The Doll Factory

Elizabeth Macneal

02 May 2019
9781529002423
654 pages

Synopsis

Now a major TV series with Paramount+
Sunday Times Bestseller
BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime

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 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

Sunday Times Best Paperback of 2020 Pick – soon to be made into a major TV series!

Readers love Elizabeth Macneal's The Doll Factory:

'Breathtaking' *****
'I couldn't put it down' *****
'Spellbinding' *****
'I never wanted it to end' *****
'A plot to stop your heart' *****

The Burial Plot
, Elizabeth's latest cat-and-mouse thriller, is available to pre-order now!

A remarkable example of historical fiction . . . full of life, colour and intelligence
Stunningly confident . . . thoroughly engrossing
One of this year's best debuts tells the story of Iris, an aspiring artist in 1850s London . . . A clever and gripping read