It was very hard to comment about this novel. The story begins in the 1907 with Cathy Wray, young and pregnant, escaping home to London to avoid losing her child to strangers. In London she finds work and home in the toy emporium of Papa Jack.

Papa Jack is a grumpy toy maker, able to craft wonderful toys, almost magical, compelling to every child, who see the emporium as a fantastic place to spend winter days.

Up to this point, The Toy Makers seems an innocuous story: Cathy is accepted, loved, we see beautiful games created by Papa Jack and his sons, Kaspar and Emil, both willing to contribute to the emporium activity.

But soon reality slightly creeps into this beautiful atmosphere: there are the memories of the war in Russia and the emigration to England, then the beginning of the first world war and the soldier's trauma, and the familiar disputes due to jealousy and resentment, but how much is needed to break the emporium magic?

I needed some days to decide that I liked The Toy Makers a lot: the book takes unexpected paths; the apparent lightness of the context (the magical toys, like Emil's toy soldiers) has instead more profound implications, partly determined by what happens in the world outside the emporium.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me the copy necessary to write this review.

I absolutely adored this book; from the very first page, to the last,everything was perfect.
The book is full of magic and joy, and perfectly captures the excitement of childhood Christmas's and the flush of first love. The Emporium is the most exquisite toyshop where Papa Jack and his two sons, Kaspar and Emil craft the magical toys that bring all of London to the store on the night of the first frost. Welcomed into the family and the shop is Cathy, and it is through her eyes that we see the rivalry between the two brothers, the effects of the two world wars, and the fate of the Emporium.
What started as a magical fairy tale, perfect for reading as we head into the Christmas season, grows into something much darker and more complex, and utterly heartbreaking.
Epic in scale this book really captured my imagination and has taken up place in my heart. It is a book that I will gladly turn to again and I would like to thank the publishers, the author and netgalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

I've always loved magical realism, ordinary worlds elevated by enchantments. My bookshelves are lined with Gabriel Garcia Marquez's books, I've been stunned by the capacity of Jorge Luis Borges, and more recently, I enjoyed The Night Circus (which will draw many comparisons with the Toy Makers). So it's not a huge surprise that Robert Dinsdale's The Toy Makers was right up my street.

The book is set in a toy shop in London, and spans the period from before and after the two world wars. It follows Cathy, pregnant while still a girl, and the life she made with the Godman's, the father and his two sons who run the shop. The toys they make are magical, forged by recreating memories of childhoods lost, and every winter on the first frost of the year, they open their shop doors until the first snowdrop appears.

My only complaint about the book, and a minor one, is that the characters didn't really form. The book covers 50 odd years, but by the end of it, you still don't really know them, or more importantly, root for them. However, the writing was excellent, crisp and clean, the pace solid, and the ending was gorgeous.

A very solid 5/5, a must-read for lovers of the Night Circus.

Book kindly supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

Young Cathy Wray, 16 years old and pregnant is on route to being hidden away by her family until her baby is born and can be taken away when she is given an old newspaper with an advert for a job in London. The temptation is too strong to pass up, so waiting for everybody to go to bed she packs the few belongings she owns and runs away. She arrives at Papa Jack Emporium on their opening night which is always a magical, spectacular event that is always long awaited for by children and adults alike. This is a toy shop that only opens for a few months.... buts its not just any ordinary shop. The toys are made with love, passion and magic that makes them come alive and make even adults turn back to their childhood. The Emporium is owned by the elusive Papa Jack who rarely leaves the workshop where he weaves his magic into the toys. The shop is managed by his two sons - Kasper and Emil who love nothing more than playing "The Long War" with their toy soldiers in between creating their own inventions for new toys. Both boys fall for Cathy even after they discover her secret pregnancy and when she chooses Kasper, Emil's jealousy starts to grow. When war breaks out Kasper joins the army to fight for King and Country - but when he returns he has changed which brings changes to the Emporium with lasting, devastating results. This book is filled with the magic of toys and the imagination of all who work and visit the Emporium. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend

An amazing book that captured my heart from the very beginning. This is essentially a story revolving around Cathy bringing in love, sibling rivalry of the worst kind, the history of WWII with the emotions surrounding it during and after and above all the magic that children have and so easily gets lost in the adult world. The book is peppered with many great philosophical statements bringing a meaning to adult life and more than that explaining the way to go forward with one’s life. The ending brought tears to my eyes but I do not really know if it was sadness in the ending or the fact that the book had ended. I was to say the least enthralled and lived in this book with the many different characters.. the life of Papa Jack, his two sons, the toy emporium and the wonderful magic that is there for all to see if we only let ourselves be a child again. I think that one of the most memorable quotes that I shall always remember from this book was when Martha asked why do people fight real wars when they have toy soldiers to do it for them? Such a profound statement and this book is littered with other equally profound statements. How I wish that I could go and see that emporium with all its majesty and magic, the Wendy house, the paper, wood, patchwork and straw toys and especially the faithful dog Serius. What a fantastic book that warrants becoming a classic.

A wonderfully enchanting tale of love, magic, and growing up. It is the sort of book that seems to develop a mind of its own, much like many of the Emporium's magical toys themselves, lingering in your thoughts. It is at times sad, at times thought-provoking and at times utterly joyful.

The setting; Papa Jack's Toy Emporium, where dreams come true and the impossible is possible, is beautiful with rich, descriptive writing helping it come to life. The plot is unique and spellbinding. I went into this with few expectations and am very glad I did so as it allowed me to experience the twists and turns alongside the characters. The story spans many years which allows you to really get to know the characters and feel for them.

Recommended for fans of magical realism and historical fiction alike.

I have to say this is probably amongst the strangest books I have read. The author tries to take you to an old fashioned toy shop and the description is very very long. I did almost give I up a couple of times but then thought maybe it will get better.
This book said you had to believe to read this book not sure what you are to believe in??
This is not my kind of story am assuming some people would love it but not my cup of book

This is a magical story about a magical place.

The Emporium sits in a quiet alleyway in London. It opens on the night of the first frost and closes at the flowering of the first snowdrop. Inside is a magical toyshop like no other. The building doesn't seem quite big enough to contain the many aisles and floors that exist on the inside. The toys are just a little bit more special and magical than real toys. Papa Jack rules over the Emporium with his two sons, Kaspar & Emil. All three work away bringing new toys to the shop for the opening night. To this place comes Cathy as a young 16 year old. She has a secret as the Emporium has secrets.

I loved this story. I fell in love with the Emporium. The idea of toys which are a little bit more alive than ordinary toys. Sirius the patchwork dog who is to all intents and purposes like a real dog. The patchwork rabbits who eat up scraps of material and produce their own baby patchwork rabbits. A gondola which floats high above the shop floor surrounded by flying Pegasus, the toy soldiers..........the list is endless. It was wonderful to create this place from the book descriptions and my own imagination. I imagine each person's view of the Emporium is slightly different but each one as magical as the rest.

In this setting are very real people. Papa Jack who underwent terrible punishment as a young man who was finally able to return from Siberia to claim his young sons. Kaspar & Emil so gifted in their own ways but Kaspar goading his little brother & Emil feeling so insecure. Add pretty Cathy into the mix and there are bound to be divisions.

We follow the story of the family Godman and the Emporium from the early 1900s into the first world war. Kaspar leaves the Emporium to fight on the battlefields and returns a different man as they all did. Will life inside the Emporium be the same?

As I read through this book I felt the same sort of imagination and magic as when I read "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. It is that clever juxtapositioning of the real world and the slightly magical one.

As well as building a wonderful setting there is a good plot to this story. The plot is solid & builds up throughout the book to an excellent conclusion. I hadn't seen the conclusion coming but it worked well within the book. I do like a satisfying ending.

So throw off your preconceptions of reality & settle into a slightly magical world where much is just a little bit different.

I shall be seeking out other books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Wow wow wow!
Pull up an armchair to the open fire, get a mug of cocoa and lose yourself in the magical world that is Papa Jack's Emporium. Set in early twentieth century's London toy shop of the Godman family, you follow the fate of the emporium filled with toys touched by the magic of the toymakers and how their lives in turn are touched and changed by them. Truly magical, will take you back to your own childhood and its wonders and fantasies. Highly highly recommended read!

Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale is a story of Cathy a teenage runaway who takes a job in Papa Jack's Emporium. A place where magical toys are made and sold by toymaker Jekabs and his two sons. I enjoyed the imagination and the description of the toys that were created. I really liked the character of Cathy. I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

*thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.
I am quite upset that I didnt enjoy this book. It was too slow for me and I think if I was more in the mood, I might have liked it a bit more, but I cant be sure of that. The idea sounded so so good and I was really looking forward to reading this so I was super excited to find out I was approved for a copy. I dont regret at all that I did read it and I will add this to re-read another day to see if my mind changes. Now that I know what to expect. This is definitely the type of book I would like. Magic, Christmas time, Historical all my favourites. I wasnt too fussed with the characters. The brothers I could have taken or left, they didnt interest me greatly but there were some quite good parts but unfortunately not enough of them.

I think the point of this is that its ment to be read as a 'cosy' rainy day, nothing to do but read type of book. So thats what I will do again, wait until I have one of those days and give it another go because I feel that this book does hold potential if in the mood.

Thank you to Netgalley, Katie Sunley at Penguin Randon House and of course Robert Dinsdale for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

This book did not play out in the way that I thought it was going to. It started out with this wonderful childlike feeling of magic and whimsy and as the years in the book progressed I felt this creeping responsibility

Magical, enchanting, beautifully crafted - a description of both the narrative and the toys of the story. Kaspar and Emil are brothers, and wait to inherit Papa Jack's Emporium from their father. All three men craft toys, extraordinary, fascinating toys, and the Emporium is crammed with children and their parents marvelling at these spectacles. Enter Cathy, a new shop hand, pregnant at 16 and looking for a new start. The Emporium becomes her home too; we share her life as WW1 brings devastating change to the world inside and outside the Emporium. The toy soldiers created in the Emporium's workshops change alongside the world outside, and it is only years later that we learn the real story. A vibrant page-turner.

Brilliant. This book well and truly deserves 5 stars. It is wonderfully written and totally different from anything I have read. This is a magical story about a magical toy shop. Robert Dinsdale has an incredible imagination and a wonderful way of telling a story. I am not going to give away any of the story. It is better to discover it yourself. I feel I want to start reading it again to see what I missed the first time.

I really enjoyed this tale and went back to read it again as there is so much content. Would definitely recommend it.

A magical book., literally, beautifully written which took me back to my childhood when I saw pixies on my bed at night. This novel isn’t just full of magic it’s full of relationships especially the dynamics within a family, full of hope and despair but most of all MAGIC.. I loved it.

The writing is very magical and it transported me to my chidlhood. But, sometimes it was too much of magical realism for me and the plot dragged quite a bit.

Cathy is pregnant, 16, and a runaway. Responding to an ad, she goes to work for the Godman Brothers and Jack, the elderly man behind a magical Emporium in London. The book is certainly right for the coming Christmas season and has a very atmospheric feel to it. I liked the characters and how life has a habit of changing things. Well written and researched, although I did find it a bit too long in places. Recommended for the toys alone.

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I absolutely adored this book. It created that feeling of home, of nostalgia, and childhood, that special place where magic still exists. It's easily one of my favourite books now and I look forward to reading it for many Christmases to come.