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The Toymakers

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The Toymakers

By: Robert Dinsdale
Narrated by: Ruby Bentall
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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale, read by Ruby Bentall.

Do you remember when you believed in magic?

It is 1917, and while war wages across Europe, in the heart of London, there is a place of hope and enchantment.

The Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike: patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own. Into this family business comes young Cathy Wray, running away from a shameful past. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own.

But Cathy is about to discover that the Emporium has secrets of its own....

A dark, enchanting, spectacularly imaginative novel perfect for fans of Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist and Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus.

©2018 Robert Dinsdale (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Magic Magical Realism War & Military Paranormal Feel-Good War Military
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The only down side was the book had to end, I could have happily stayed in this world for days!

Loved it

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What a fabulous book suitable for adult and child alike I was a bit sad when I reached the end of the story but was it the end?? No I don’t think so.

Magical

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This is a very hard book to review without spoiling everything, but I will do my best.
First things first, the atmosphere was amazing. The toy store setting was magical and wonderful and just all the good things. The WW1 time period also fed into the enchanting atmosphere by placing this juxtaposition between the despair of the war and the joy people find in the Emporium.
Like most magical realism stories, this is a very character-focused book and focuses on some really great themes. Even though this story is told predominantly from the perspective of Cathy, it really focuses on the sibling relationship between Kaspar and Emil. I really enjoyed having an outsiders’ perspective into their sibling rivalry and seeing how it impacts the brother’s relationships between each other and with other people.
However there were points where I felt like the story lost direction a little and I was mildly dissatisfied with the ending, I just wanted a couple more chapters or an epilogue.
I listened to this book on audio and unfortunately the narrator wasn’t my favourite. There wasn’t a huge amount of distinction between the voices (especially male). However I think she did do a great job of expressing the correct tones and emotions to fit the scenes, and creating the atmosphere.
Overall, this was a beautifully told story of family and relationships. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys slower, character-driven magical realism books.

Great atmosphere

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