--- product_id: 141480452 title: "The Doll Factory: A Novel" price: "£5.26" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/141480452-the-doll-factory-a-novel store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # The Doll Factory: A Novel **Price:** £5.26 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Doll Factory: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** £5.26 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/141480452-the-doll-factory-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The #1 international bestseller and The New York Times Editor’s Choice “As lush as the novels of Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield, as exciting as The Alienist and Iain Pears’ An Instance of the Fingerpost , this exquisite literary thriller will intrigue book clubs and rivet fans of historical fiction.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window “A lush, evocative Gothic.” — The New York Times Book Review “ This terrifically exciting novel will jolt, thrill, and bewitch readers.” — Booklist , starred review Obsession is an art. In this “sharp, scary, gorgeously evocative tale of love, art, and obsession” (Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train ), a beautiful young woman aspires to be an artist, while a man’s dark obsession may destroy her world forever. Obsession is an art. In 1850s London, the Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and, among the crowd watching the dazzling spectacle, two people meet by happenstance. For Iris, an arrestingly attractive aspiring artist, it is a brief and forgettable moment. But for Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by all things strange and beautiful, the meeting marks a new beginning. When Iris is asked to model for Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly, her world begins to expand beyond her wildest dreams—but she has no idea that evil is waiting in the shadows. Silas has only thought of one thing since that chance meeting, and his obsession is darkening by the day. “A lush, evocative Gothic” ( The New York Times Book Review ) that is “a perfect blend of froth and substance” ( The Washington Post ), The Doll Factory will haunt you long after you finish it and is perfect for fans of The Alienist , Drood , and Fingersmith . Review: Atmospheric. One of the best I've read this year. - Perhaps the best thing about the DOLL FACTORY by Elizabeth MacNeal is the setting, 1850 Victorian England. It has that Jack the Ripper environment where nobody seems to be in charge of keeping the city, or at least this part of the city clean. Also poor abandoned children who live anyway they can are referred to as urchins. The title refers to a shop owned by a woman her two employees refer to as Mrs. Satan. Iris and Rose are twins. Iris has a mild hunchback, but Rose who was once a beauty, has smallpox scars that have disfigured her. Iris has no idea how beautiful she is. She's a prisoner here in this doll shop with no future that she can see. It's her job to pain the dolls; her sister adds ornamentals to the tiny doll dresses brought to them by one of the street urchins. This is where we meet my favorite character, street urchin, Albie. He apparently sews the little doll dresses himself. He love Iris because she gives him more money than the dresses are worth. He has a couple of sidelines; he sells “curiosities” to any shop owner, Silas. One is conjoined puppies that Silas will skin, stuff and disarticulate, showing the skeletal remains of one of the dogs. He will submit the results to one of the first world fairs that is currently being built in London. Three of his curiosities are accepted. Albie also steals small items from well off women. Iris catches him stealing a rather nice scarf. But he won't steal the really valuable stuff like suitcases he could snatch at the train station. He has a code. He also has a sister who's a prostitute. Albie only his one tooth and he'd like to buy dentures, but he'll never be able to save four pounds to buy them. When he does luck out, he thinks of his prostitute sister first and tries to rescue her from her unfortunate profession. Iris also lucks out. She's chosen as a model by Louis Frost a rising young painter who's willing to pay her a shilling an hour to sit for him. She also wants to be a painter herself and only takes his offer when he promises to teach her. Modeling is only a touch above prostitute and her parents abandon her. Ruth also feels abandoned and won't answer Iris's letters. Now for the plot. It's about Silas and his habit of kidnapping and sometimes murdering young women who have rejected him. He's so crazy he blocks out the murders. Then he meets Iris and he's immediately obsessed with her; he watches her all the time, at the expense of his occupation. He knows she's fallen in love with Louis and is jealous. Then there's a tiff between Louis and Iris and she runs away. Silas has been planning for months on how he'll take her, despite Albie's efforts to warn her. Albie is trying to save her when MacNeal takes the easy way out and makes Iris situation even more deplorable. She keeps adding to the suspense. Will Iris escape Silas's basement? Sometimes he pouts and doesn't feed her. He even forgets the possibility that a beauty like Iris might have to use the bathroom. So then then the story becomes about determination and the will to survive. It is modernistic in that Iris must save herself. Twice others come looking for her or one of the other missing girls, but Silas is able to talk his way out of it, avoiding a search which would have revealed Iris in the basement. So how does she do it. It will keep you turning pages and leave you wanting an epilogue when the story comes to a screeching halt. Review: Super Fun! - Absolutely loved everything until the ending. It's still an enjoyable book though. The ending is very open as to what happened with the main character's personal relationships. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #605,349 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #810 in British & Irish Literary Fiction #1,812 in Historical British Fiction #3,406 in Historical Literary Fiction | ## Images ![The Doll Factory: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91E4yU5jUyL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Atmospheric. One of the best I've read this year. *by D***R on December 4, 2019* Perhaps the best thing about the DOLL FACTORY by Elizabeth MacNeal is the setting, 1850 Victorian England. It has that Jack the Ripper environment where nobody seems to be in charge of keeping the city, or at least this part of the city clean. Also poor abandoned children who live anyway they can are referred to as urchins. The title refers to a shop owned by a woman her two employees refer to as Mrs. Satan. Iris and Rose are twins. Iris has a mild hunchback, but Rose who was once a beauty, has smallpox scars that have disfigured her. Iris has no idea how beautiful she is. She's a prisoner here in this doll shop with no future that she can see. It's her job to pain the dolls; her sister adds ornamentals to the tiny doll dresses brought to them by one of the street urchins. This is where we meet my favorite character, street urchin, Albie. He apparently sews the little doll dresses himself. He love Iris because she gives him more money than the dresses are worth. He has a couple of sidelines; he sells “curiosities” to any shop owner, Silas. One is conjoined puppies that Silas will skin, stuff and disarticulate, showing the skeletal remains of one of the dogs. He will submit the results to one of the first world fairs that is currently being built in London. Three of his curiosities are accepted. Albie also steals small items from well off women. Iris catches him stealing a rather nice scarf. But he won't steal the really valuable stuff like suitcases he could snatch at the train station. He has a code. He also has a sister who's a prostitute. Albie only his one tooth and he'd like to buy dentures, but he'll never be able to save four pounds to buy them. When he does luck out, he thinks of his prostitute sister first and tries to rescue her from her unfortunate profession. Iris also lucks out. She's chosen as a model by Louis Frost a rising young painter who's willing to pay her a shilling an hour to sit for him. She also wants to be a painter herself and only takes his offer when he promises to teach her. Modeling is only a touch above prostitute and her parents abandon her. Ruth also feels abandoned and won't answer Iris's letters. Now for the plot. It's about Silas and his habit of kidnapping and sometimes murdering young women who have rejected him. He's so crazy he blocks out the murders. Then he meets Iris and he's immediately obsessed with her; he watches her all the time, at the expense of his occupation. He knows she's fallen in love with Louis and is jealous. Then there's a tiff between Louis and Iris and she runs away. Silas has been planning for months on how he'll take her, despite Albie's efforts to warn her. Albie is trying to save her when MacNeal takes the easy way out and makes Iris situation even more deplorable. She keeps adding to the suspense. Will Iris escape Silas's basement? Sometimes he pouts and doesn't feed her. He even forgets the possibility that a beauty like Iris might have to use the bathroom. So then then the story becomes about determination and the will to survive. It is modernistic in that Iris must save herself. Twice others come looking for her or one of the other missing girls, but Silas is able to talk his way out of it, avoiding a search which would have revealed Iris in the basement. So how does she do it. It will keep you turning pages and leave you wanting an epilogue when the story comes to a screeching halt. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Super Fun! *by S***N on July 3, 2023* Absolutely loved everything until the ending. It's still an enjoyable book though. The ending is very open as to what happened with the main character's personal relationships. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Fun but Predictable *by N***G on July 20, 2020* The novel is well-written and fun, but the characters are a bit stereotypical. The plot is predictable. It was a good diversion on a rainy day, but not a masterpiece. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/141480452-the-doll-factory-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/141480452-the-doll-factory-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-06-29*