This is a very creepy story, full of the atmosphere of the age. London in the 1850's, and the PRB are taking the art world by storm with their interpretation of the realism and colours of life. Two sisters, Iris and Rose, work in a doll factory, painting faces onto China dolls,that are sold to rich children.
Iris has a deformed clavicle, due to a birth injury, and Rose contracted smallpox, that left her beautiful features badly scarred. Both sisters believe their chance of matrimony has passed them by. However, Iris is approached by the artist Louis Frost, who wants her to become his muse and model, a job considered as bad as being a whore, a job that no respectable woman would perform. Iris agrees, on the condition that Louis teaches her to paint. Louis is attracted to Iris, and they fall in love. Rose remains in the Doll factory, bitter and alone, but when Iris attracts the attention of Silas, a taxidermist ,who takes an unhealthy interest in her, and plans to make her a permanent item in his collection, Rose and Louis join forces.
It is a creepy story, showing the harsh conditions of the age. Artists and their wonderful world of colour, contrast sharply with the life of street urchins, prostitutes, and the dire working conditions , despair and hopelessness of working class people. You can almost smell the unwashed bodies, the manure from the horse drawn traffic, the blood that washed down the gutters and the human waste that fouled the streets.
You could make an intelligent guess about some parts of this story, but it was such a compelling read, you would have to read on to the end.
I really enjoyed this book and I can see this being made into a film.

The Doll Factory

I really enjoyed this book. It depicts a dark and visceral Victorian London, with pickpockets and prostitutes but also art, beauty and the burgeoning technology of the Industrial Revolution.

Perhaps a little slow to start, it is necessary to draw out the detail of the characters’ lives before they begin to intersect and entwine throughout the rest of the novel. Hopes and dreams are built and crushed and we see the character of Iris - a woman who yearns to be strong and independent - struggle with the constraints of her society.

Towards the end the novel becomes increasingly tense and dark as the characters begin to show their true colours. The writer makes good use of an unreliable narrator in Silas, who starts as an outsider much like all the other characters - but later goes on to reveal more and more of his past and develop our understanding of his motivations and desires.

All in all, this novel a vibrant and interesting take on the age with interesting touches of The Great Exhibition and the building of Crystal Palace combined with a tense and dramatic crime drama. If either of these descriptions appeal to you, you’ll probably enjoy it!

This book was just not for me. The fantastical elements blended with gothic undertones are enchanting to read, but after a while, I found myself struggling with the text, waiting for something to happen. I suspect for those who like atmospheric novels, this will do wonders, but it didn't quite sit right with me.

I loved this book. it's a great mix of different genres, from thriller to historical fiction.
The book is dark, atmospheric, enthralling, entertaining. It's page turner that you cannot put down.
I loved the characters, well written and fleshed out, some of them are not easy to forget.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

An interesting and we'll researched debut, but I found it difficult to engage with any of the characters, and felt there was little originality in the plot, particularly the ending in the cellar.
Thank you to netgalley and Picador for an advance copy of this book.

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.

I loved this book far more than I thought I would. It's dark, mysterious and a bit macabre. It's based around 2 sisters, pre-raphalite painters and a taxidermist. It is set in the late Victorian era and there is no hiding from the reality of life in the alleys amongst the poverty and prostitution.
A good read with twists, turns and intrigue.

This is a very well written brooding creepy tale of art, taxidermy, and dolls. Or what I call a Tuesday.

It's atmospheric, gothic and a little bit twisted. It's not my favourite recent historical fiction, compared to Essex Serpent, Mermaid and Mrs Hancock or The Binding, but an excellent addition to the genre.

London, 1850. The Crystal Palace is being built, in anticipation of The Great Exhibition – where science meets art, literature meets industry and the painters of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood are beginning to emerge.



Mrs. Salter’s Doll Emporium. Iris and Rose, sisters working brutal hours painting dolls faces and making their clothes. Iris longs to escape, and pursue her dreams of being an artist. When she is offered a job as an artist’s model, much to the disapproval of her parents and sister, Iris leaves – the opportunity is too good to miss, especially with the promise of being able to paint for herself as well.



Silas Reed. Taxidermist. Obsessive. Stalker. Determined to make a name for himself, Silas works alone in his dingy shop, fantasising over opening his own museum, and paying street urchins to being him the dead bodies of animals for him to stuff. A darkness lies over Silas, which consumes him after a brief encounter where he meets Iris.



A detailed and well written historical fiction novel, which tips over into thriller territory. A fantastic debut.

Pre-Raphaelite 1850's London meets dark and sinister thriller.

Set in London at the time of The Great Exhibition Elizabeth Mcneal's debut novel blurs fiction with the founding members of The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

A very atmospheric read, it describes 1850's London superbly. The two opposing sides of London life are very well reflected. The squalor and dire living conditions of the poor and the energy and opportunities of the rich.  The characters jump off the page with their love of things such as art, curiosities and taxidermy and their day to day goings on.

Me meet Iris, who along with her sister Rose, works in a doll shop under the supervision of mean Mrs Salter.  Instead of painting doll's faces day after day Iris dreams of becoming a true artist. To paint!  She meets the Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost who asks her to become his model, in exchange for painting lessons, Iris agrees.  Leaving behind her old life she enters a world she has dreamed of and quickly becomes part of the lives at Grower Street.  The story unfolds with Iris agonising over leaving her sister behind as her life changes for the better and we meet some wonderful characters along the way.

The decadent artists, Albie, the wonderfully portrayed, lovable young boy, taking jobs here and there to find money for him and his sister and the decidedly sinister Silas, living in his equally dark and sinister world.  After a brief introduction to Iris, which she quickly forgets, Silas becomes obsessed and this wonderfully researched book turns into a frighteningly, chilling, pacy thriller.

If you've read and enjoyed books such as The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, The Miniaturist and The Taxidermist Daughter you will like this.

Unfortunately, this book is not for me. The tale is very dark and cruel, and I was simply not enjoying it at all. In fact I was dreading going back to it when I wanted to read. So reluctantly I had to give up on this one, as reading has to be a pleasure in life for me, not a chore. I’m sure there will be many people who will enjoy it, just not this reader, I’m sorry to say.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to try this title.

Thanks to netgally and the publishers for letting me review this book.
An interesting atmospheric story line with strange lives of the people involved.

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.

Iris and Rose work painting dolls faces and making their clothing day in and day out, all Iris wants is to be an artist and secretly paints self portraits if an evening.
One day Albie introduces her to Silas a taxidermist wanting to make it big, this chance encounter leads to a dangerous obsession with Iris with devastating consequences.

Iris is offered the chance to leave the doll factory and become an artists model casting her from her family and the doll factory for ever.

A really intriguing read with dark undertones. I really enjoyed this book.

This is an unforgettable piece of chilling and gothic historical fiction, the debut from Elizabeth Macneal, set in the Victorian era. She writes an atmospheric and beautifully constructed story of art, ambition, a deranged obsession, love and horror, amidst the poverty, class divisions and entrenched inequalities, squalor, culture, scientific developments, and the prevalent social norms and attitudes of the time, such as the way women were treated. Iris and her sister, Rose live humdrum lives painting dolls for the laudanum addicted Mrs Salter. Life has not been easy for the sisters, Iris has ambitions to be an artist, but is not supported by her family in this. It is 1850, the year of the Great Exhibition, and Iris has what is for her an inconsequential encounter with the odd and strange Silas, a troubled taxidermist with his shop of curiosities, visited by the medical profession and artists. For the lonely Silas, it is to mark the start of an all encompassing obsession that is to become increasingly delusional as in his mind, Iris feels as he does.

Iris encounters the Pre-Raphaelite artist, Louis Frost, who wants Iris to model for him, and which provides Iris with the opportunity she has been seeking to escape her suffocating life and social class and, realise her dreams. She asks Louis to provide her with art lessons, and he acquiesces, with Iris painting in secret. In a increasingly dark and disturbing narrative, Iris begins to have increasing feelings for Louis, but the disturbed Silas has other plans. The author skilfully captures this historical period with her rich and evocative descriptions, the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, the science, and in her diverse cast of characters. Her characterisation of Silas is stellar, he feels like a real and authentic character in all his madness, and I adored the young bright street child, Albie, with his understandable desire for a set of teeth. I found this a gripping story, particularly in the last part where it becomes more thriller than just pure historical fiction. It is an unsettling and disturbing immersive read, with its elements of horror, ideal for those who love historical fiction set in Victorian times. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

It is 1851, the year of The Great Exhibition in London. Iris, an aspiring artist, meets Louis Frost, a pre-Raphaelite artist, and agrees to become his model on the condition that he will teach her to paint. Iris had given a choice and she has snatched it. It is the beginning for a new life. Her world began to expand with a sense of freedom that she had never felt before. It’s a freedom that terrifies her, but at the same time, excited her.

But, while Iris lives her dream, discovering art and love, a random and brief encounter she immediately forgets, has other plans for her. Silas, a weird and collector of beautiful things, becomes obsessed and delusional about Iris’s feelings, until finally one night he goes through with his plan of kidnapping her and taking her away from her world so he can create one of his own.

The story is interesting and atmospheric and Macneal's writing, reminiscent of the Victorian era, overflown with a variety of vivid characters and portraits of difficult lives, drama and plot complications. Macneal’s prose is beautiful, and I particularly liked the depiction and the competitive relationship and animosity between Iris and her sister Rose. I was intrigued by Silas’s delusion and dark obsession. Albie, the street urchin who exists on the fringes of society, has been my favourite character in the book. But the development of the romantic relationship between Iris and Louis was predictable. At times the pace of the story was slow, too.

Overall, The Doll Factory is an interesting and well-written story of obsession and love. The story of a woman, who escapes a pitiful life of respectability and domestic virtue to find purpose and freedom in the wide world of Art.

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.

A really enjoyable historical thriller that offered a great insight into Victorian London and the lives of those who lived there. In places dark and scary, the gothic, Victorian setting lends itself well to this tale.

An interesting read. The taxidermist relying on an almost toothless urchin - his 'big teeth' never came in - the pre-raphaelites in their hey-days, and in the middle of it all is Iris a doll painter who becomes an artist's model and apprentice artist herself. A story of art, love and obsession set in the shadow of the Great Exhibition.

An exciting debut novel.

It is London, 1850 and The Great Exhibit is in the process of being built in Hyde Park. Whilst watching the construction two people meet; Iris, an aspiring artist, and Silas who owns a curiosity shop and is somewhat of a collector. Iris barely remembers this meeting and carries on with her life, even getting a chance to study with artist Louis Frost. Silas, on the hand, becomes obsessed with Iris and will do anything to make her fall in love with him, going so far as to stalk her every movement.
The Doll Factory is a gripping, tense read. There is quite a slow build in the beginning as you watch Iris and Silas' separate lives; their relationships, their dreams and fears. It helps you feel connected to these characters and when they do meet and the plot truly kicks off, you are already invested in them. It is hard to put the book down, especially in the last quarter which is truly terrifying. Macneal builds up to this moment and it is wonderfully done; I was on the edge of my seat. However, I will say the final chapter felt odd, almost anti-climatic and I could have done without it and made my own decisions what happened after. It is hard to talk about obviously due to spoilers but I felt it wasn't necessary to the plot and could have been cut.
Macneal's characterisations are also well done. She has created well-rounded, interesting people so it wasn't a hardship to pick this book up. I particularly liked the relationship between Iris and her sister Rose. It is complicated, fraught, and tender and I felt for both of them even if I didn't agree with them. There is a sense of them relying on one another for support but at the same time each wanting their own life. It was really fun exploring their characters and the changing dynamic between them as the novel progresses. Silas, in some ways, could have been portrayed as a cartoonish villain. But Macneal makes him quite pitiful, especially in the beginning, and gives him enough personality that the reader can become invested in his character. He is horrific; genuinely frightening and I think a character people will love to hate. Some of the supporting players, such as Louis and Albie, a young street urchin who connects Iris and Silas, are also given depth and motivations of their own which also adds another element to their relationships with the main characters.
I also really liked how Macneal incorporated art into the story. Both Iris and Silas believe themselves to be artists in their fields and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood make an appearance in the book. The novel asks really interesting questions concerning our relationship to art; what is the difference (if any) between art and real life? How does one accurately portray life in art? There is one scene where, viewing a painting Louis has drawn of her, Iris notes that it is both her and not her. This was really well-handled and emphasised this discussion of art and how we view it.
If you historical fiction, or are just in the mood for some creepy Victorian fiction, then The Doll Factory might be for you. Macneal has captured London perfectly; evoking all the seedy bars and fancy houses and everywhere in between. Her characters are beautifully rendered; they are endlessly fascinating to watch and I was disappointed when the book ended. It is hard to imagine this is a debut as it is really impressive; great characters, evocative writing and a truly gripping story. What more can you want out of a book?