The Dollmaker is s book that I have struggled to write a review for, on the one hand this is a complex story with beautiful writing that contains a series of fascinating smaller stories within, on the other hand it didn’t really work out well for me.  I confess I have a strange fascination for books and films with dolls – probably because they scare me a little – and we all like a good scaring every now and again – well I do anyway. I think that this probably gave me unreasonable expectations of what this story would eventually become and that is totally my own fault – check out the synopsis below which is a very apt description and in no way whatsoever misleading.  Basically, I led myself down the garden path with this one and so, to be absolutely clear, this is definitely a case of ‘it’s me not you’.  If this sounds like your cup of tea then please don’t be put off by the fact that this wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be.

Stitch by perfect stitch, Andrew Garvie makes exquisite dolls in the finest antique style. Like him, they are diminutive but graceful, unique, and with surprising depths. Perhaps that’s why he answers the enigmatic personal ad in his collector’s magazine.

Letter by letter, Bramber Winters reveals more of her strange, sheltered life in an institution on Bodmin Moor, and the terrible events that put her there as a child. Andrew knows what it is to be trapped, and as they knit closer together, he weaves a curious plan to rescue her.

On his journey through the old towns of England, he reads the fairy tales of Ewa Chaplin–potent, eldritch stories which, like her lifelike dolls, pluck at the edges of reality and thread their way into his mind. When Andrew and Bramber meet at last, they will have a choice–to break free and, unlike their dolls, come to life.

A love story of two very real, unusual people, The Dollmaker is also a novel rich with wonders: Andrew’s quest and Bramber’s letters unspool around the dark fables that give our familiar world an uncanny edge. It is this touch of magic that, like the blink of a doll’s eyes, tricks our own.

This is a story of two people (Andrew and Bamber), both struggling a little, both lonely, who find each other through a personal ad in a magazine and become close following the exchange of many letters.  Both are collectors of dolls and this shared interest creates a bond between the two.  This is a story of self discovery for both.

Firstly, the things I really enjoyed about this book.

The writing is gorgeous.  It’s evocative, it’s clever, it’s impressive.  I loved that parts of the story were told through letters, I love this way of telling a tale.

The setting.  Cornwall, I love Cornwall and have spent a lot of time there and so the settings were so interesting for me to read about.

The short stories within the main body.  These were great – and very unexpected for me as I don’t make a secret of the fact that short stories are not really my thing so the fact that I couldn’t wait for the next one was something of a revelation.  The short stories themselves are a collection of dark fairy tales written by a famous dollmaker, each of them seems to resonate personally and in fact share strange parallels with Andrew as he makes his way across Cornwall on his mission to rescue Bamber.  I loved these stories and could easily have read more.

So, why didn’t this quite work out for me.  I haven’t got any real criticisms as such.  I think this is a strange combination of unrealistic expectations coupled with a story arc that ambled just a little too much for my own liking.  I think the latter third of the book picked up the pace but reaching that point felt like it took quite a while and by that point my interest had waned.

I certainly don’t want to put anybody else off.  This is a beautiful piece of work that unfortunately, and maybe it’s a mood thing, didn’t quite work out for me.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.