The Doll Factory

The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal is set in 1850, when the Great Exhibition opened at the newly built Crystal Palace. It's the story of Iris, a young woman who works in a shop, painting the faces of china dolls. She meets artist Louis and accepts his offer of becoming his model, in return for lessons in painting. Unbeknownst to her, though, she has also caught the attention of taxidermist Silas, whose growing obsession with her builds to a thrilling climax.

I found this book very immersive - the research is obviously robust and Macneal portrays Victorian London in tremendous detail. One of the best things about the book is the stark contrast drawn between the circumstances of urchin Albie and his prostitute sister, compared with the life of idle luxury led by the artists.

However, the most impressive aspect of the story is the way the character of Silas develops over the course of the book. He's never presented as sympathetic, precisely - there are always unsettling and unpleasant things about him, but I did feel a bit sorry for him to begin with. And that's where the genius of the writing lies. The way his thoughts and feelings are portrayed show a wholly understandable and chillingly inevitable progression towards what happens at the end of the book, also gradually revealing more about his background in a way that brings everything together in horrifying but believable detail.

I really wasn't sure what kind of ending the book would have, right up until the last few pages - but the final conclusion was hard-won and satisfying - and the epilogue section brought together all the different strands beautifully in an interesting and effective way.

There's a lot about the story that's pretty grim and rather unpleasant - but that's a necessary part of how it's all put together.

A great read all round!

The Cat Who Saved Books

One of my book club members picked The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa for next month's meeting.

It's about a boy who inherits a bookshop from his grandfather and is visited by a talking cat, who takes him on adventures to rescue imprisoned books.

I have to admit it didn't grab me to begin with - it felt very simplistic, with very blunt language (lots of telling and very little showing) and a lack of subtlety.

However, it definitely came together by the end - and the last sections engaged my emotions more. I also appreciated the message of making your experience of reading more intentional and spending time really engaging with the books you read. But, unfortunately, I wasn't inspired to do that with this particular book, as I skimmed it in less than 90 minutes...

The Night Parade of 100 Demons

I discovered the series of Legend of the Five Rings Books some time ago, when looking for works by Marie Brennan that I hadn't read yet. I've listened to several of the others (which are connected by recurring characters) and finally got around to this one, which is the Marie Brennan one and stand-alone.

And it was really fun!

Two samurai are drawn to a remote village in a fantasy version of feudal Japan, because the villagers are being tormented by malicious spirits every full moon. They work together to resolve the issue, whilst battling an inappropriate attraction to one another.

The worldbuilding is great, the setting is immersive, there's lots of action, excitement, intrigue and adventure, the characters are well-drawn - and the romance aspect is really sweet. I particularly like that the same-sex attraction is unremarked-upon, but there are obstacles relating to the samurai honour code and questions of class.

A great listening experience - entertaining book and skilled narrator.