doesnt leave you easily ! 100% recommend.

This was a really good book slotting into many genres - historical fiction, romance, crime, psychological thriller. I really enjoyed the way the different genres came together to make an engaging read. The descriptions in the book made the era come to life and it was very easy to imagine being in the book.

Thanks for letting me review this book.

A really fantastic book. I was gripped from the very beginning. Some aspects of the plot were guessable very early, but this absolutely didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book, in fact it was an enhancement to watch the unravelling of the characters. I’d be extremely keen to read more by this author.

You know when you wake up from a dream so vivid that you want to continue sleeping just so you can get back there? That's how I felt when I finished the Doll Factory.

Set in 1850 during the year of the Great Exhibition, it combines the modern outlook of the main character, Iris, who dares to follow her ambition, much to the shock of her family, with the primitive and brutal living conditions of Victorian life. The prose is so vivid that when you read it, you live it and forget that you're looking at words on a page. This was like a trip back through time, with the filth of the streets, the dire working conditions, the splash of romance and passion, the daily tragedy of the lives of the poor, and the beauty portrayed. by the pre Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Within the story are other characters that make up this colourful tapestry: the urchin Albie, saving his pennies for dentures, his prostitute sister, so vulnerable to abuse, Iris's deformed sister Rose, and the sinister amateur taxidermist, the deluded Silas.
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With a growing sense of menace and peril, the story builds to a climax with a nail-biting dénouement that leads to a satisfying finale. I lived an breathed every moment and it left me wishing for more. I have rarely read prose more evocative than this. MacNeal includes, smells, sights, colour and sound into her story and you can almost smell the fifth as you imagine yourself running urgently alongside the characters.


A first class book. Throw all the awards at it and then make it into a film!

Excellent book! Loved the characters and it was a great storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

The details and descriptions are so realistic, I felt totally immersed in the world. Loved the banter, conversations and London settings.

I loved this book, from the first page I read. What an amazing debut novel. Written during 1850 and the Great Exhibition. It tells the story of Iris, an aspiring artist, Louis the man she loves, and Silas a taxidermist. It's louis' obsession with Iris, and his illusional need to possess her, which makes it such a chilling read. He will stop at nothing to get her. The writing is very descriptive, and made it so much easier to immerse yourself in the painters studio, or the squalor of the underdogs, the street urchins, the day to day life of victorian London.

Great book. I hope to read more by Elizabeth!

What an unusual yet captivating novel. In places it was dark and the character Silas, completely eerie and frightening. I loved the clever introduction of real figures from history, being drawn into the story and the innocence of characters like Iris and Rose.
In the final chapters, I could feel the claustrophobia of Iris’s imprisonments and prayed for her release
An abrupt ending left me wanting more. Very well written.

This is an excellent read. It's very tense. So tense that I found myself fretting about the outcome because I was very invested in the characters. I loved the setting and the use of the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood as a foil for the development of the plot. It reminded me of a cross between The Crimson Petal and The White and The Collector. Creepy, atmospheric and a real page turner.

This wasn't the kind of book I usually pick up but I did feel glad I read it. The creepy atmosphere and historical details make it a very realistic read The Silas character is a taxidermist who at first seems down on his luck I felt very sorry for him in the beginning as he seemed lonely and misunderstood but as the story moves on he becomes a more sinister prospect.
The book focuses on painters of the preraphalite brotherhood and a brilliant female painter who joins them, She is beautiful and talented one of the first femanists, strong and clever. She has to make her escape from the eponymous doll factory of the title to become a great painter and have an independent life of her own, Silas however has other ideas for her. A great read.

THE DOLL FACTORY was captivating and authentic. Set in historic London of 1850, it is both dark and beautiful.
The story can become scary at times but overall it's a joyride for your imagination.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

This was a gripping read and I would highly recommend it. It tells the story of Iris and her sister Rose who work for cruel Mrs Salter, painting dolls. Iris dreams of being an artist and takes up an opportunity to work for pre-raphaelite painter Louis, but sinister collector Silas is obsessed with her. The setting of Victorian London is rich in detail and full of descriptions which use all the senses. I felt I was there! Some of the detail is almost too revolting but adds to the authenticity of the background. The narrative is fast-paced and the period details beautifully woven into the story. There’s a real sense of impending doom as Silas’s obsession takes hold and I had to keep turning the pages. This was one of those novels that intruded on my daily life in the best possible way - I just couldn’t stop thinking about it and reached for it whenever I had a spare minute. Very satisfying read. Excellent! I look forward to more books by this author.

This was a great book. The descriptions and historical details were realistic and some were new to me. I’ve read quite a lot of Victorian historical fiction, so new ways of thinking about this era are always welcome: a boy saving for a full set of dentures; the fascination with natural history and taxidermy as the scientific discoveries of anatomy multiplied .The symbol of the Great Exhibition as the visible part of an iceberg, while the gritty filth and ordinariness of Victorian Street life lies below the surface, was an image that came to me while reading. The revelations as the book goes on of the depths of Silas’ madness was very well done. Those mice!
Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Ooh - this is such a good read. Clear your weekend and settle down to be transported back to 19th Century London where twin sisters Iris and Rose work in The Doll Factory painting faces on porcelain dolls for wealthy patrons to buy.
Elizabeth Macneal builds the suspense as Iris becomes the object of desire for creepy Silas - a taxidermist and collector of the unusual.
With a glimpse into the underbelly of London where poor urchins fight for survival and young girls sell their bodies for pennies, the twin worlds of poverty and privilege are exposed in this novel.
Elizabeth Macneal has written her debut novel with assurance and I look forward to reading her next.

Iris wants to paint, she dreams of being an artist. But in 1850, that's not respectable or rewarding work for a woman, so the nearest she can get is working in the doll factory alongside her sister Rose, painting dolls’ faces day in day out.

A fortuitous turn of circumstances leads Iris to modelling for Louis, a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and a passionate affair ensues. Although with this change, Iris becomes lost to her family who disown her.

Meanwhile Silas, a strange, lonely taxidermist, becomes obsessed with Iris and the story takes a dark turn…

I loved this book. I loved the characters, the romantic first half of the book, to the much darker, more macabre second half. I enjoyed learning about the art of the period and the real life artists who populate the story. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for review copy in exchange for honest review.

Creepy, honest, bare all intimacy, and lunacy all combine in a awesome page turner. This is a unforgeable story that will have you reading all nite.

Set in 1851, at the time of the great exhibition in London. Iris and her sister Rose are destined to spend their lives working in Mrs Salter’s doll factory. Iris, however longs to escape and find her way as an artist. Louis, an infamous artist looks set to free Iris from her humdrum existence but a local taxidermist has a dangerously obsession with Iris. The scene of Victorian London is set just perfectly, the characters have wonderful depth and the story could rival any current thriller. The Doll Factory is a fantastic debut and an incredible read.

One of my absolute favourite books of the year. Cannot recommend this enough - it's beautiful and creepy and utterly captivating.

Wow... i dont know where to start with this book, all i know is it totally consumed me from start to finish.

Twins Iris and Rose both work in the doll factory, where Iris dreams of being an artist, on meeting artist Louis one day, she is given the opportunity to model for him, in return he will teach her to paint.... Iris must choose between leaving the factory and following her dream, or staying and keeping her sister Rose happy.

Along the way Iris becomes the object of creepy Silas's obsession.... he is fixated on her and desperately wants to make her love him in return....
Set in 19th century London, during the great exhibition, the reader is transported back in time and the author does a fantastic job in doing so.. i completely lost myself in this book. One of my favourite reads this year. Would highly recommend.
Thank you to the author, netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read in return for an honest review. 5 stars.

A really creepy and atmospheric book I really felt I had been transported to 19th century London. I would recommend this to fans of Barbara Purcell and Jessie Burton.
I felt the characters were very well written by the end of the book you feel that something is missing from your life as they were so real.

What a well-written and evocative novel set among the sights and smells of Victorian London and the art world at the time of the Great Exhibition.
More than anything it’s a love story as doll factory worker Iris models for artist Louis Frost and he teaches her to paint, but it’s also a fascinating view of the seamy underside of life at the time.
The tension builds up - it’s a tiny bit of a slow burn at the beginning - towards a devastating outcome.
I loved it.

Loved, loved,loved this book. Intense and scary it is evocative of 1850's London. You can almost smell the streets , so wonderful are the descriptions. The characters were well drawn and the story so different than your run of the mill thriller. Five stars!

I hope that cover is the final one and not just the one on the proof as it's what captured me and made me want to read this. I'm sure I'm not the only one either!

Set in the gritty, mean streets of 19th century London,(perfect for this time of year) this book explores the lives of two sisters and what happens when one of them becomes the object of obsession of a man named Silas.
It's set at the time of the Great Exhibition which was a major event at the time and the author has a great skill in transporting you to the time and excitement of that time in particular.

It starts off fairly gently menacingly and then builds shrouding the reader in a cloak of uncertainty and gothic goings on. When Iris is painting in the cellar trying to avoid discovery, I felt I was with her reading this book!
Luckily there was no Silas in sight for me - but I was captivate by his shop of curiosities with its dark displays. It is the go to for artists of the time and it was fascinating to see those who came in and out of the store. And what took place when the store closed for the evening.

The themes of art were captivating - I had heard of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painting collective and the inclusion of a fictional member was really cleverly done. It was enthralling, fascinating and darkly tantalising.
IT also draws a greatly detailed and evocative picture of life in London at that time - with its squalor in the streets seen largely through the eyes of street urchin Albie.

Apt that for a book about dark obsession, I should now be obsessed with this book.

Iris and her twin sister work in the doll factory, a dark dreary shop with a mistress who's addicted to laudanum. Iris has a passion for painting and dreams of being an artist, but those dreams are beyond reach, that is until she meets Louis.

Silas, has an obsession with weird curiosities that he collects and sells from his workshop, where he practices taxidermy. But Silas has a new obsession.... Iris, and will go to any lengths to possess her.
A fabulous dark gothic tale of love, obsession and the down right weird. I loved this.

You know when a book you have heard a lot about lives up to and actually exceeds expectations? That!
This book is a gem. I was immersed in 19th century London in all its diversity, colour and squalor. This has to be a film - I could see it, smell it (yuk) and cast it.
I would describe this as a Victorian thriller. The tension builds and I found myself on the edge of my seat as it reaches its dramatic conclusion.
It has been an absolute pleasure to read and review this book. It is going to be HUGE. Thank you #Picador #NetGalley and Elizabeth MacNeal. I loved #TheDollFactory I would give it 6 stars if I could.

I loved this immersion in the London of the Great Exhibition and Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. We get a glimpse of the real Rossetti, Millais and Holman Hunt, but by having fictional main characters, Elizabeth Macneal has given herself free rein to invent them wholly.
Lily is a sympathetic protagonist; her situation with her sister and Mrs Salter in the confines of the doll shop is stifling. Her resilience in the face of constrained circumstances and disapproving parents is admirable. The street urchin Albie tugs at the heartstrings too.
I thought tension was built really well through the story; no spoilers here, but let’s just say I was worried about what was going to happen to certain characters (and there were things I didn’t see coming). I recommend this book if you like historical fiction that treats its reader as intelligent and want to be gripped from start to finish. A really strong debut.

I had a good feeling about this book since I heard about it and I am so glad it did not disappoint. "The Doll Factory" is a story of obsession, passion, love and art, excitingly creepy and unsettling, firmly established in its historical setting and atmospheric enough to make my skin crawl.

We follow the story of Iris, who longs to become a painter while toiling in the shop as an apprentice to a doll maker. By chance she meets one of the painters from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) who asks her to pose for him in exchange for painting lessons. Strict and stiff Victorian rules mean that her family and sister disown her, but as she pines for her sister, her life blossoms in ways she could not imagine before. Meanwhile, someone's life changes as well; Silas, a collector and taxidermist - a fantastically creepy and well developed character - who by chance meets her at the construction of the Great Exhibition. Soon he becomes more and more obsessed with Iris and things start unraveling.

I loved the historic setting of the book, firmly established around the Great Exhibition and Pre-Raphaelites (featuring some actual artists and their art), as well as unsavoury details and day to day drudgery of ordinary people. It also speaks of the situation of women, especially those who dare to follow paths different from those traditionally established in society, and of the meaning of art, The book is also full of little symbols, just like the paintings of the PRB, which I found rather clever and exciting to identify. The thriller aspect of the plot is satisfyingly well constructed and I enjoyed the uneasiness of it a lot. And I also liked the ending very much (cannot share more as trying to avoid spoilers!).

All together - a great debut novel, highly recommended!!!

What an intriguing book! Full of wonderful descriptions and complex characters. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this one

I'm going to have to read this again to do the prose justice. I raced through this, my heart pounding towards the end as the tension just grows and grows. This is an amazing debut. I read a lot of books, about three every week, and this is one of the best I've read for a long time. What do I love about it? First of all the characters. The main character is Iris, a young woman who works for an overbearing woman along with her sister Rose. Iris is an imposing woman, tall with fiery red hair but with a slight defect, a curved clavicle. She catches the eye of the PRB (pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood) in particular that of Louis Frost (a purely fictional creation amongst real pre- Raphaelites like Millais and Rossetti). Louis persuades her to become his model in return for lessons in art. Her sister Rose is completely different. Once a beauty, Rose is now scarred mentally and physically by smallpox and bitterly resents Iris' escape from the drudgery of their work. Then there is the vile antagonist, Silas Reed, a character worthy of Dickens, who stuffs animals especially those that are malformed. A chance meeting with Iris at the site of the Great Exhibition leads him into a deadly obsession. He is utterly horrible, a deluded narcissist. These are the major players but others are just as well formed especially Albie, a street child who lives for his sister.

The setting is also outstanding. Victorian London in al its filth. This is so well presented that we can hear the sounds, smell the odours and see the deprivation.

Finally the plot. I often have problems with plots. Too many unlikely and unbelievable twists. But this is exceptional;. It is believable. You watch in horror at the machinations of Silas, praying that something will go wrong with his plans. I'm going to stop here, I'm in danger of revealing too much.

This has to be one of the bestsellers of 2019. I foresee great things for it. Outstanding. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

‘The Doll Factory’ is an extraordinarily accomplished debut from Elizabeth Macneal. Just as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood at the centre of her novel painted the world they imagined in vivid colours that still move and delight the viewer today, so she too creates an incredibly vivid and entirely plausible mid-nineteenth century London with her words. Her characters come to life through her superb use of speech and delineation of motive, behaviour and physique. Iris, the young woman around whom the narrative revolves, is spirited and determined but tied by her circumstances. One of the literate lower class, she spends her days painting porcelain dolls for pampered children whilst her twin sister Rose dresses them.
When Iris has the opportunity to escape this drudgery by becoming the PRB artist Louis Frost’s model, after much hesitation and the promise of art lessons from him, she leaves her sister and begins a better, fuller life. However, unbeknown to her, she has also caught the eye of taxidermist Silas Reed. Whilst one might, on first thought, wonder if Macneal has named her lonely craftsman after the Silas Marner of George Eliot’s nineteenth century novel, it is soon clear that he is far more dangerous than the original Silas could ever have been. Ambitious, predatory and unstable, he poses a very real threat to Iris even though Louis writes him off as harmless and weak, having seen him dealing in stuffed animals for his friends’ paintings.
Macneal builds the tension in the narrative with tremendous control as we watch Silas move nearer and nearer to his terrifying goal whilst, ironically, Iris grows happier and happier through the blossoming of her artistic talent and her personal life which, until now, has been practically non-existent in London’s brutal Victorian patriarchy. This novel is not only a tremendous literary thriller – I defy readers not to be feeling pretty desperate on Iris’s behalf in the final chapters – but it is also an exploration of creativity, power, social class, despair and love. The ending is perfect. Just as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood used symbols to add depth to their wonderfully constructed depictions, Macneal captures the future of her characters in a similar manner. To say more would be to spoil the final revelation!
My thanks to NetGalley and Picador (Pan Macmillan) for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

This book is one of the best thrillers I've ever read, and trust me, I've read plenty! It quite literally kept me reading into the early hours of the morning.

Usually historical fiction isn't my go to genre, although I do love studying History. Macneal portrays Victorian London in such a rich and interesting way, that I couldn't help but be captivated by it. I believe it's also portrayed in such a realistic manner - all the poverty, social class conflict as well as the societal constraints of the time.

I love that the story is set in London, as I've lived there all my life, I was really familiar with the places that were mentioned in the book and it was cool to imagine them as they used to be. Even for a reader who isn't familiar, Macneals lavish description will completely immerse you in Victorian London.

Iris Whittle is a young woman who yearns to be a painter, as that is her greatest passion. However, her life is a far cry from the creative life of an artist, as she wiles away her days in Mrs Salters Doll Emporium with her twin sister Rose, miserable and unfulfilled. I really enjoyed reading through the perspective of Iris, she is so wilful and really comes into her own through the course of the story.

Alongside Iris's journey, we also meet Silas Reed, an eccentric and somewhat sinister collector of curiosities. He has spent his life searching and creating unusual artefacts for sale in his strange Soho shop. However he has a far darker interest in Iris, an obsession which grows deeper and more twisted as the story progresses...

Interwoven through the story are a host of secondary characters, most striking of all: Albie, a young street urchin wishing for a better life for him and his older sister who has resorted to prostitution. Albie is such a mischievous and sweet character, any reader will enjoy his perspective.

I also found Iris' twin sister, Rose, a nice contrast, as she is more embittered and resigned to her lot in life, whereas Iris sees a way out - when she meets Louis - and is more of a fighter.

I also enjoyed the emphasis on Art and specifically Pre Raphaelite Art, as it was cool seeing iconic painters like Millais and Rosetti come to life, albeit with some creative license I'm sure! Louis Frost - who sees Iris and sees her as his new muse - is a fictional member of the PRB, is the epitome of a dashing and elusive artist.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can see it being really popular on it's release next year. It's such a great Victorian thriller and is so well written, I can't speak any more highly of it!

My thanks to PIcador/Pan Macmillan and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read THE DOLL FACTORY.
I want to say 'wow' but I'm not sure it's even good enough for this amazing novel.. Elizabeth Macneal took me into her world and kept me there. I felt totally immersed in the story and by the end I was cheering, willing Iris to succeed. I read a lot of historical fiction, but this was so very different. What a debut!

The story is set in London in 1850, when The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park. Iris is introduced to Silas by little Albie, an urchin. To her it was just an ordinary introduction, forgotten in moments, but Silas saw it as something else completely. He is unable to forget her and wants to possess her. He is utterly obsessed by her and his raison d'etre becomes making her his. Silas is a taxidermist, a collector of bones and deformed animals. For him Iris is but another specimen to add to his collection.

Wanting to change her life from the drudgery of Mrs Salter's Doll Emporium, she throws caution to the wind and becomes a model for pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost. Iris also loves to paint and she agrees to model on the condition that he will also become her teacher. This is the life she has longed for, but Silas' desire is overwhelming him and he won't be satisfied until he has her in his grip...

This book is about twin young women working in a doll factory in quite early Victorian London. Iris longs for escape, while Rose is more resigned to her situation, keen to appear respectable and do as her parents wish. Nearby, the Crystal Palace is being built for Prince Albert's Great Exhibition and items are being sought for both this and for the Royal Academy's annual exhibition. It is these things that will change the twins' lives forever as they get caught up with the burgeoning Pre Raphaelite movement and a shady taxidermist called Silas.

I really loved this book for so many reasons. Firstly, the setting felt vibrant and interesting - this is London as the centre of innovation and full of opportunity. However, it's also a London that is dangerous and seedy, and Macneal does not hold back from portraying the poverty and prostitution in the city that exists alongside the promise of the future. I also loved the character of Iris, a woman prepared to take risks to be free to paint. The Pre Raphaelite artists themselves are also engaging subjects for a novel, although quite sanitised if what I've read about them elsewhere is to be believed! Finally, the sense of tension sustained throughout the book is cleverly done as Silas changes from odd loner to something much creepier.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who likes historical fiction. My only quibble is the title - it's a bland and unexciting title for something that offers so much more than the story of a doll factory.

What a book! Loved from the first chapter to the last. Rich, vivid depiction of Victorian London and brilliant characters in Iris and her sister Rose, who paint dolls faces but who long for so much more. Iris dreams of being a real artist and is introduced as a model / muse to Louis, much to the horror of obsessive Silas, a mysterious and creepy “collector of artifacts and taxidermy, who wants Iris all to himself.

A thriller against a backdrop of Victorian art. Loved every page.

Delicious book! What better way to start a book whose story intrigues you and to find another world - one that you LOVE - contained within. Chancing upon the members of the Preraphaelite Brotherhood as protagonists was just the icing on an already scrumptious cake. Twin sisters Rose and Iris Whittle, both disfigured in some way, work in the sweatshop doll factory of Mrs Salter. Only Iris is not content with her lot, dreaming of a career as an artist. The art world, forbidding and publicly shunned by the “god-fearing folk”, has an almost magical pull for her and she agrees to become a model for Louis Frost, ficticious member of the PRB. But, unbeknowst to Iris, there is an ardent, even admirer in the sidelines: Silas Reed, a weird taxidermist and curio dealer. Love, obsession and painting lead a merry dance and, towards the end, you will sit on the edge of your seat...

This is a humdinger of a debut, it’s a dark, gothic, sinister story of love, obsession, art and passion.

Ms MacNeal’s undergraduate thesis was on clutter in 1850’s literature and in the Doll Factory the level of detail lends the reader a real intimacy with this timeframe. The intimacy is sometimes light and lovely, sometimes dark and creepy and still other times downright nasty. The writing breathes life into not just the characters but the whole world of London in 1850.

I haven’t even mentioned the storyline, there are plenty of other reviews which have gone into this in detail, just read it, trust me, you won’t regret it. Elizabeth MacNeal, you Rock, can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! So creepy and evocative.I really enjoy this type of historical fiction and there were some really interesting things that I hadn't known about. I also enjoyed the way real characters were brought in, it brought the whole thing to life. I will definitely be looking out for more by this author and highly recommend it.

Oh yes, this is more like it. Proper historical fiction with real characters making an appearance. It is gritty stuff. You really wouldn’t want to be poor in Victorian England but the strugglers and chancers make the best reading. It is stuffed full of curiosities and deformity, lightness and dark, hope and despair. It is a cracking read.

An exquisite novel set amongst the grime of Dickensian London, we follow intricate juxtapositions and a twisting, sumptuous storyline - the macabre art of a taxidermist versus the emerging realist art movement; the twins - one deformed, but beautiful, the other intact, but maimed, the urchin siblings scrabbling an existence.

I really enjoyed this book- gorgeous storytelling, a fabulous sense of place and time and wonderful characters too. Highly recommended.

The Doll Factory is a gothic triumph. After a slow start, the story drew me into its' dark world. The setting of the novel during the Great Exhibition of 1851 is inspired. It represents a time of great cultural and technological change.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood produced some of the most beautiful art, and it is a joy to be privy to the creative process. Frost, Millais and Rossetti create art in such contrast to the ugliness of urban poverty that surrounds them.
The writer vividly describes the conditions of Victorian London, and the gulf between the poor and well-to-do. Iris and Rose are stuck together in ghastly servitude , with each one resenting the other. When Iris has the opportunity to transcend her situation she has to take it.
Poor misunderstood Silas the taxidermist transforms into the creepiest villain. His desire to be friends with Iris evolves into a sinister obsession. You long for him to fulfil his creative side all the while he is descending into darkness.
I long to this story brought to life on screen. It would be magnificent, like this novel.

Iris is a fantastic character, and one that I admired greatly for making her own choices when everyone advised (told) her to do otherwise. At the start of the novel, Iris and her twin sister, Rose, work together at Mrs Salter's Doll Emporium, painting and clothing dolls. When Iris is offered the opportunity to model for Louis Frost, she sees her chance to escape the tedium of her life as well as the opportunity to learn to draw and paint as she makes this part of their agreement. Her sister and their parents warn her against it, threatening to cut her off, but Iris makes the difficult choice of following her dreams, and I loved the bravery she showed in doing so.

Part of the desire to get away from her life is based upon the relationship Iris has with her sister and their parents. Growing up, Iris was always the naughty one, the one who was told off for anything and nothing, while Rose was extremely well-behaved – roles that have continued into their adult lives. The two sisters were close, with Rose always defending her sister when she was bullied or made fun of because of her twisted collarbone. They remained close to the age of 15, when the beautiful Rose contracted smallpox, and while she survived, she was left with the scarring that can occur. Their relationship was never the same from this point on, and both Iris and the reader are left to wonder at Rose’s change in behaviour. Is it jealousy, or is there something else behind it? It’s a mystery for the reader to unravel.

The novel focusses a great deal on art, and I loved the way that this became part of the novel without becoming overwhelming. Louis is a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and rejects the accepted best practices of the art-world, preferring to use bold colours and the detail associated with more classical works, despite the criticism he receives because of it. I’ll be honest, I know very little about art and the Pre-Raphaelites, and I’ve heard of Rossetti (one of Louis's friends and a fellow artist) only because I studied Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, his sister, at A-level. This didn’t affect my enjoyment of the novel in the slightest, and I don’t believe I’d have enjoyed it any more if I had been more aware of the artistic angle of the novel.

While Iris is improving her artistic skills, Silas Reed, whom she met in a chance encounter that was quickly forgotten by her, begins to obsess over her, and this gives the novel a fantastically creepy edge that will keep you hooked as you wonder how far Silas is willing to go. I absolutely loved the chapters featuring Silas, who is socially awkward, and often looked down upon by those he would befriend. I struggled to feel much sympathy for him, however, as he clearly has some dark secrets in his past which are gradually revealed to the reader as the novel progresses.

The Doll Factory is a wonderful novel which brings to life Victorian London and the Great Exhibition. It is a dark story of love, art, and obsession that kept me gripped from first page to last as it builds up to its climatic ending. Highly recommended.

This is both a great thriller and an intriguing, sensitive exploration of the Pre-Raphelite Brotherhood and what it meant to be a woman, a bohemian and an artist at a time when any one of those things would be a burden rather than a blessing. I really enjoyed it.

I have this book dog eared in my anticipated releases book and was so glad that I managed to get my stickly little fingers on this, the premise sounded very interesting, I am reading so many debut novels that are so good and this one certainly fits the bill.
When the premise promises ' intoxicating story of art, obsession and possession' I knew that i had to have this book for my collection, and when this publishes in May , I am most certainly going to purchase it and re read it!

When I was in Primary School, I studied the Great Exhibition and really loved the idea of revisiting it through this story; so we know from that fact that this book takes place in Victorian England.
Two Sisters, Iris and Rose, who works for pittance in a 'Doll Factory' delicatly painting the faces of dolls for a laudanum addled Mrs Salter, iris however, dreams away of being a real painter and happens upon a painter, whom offers to help with such a task, on the condition that she models for him.
Meanwhile, we are greeted to silas, a very slimy charecter, whom you can almost sense his presence through the book and the brilliant way in which Mcneal portrays him, he is a taxidermist, can i say for roadkill? I mean, those poor puppies in the beginning .....
Poor silas however, admires Iris from afar, but too soon becomes obsessive and this leads the story into some dark recesses of his mind.
This book is far more than I can explain here and would be a crime for you not to go out and obtain this novel, to sit, to read, to explore and to melt into the setting, the charecters and the world in which Mcneal creates for us.

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, and I especially like books which do not flinch away from the harsh realities of the time in which they are set. The Doll Factory is such a novel, which follows the lives of Iris and Silas, bound together only by his infatuation with her. Iris is a strong, intelligent woman who has, in many ways, freed herself from the constraints of society by giving up her respectable post in a doll shop, abandoning her sister in the process, and becoming a model for an artist. The author uses Iris to narrate on society as a whole, how many aspects have not changed between the 1800s and now, and the theme of setting ourselves free is woven into the pages.

An engaging and brilliant novel, The Doll Factory shall join the ranks of some of the best historical fiction novels of our time, and I look forward to the author's next venture.

A story about love and obsession in Victorian London at the time of the Great Exhibition. Beautiful, richly detailed writing with some disturbing and chilling moments. Recommended.