Running away was not like it was in the stories.

People did not try and stop you. They did not give chase.

The thing people didn’t understand was that you had to decide what you were running away from.

Most of the time it wasn’t mothers or fathers or monsters or villains; most of the time you were running away from that little voice inside your head, the one telling you to stay where you are, that everything will turn out all right.

There are a hundred different clocks in the Emporium.

Some keep time with the comings and goings of London seasons. Others tick out of sync, counting down the hours of that faraway coastline the Godman brothers once called home. Still more keep erratic and uncontrollable times: one counts each third second backwards, the better to extend the time between chores; another elongates the evening, all the better to keep bedtime at bay.

These are the times that children keep, and which adults are forbidden from remembering.

Only a child could understand how one day might last an eternity, while another pass in the flicker of an eye.

Yes, Papa Jack’s Emporium is a place out of step with the world outside. Come here day or night and you will find a place marching to the beat of its own drum.

Listen and you might hear it, even now …



So happy to say that this not only lived up to all my expectations but exceeded them – a little slice of magic in magical realism done perfectly! I plan to reread this around Christmas as, despite the story taking place over decades, this would be a perfect festive read.

Cathy grabbed my heart from the first page, where she flees from an uncertain future to the city where anything could happen. The Emporium is like another character in the story, changing with the seasons, but a constant presence supporting the people who pass through its doors and find true magic. The tension between love and competitiveness between Kaspar and Emil is portrayed so perfectly and realistically, though I found Emil less sympathetic a character as the book continued with one decision he made later on seeming almost completely out of character for who he was in the first half of the book!)

A magical book, highly recommended – please read it!



There is a moment, before the end, when a man knows he cannot be saved. I have watched some go to it in a state of quiet awe, but that is not the story of most. Most men feel the encroaching dark and rage against it – but a man can no more fight that battle than light can battle shade.

In these hospital beds they hold themselves until they can hold themselves no longer; after that, they are men no more. They are like boys with a fever, wanting only to curl up beside Mama, with old blankets on their laps, and be sung to and told stories.

What better way for a man to go out than the way he came in? With the milk of mother’s love.

It was my papa who taught me how a toy must speak to a grown man, how it must fill him with the simplicity, again, of being a child.

Children come to the Emporium for adventure, but adults to be reminded that adventure was once possible, that once the world was as filled with magic as the imagination will allow.

What I liked: The magic, so much magic! I am often disappointed by magical realism books if the balance is (in my opinion) tilted too far towards the reality and not the magic. Yet, this book, got it just right with the realities of war and hardship being balanced perfectly with the sense of awe and wonder inspired by the Emporium

Even better if: I did struggle a bit with Emil ‘s decision near the end and the fact that he never came clean about it. While I could see him doing something like that in anger or on a whim, I couldn’t reconcile the fact that he never admitted what he had done in the face of all the sadness it caused.

How you could use it in your classroom: Despite this being marketed as an adult novel, there is nothing in this book which makes it unsuitable for a younger audience. I would recommend it for secondary pupils who have some knowledge of World War I and II as this book straddles the years of history with ease, yet touches on the trauma and turmoil caused by war.

I loved this book. As a child I loved stories about magic, stories that transported me to another world, but The Toymakers is not a children’s story. It is an extraordinary, magical and wonderful book that captivated me, a book set mainly in 1917 whilst the First World War was taking its toll of humanity, leaving despair and tragedy in its wake. It’s a blend of historical fiction and magic realism.This is a story of love, and family relationships, as well as of the devastating effects of rivalry and war.

Papa Jack’s Emporium in London is a toyshop extraordinaire. It opens with the first frost of winter each year and closes when the first snowdrop blooms. And the toys it sells aren’t ordinary toys – they seem alive, from patchwork dogs, to flying pegasi, Russian dolls that climb out of one another, runnerless rocking horses, whales that devour ships, fire-breathing dragons and many others to the toy soldiers that wage war on each other.

The story begins in 1906 and ends in 1953, following the lives of Papa Jack Godman, his sons, Kaspar and Emil and Cathy Wray, who aged 15 and pregnant had run away from home. Cathy finds sanctuary at the Emporium, and Papa Jack tells her how he came to live in London and founded the Emporium, how he had found in making toys a kind of magic, a way of reaching a man’s soul.

At first Cathy lived in the Wendy House, which like the Tardis is larger on the inside than the outside, with Sirius the patchwork dog. It was where her daughter, Martha was born. Kasper and Emil are caught up in a battle for control of the Emporium, and they both fall in love with Cathy, but it is Kasper that she marries. The years pass, the First World War breaks out, Kasper joins up, but Emil’s application is refused, so he stays at home, developing his toy soldiers. I was struck by the irony and pathos of a world at war mirrored in the battles fought by Emil’s toys soldiers. And things come a head when Kasper returns a damaged man and retreats into his mind. What happens next changes their lives for ever.

The Toymakers is a wonderful book, one that will stay with me, not just about the horrors of war and rivalry, but above all about the power of love, the magic of childhood and the effect of toys – when you are young you play with toys to feel grown up, imagining what it will be like to be an adult. But when you are an adult what you want from toys is to feel that you are young again. They remind you that the world was once as filled with magic as your imagination will allow.

Many thanks to the publishers for a review copy via NetGalley.

Best described as a sort of Narnia for adults, The Toymakers is the story of the owners of Papa Jack's Emporium, a magical toy store in central London that opens each year with the first frost and closes when the first snowdrop flowers.

I have always loved books about magic and quirky toy stores, so I jumped at the chance to read this one.

Dinsdale's interwoven philosophies on the role of toys and childhood in mediating violent and traumatic situations were refreshing and enlightening. I loved his distinction between the 'everyday' magic of enjoying a peaceful and satisfying life, and the actual magic woven into Papa Jack's and Kaspar's creations.

I highlighted more than a dozen 'favourite quotes' in <i>The Toymakers</i>, but this one would have to be my favourite passage:

"There are a hundred different clocks in the Emporium. Some keep time with the comings and goings of London seasons. Others tick out of sync, counting down the hours of that faraway coastline the Godman brothers once called home. Still more keep erratic and uncontrollable times: one counts each third second backwards, the better to extend the time between chores; another elongates the evening, all the better to keep bedtime at bay. These are the times that children keep, and which adults are forbidden from remembering."

The Toymakers is a perfectly imperfect novel that is strangely put together in places but the gems in it are so amazing that I didn't regret reading it at all. I did find it hard to take off my editing cap in some places - it's long, and it felt long. But then, I felt that way about the latter Harry Potter books and they don't seem to have suffered any for it!

The story line for the toy soldiers in the second half was a little perplexing but - in the same way I think we all forgave the writers of Buffy for Season 4 - it didn't change my opinion of the book overall.

What a book! Never in all my reading years have I been so enthralled by a story - I think, somewhere over the last couple of days I returned to my very best memories of childhood. Robert Dinsdale is not just an author, a writer ... he is also something of a magician!

Everyone has an imagination; it's what give authors the desire to write and urges the readers on to read and what makes both feel a bit lost without a book on the go. But this author's imagination gets under your skin and conjures up scenes of such magnificence that you begin to live, breathe and dream this novel. There is a solid storyline too - one which keeps your mind concentrated on the characters and what's about to happen next, but never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted the ending. I somehow feel richer and more mature for having read The Toymakers - I feel this is a once in a lifetime read and I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to immerse myself so completely in such a masterpiece.

I expect most would classify this one as fantasy - and yet, I neither read nor enjoy fantasy and I certainly don't ever award it five stars! However, there is a reality about this book which makes the magic all the more understandable and I hope this feeling never leaves me.

My sincere thanks to Ebury Publishing, part of Penguin Random House UK for approving my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

I struggled with this. It took me about two months to read and I never felt compelled to pick it up. This is not a bad book by any means and I am still struggling to pinpoint what did not work for me. So stick with me as I am trying to figure out my thoughts.

I adored the first chapter and was absolutely convinced I would love the book to pieces. It brilliantly introduces Cathy, knocked-up and desperate, who flees her parents' home to find work in Papa Jack's Emporium. Her sense of desperation is wonderfully juxtaposed with the wonder of her new work place and here the immersive and inventive descriptions worked really well. When the Empirium closes for spring and summer, she decides to stay and hide as she has nowhere else to go. This is a trope I struggle with in books: lying and hiding makes me anxious.

What developes next is a love triangle between Cathy and Papa Jack's two sons: Kasper and Emil. I have no patience for love triangles; especially not for those between brothers. While it makes sense in the way the two have always been in direct competition (mostly for their father's approval), it's just not something I enjoy in books.

In general, I thought the characters were the definite weak point of this book. While Cathy is nicely developed and I couldn't not root for her and her courage, I found the brothers caricature-like and Papa Jack a non-entity. Perhaps this book would have worked better for me had it been written in a first person perspective. This way I would have been able to spend more time with Cathy and less time with the waring brothers. I found Emil and Nina to be very abrasive characters whose motivations did not always quite work for me.

I also figured something out just now: the book was overly descriptive. It feels like the majority of words were used to describe the Emporium in incredible detail; there must be hundreds of inventions described. And while I enjoyed this at the beginning, when the reader followed Cathy's awe, it did not quite work for me later in the book when darker themes started to emerged. Then I felt the whimsy of the description detracted from the story.

Sadly, this book was simply not for me. I liked the beginning, so much and was immediately drawn into Cathy's story and her arrival at the emporium, but then the story just took a turn, that did not chime with me. It got very dark, very strange and in many ways, it felt like a book of different parts.

In a word - spellbinding!

I sat down at breakfast to read for half an hour - but couldn't stop reading until I finished the book!

This author is a master storyteller. The prose is beautifully descriptive, the emotions finely writtten, the story wonderfully crafted.

The book made me smile and cry, and stirred up long-forgotten memories of childhood magic. It's bittersweet - not all sweetness and light - but the story needs that to balance the magic.

I loved this book. I will read it again - which for me is a rare thing.

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, I spent most of the time wondering if there was real magic involved or just fantastic mechanics. I did feel a mixture of both. The time period lent so much to the realism of the book and stopped it becoming whimsical. It's a book that I will re-read in a few years.

"Do you remember when you believed in magic?"

If this tagline makes your heart warm, then read this book, it really won't disappoint you.

You know when a book makes you warm and happy, and it goes straight into your heart and you know it's never going to leave you, and every time you remember it it just makes you want to pick it all up and read it again. You want to be in the book, live it? Well, that very rarely happens to me, but this book does. I didn't want it to end. I didn't want to go back to real life.

The story is set in 1917, with Cathy, a teenager who finds herself pregnant and being forced to go along with her parents plans to deal with her 'shame'. She decides to take matters into her own hands though when she spots a job article in a paper looking for staff and asking "are you lost, are you afraid, are you a child at heart?" -  well Cathy really is, and runs away to Papa Jack's Emporium.

We then enter an absolutely magical, beautiful world - one of toy soldiers, paper trees, runnerless rocking horses, and oh the dog - who could every forget about the dog? The emporium opens every year on the day of the first frost and closes again when the first snowdrop is found. In the time between Papa Jack and his sons Kasper and Emil create the magical toys.....

I wanted this story just to stay happy and wonderful and heartwarming but it doesn't. There is after all a war on, and not just between Kasper and Emil's toy soldiers, this tale gets very dark, and we are torn apart with love and loyalty for each character.

I'm not going any further into the story, but it's beautiful - it's heartbreaking, it's magical and just amazing. Robert Dinsdale writes so beautifully - I just can't put into words how wonderful this book is - it will live with me forever, and if this is the last book I ever read then I can't think of a better book to end on.

First off, I was entranced by the cover, I mean LOOK AT IT!
Who would not want to pick this up?
I imagine walking along a typical dickensian christmas time, with all the snow falling and the carols floating in the breeze, then you come along a shop like this and peer into the window and dream....

However I like to see that picture in my head, this story actually takes place in 1917 nearing the end of the first World War and where a runaway Cathy takes refuge in the shop/ emporium.
The shop is owned by Papa Jack and his two sons, Emil and Kasper and these are no ordinary toymakers......

Do you remember when you believed in magic?

The Emporium opens with the first frost of winter. It is the same every year. Across the city, when children wake to see ferns of white stretched across their windows, or walk to school to hear ice crackling underfoot, the whispers begin: the Emporium is open!

It is 1917, and London has spent years in the shadow of the First World War. In the heart of Mayfair, though, there is a place of hope. A place where children’s dreams can come true, where the impossible becomes possible – that place is Papa Jack’s Toy Emporium.

For years Papa Jack has created and sold his famous magical toys: hobby horses, patchwork dogs and bears that seem alive, toy boxes bigger on the inside than out, ‘instant trees’ that sprout from boxes, tin soldiers that can fight battles on their own. Now his sons, Kaspar and Emil, are just old enough to join the family trade. Into this family comes a young Cathy Wray – homeless and vulnerable. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own. But Cathy is about to discover that while all toy shops are places of wonder, this one is truly magical...

This book is full of beautiful writing, well rounded charecters, love and heartache and I really recommend that you read this, it is a different type of story and one I am glad to have been party too.

I have definatly put this on my wish list and wil look forward to seeing it on my shelves, not just my digital one!

Thank you to the Publishers and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity in being able to read this.

As always, thank you for dropping by and have a booktastic day!

Not all magical realism is the same, and this is a great example of the genre.
Welcome to The Emporium where you walk into a toy shop, but are transported to a world of wonder where toys seem to have lives of their own and magic is around every corner.
Papa Jack runs The Emporium with his two sons and in 1917 we follow Cathy Wray as she discovers and starts to work at The Emporium. It opens every year at the first frost and closes when the first snowdrop blooms. During the warmer months, Papa Jack and his sons Emil and Kaspar make new toys and new magic for the next season while everyone waits for the doors to open again in winter.

This story spans from 1917 right through to the 1950s, and, I'll admit it, at times towards the end I was pretty angry at the author for what he did to these lovely characters. But as I got to the end I understood and accepted and was left with a huge mixture of emotions.
And isn't that the best kind of book?
One that transports you into a new place and time and has you CARING about the characters like old friends.

I'm now going to seek out previous books by Dinsdale because I think he is a very talented author with a unique voice.

Recommended to anyone who loves some magical realism in their historical fiction and is ready for a rollercoaster ride along with the characters.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Although the book starts with a 'later' scene, we quickly go back and take a continuous narrative, to follow the fortunes of Cathy and the people who come into her life. In reality, she came into theirs, since we spend little time in the dismal reaches of pre-war Leigh-on-Sea (a town on the Thames estuary to the east of London).  She runs away to London, having seen an advertisement for staff for Papa Jack's Emporium.  That, she thinks, is a safe place for a girl who needs a safe place to run to.  Her reminder to herself, about *running away from the voice inside your head, the one telling you to stay where you are*, is a brilliant insight into why people leave home with nothing.

I think everyone will be astounded at the sheer opulence of the description of this magical emporium. The author's imagination knows no bounds.  How he thinks up all the toys that Papa Jack and his two sons create, I have no idea. Jo Rowling would be jealous. The range and depth of detail surrounding these magical artefacts are almost enough in themselves. I kept thinking, someone will love turning this into a film.

Papa Jack tells how he came to be a toy maker, and his sons try their best to emulate him.  Both have talent, but one has the gift, or maybe its the belief.  Occasionally the reader gains an insight into exactly what it takes to make the most innovative magical toys, only for the secret to slip away again as the reality of the brothers' competitive zeal, and eventually jealousy, divides them.  World War 1 does not help, but it divides them physically, and emotionally - it makes little difference to the reality of their relationship.  And it the relationships that I found made this book so magical, whether between family members, lovers, dedicated staff, or the toys whose relationship was so much more like companion animals than mere playthings.

The developments from there on are beautifully logical, allowing the 'magical realism' tag to earn its place. Self-awareness and group psychology all have their role to play in the social science fiction element of this book.  The toy makers' story becomes secondary to that of the toys, but only for a while, since Cathy's story continues throughout.

There was some imbalance of the pacing of the book.  There is a long flat patch before reaching the denouement, which perhaps could have been edited.  But this is a first class book with a touch of brilliance about the ideas.  Yet it is also another potential award-winner that pays no attention to the 'rules' on how to write best-sellers.  Description rules this book, as it did most of my best of 2017, and some of it does so for the sheer joy of it.

Summary

Awe-inspiring tale of two brothers and a woman who sees their rivalry. With toys, magic and mystery of a different kind. Epic in its conception, beautifully delivered. Add to your 2018 reading pile.

Without doubt one of the best books I’ve read in a long long time, Magical, moving, endearing, elating. A book I just didnt want to end. 5 out of 5, no question.

*I received a free review copy of this novel via NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

This book is an intense read, rather than a quick or easy one.

The reader is plunged deep into a world of magical realism in the form of the wondrous Emporium and its amazing toy displays, but as we follow Cathy into the Godman family’s domain we find that the cloud castles and flying reindeer are covering a darker path of war and betrayal; both historical and personal.

It feels like there are multiple books contained under one cover, from the fairytale opening night at first frost, through the realities of the trenches and shell-shock, to a slow creeping deterioration, which could be seen to reflect a personal journey from the wonders of childhood, through harsh adult reality, to the slow, sad, nostalgic slide into old age.

The layers of symbolism, laced together with the magical realism, are reminiscent of both The Night Circus and The Miniaturist, both of which this book has been compared to, and the books do all share the same eerily dreamlike style and atmosphere.

I found that my engagement with the characters was at an intellectual level, rather than an emotional one, so whilst I empathised with their struggles and hopes, I was not personally invested in the outcomes, and was happy to simply ride the story through to the end as an interested observer. I believe that this is a function of the detached, almost formal, voice of the author, even when inside his characters’ point of view.

Definitely recommended to fans of Erin Morgenstern and Jessie Burton, who like their stories to be exquisitely crafted, historically based, fantastical fancies with a deeper moral-philosophical underpinning.


These simple toy soldiers, these lifelike recreations on which the Emporium has built its Empire, these playthings that have sat upon the shelves for as long as the store has existed, who have provided generations of boys with untold delights, have, for the very first time, lain down their arms.
‘They have surrendered,’ she whispers….

– Robert Dinsdale, The Toymakers

(Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog)

This is a magical book.. After finishing it I had to check whether it was just adult fiction alongside a sci-fi and fantasy genre as it could well - with some adaptions- make a wonderful children's book.
It is 1917 at the annual opening of Papa Jack's Emporium- a toy shop like no other - in a hidden alleyway of London. As the first frost hits the city the Emporium opens its doors to a building like the Tardis, which is so much bigger and so so much more enchanting than it appears from outside. We see the magic of the customers, children and grown ups alike alongside the shop assistants and the main toymaker Papa Jack and his two sons Kaspar and Emil.
Then we are taken back to 1907 and the life of Cathy Wray - young and pregnant- and being threatened by her family to have her child taken away after its birth because of the shame of her relationship with the some one who would never marry her. Cathy's sister Lizzie brings a newspaper in which an advertisement looking for staff for The Emporium attracts Cathy and she runs away to London.
Soon, her life and that of her unborn child are tied together to the two brothers and the yearly patterns of preparing the toys for sale each Christmas.
But the world is encircling them with war and prejudice that threatens Cathy's newly adopted family and the magic of the toys that are made within the Emporium's workshops.
There are definite hints towards Erin Mortengstern's 'The Night Circus' in this novel but that is no bad thing. The characters are truly believable even if the circumstances in which their lives are revealed are pure fantasy. As the film 'Toy Story' proved and as many children believe when the adults are asleep what truly happens to the toys that have been made with love and are played with by excited young imaginations!
The backdrop of the wars and the challenges of the past lives of the the Godman family, that live hidden in the Emporium, but that brought them originally to London are as poignant as any other tales from immigrants who escaped the threat of death and persecution, not only then in 1914 and 1939 but even today.
It is a tale of hope and when you as a reader suspend today's realities and prepare your imagination to grasp the magic can certainly bring more than a flavour of childhood dreams to the most cynical of minds.
I see this isn't the first novel by this author and I'd be tempted to try some others.

Welcome to my first favorite book of the year. I know it’s kinda early still to say something like that because by the end I always have way too many, but this, I’m sure, it will be one of them. You guys have no idea how much I loved this book! I hadn’t even heard of it, but it was recommended to me and I decided to try it out. This was AMAZING!

The Toymakers is quite a complex and interesting story set in London. It goes from 1907 until 1953. So the whole story happens during both of the World Wars. They have a big impact in this book and I really like that the timeline was so long, since we were able to follow our main character since she was a teenager until she was a grandmother. It just made it all even more special, you know what I mean? I feel that often the only way we know so much about a character is that it’s a series and as just a standalone, this book did something I never even thought I wanted… It made me connect with the character on a whole other level and somehow I really felt part of the story.

Cathy Wray is our main character and she is just 16 years old when we meet her. She was desperate when she reached Papa Jack’s Toy Emporium, and she got a job there. I’m trying not to give much away since this is quite a complex story, and a lot of things happen but, the thing about the Emporium is that it only opens from first frost, until the first snowdrop blooms. And everyone that came to work there, then go away, the exception being, of course, Papa Jack and his two sons, Kaspar and Emil. But Cathy stays and we see her live evolving and all the magic behind the Emporium’s doors.

Papa Jack’s Toy Emporium is a fascinating place, full of magic, happiness, and possibilities. It will make you nostalgic; it will make you reach for your inner child and throw yourself into all the fascinating things happening; best of all, it will make you believe. Believe in the extraordinary and in everything you miss from your childhood. It’s a place you will wish to have visited. For I sure do.

I can’t make it justice to how unbelievably beautiful this book is, but I really urge you to read it. It’s full of magic both ordinary and extraordinary, it’s full of hope, love, and emotions and by the end, you will not believe in what you’ve read. Everything in here is unexpected and a lot less fluffy than I first thought it was going to be. It’s a sweet book but it also has a realistic and hard part to it – especially the war parts – and those are really hard-hitting to read because you get used to living in that amazing wonderland.

I loved the characters, how different they were, but how well they complemented each other. How they let their inner child live so fully, how they saw the world in a totally different light and how much they meant to me. You just really got engrossed in the story and it was impossible not to care for all the characters, even the dog is special for me!

The writing was truly beautiful, it sucks you in… It just grips you… I couldn’t stop reading, if I hadn’t had stuff to do I believe I would have read this in one sitting. It really touched me and made me feel tons of emotions. It even made me cry… Although yeah, I do cry easily but still, it was tense and unexpected and just… Ahh… Read it!!

Also, I feel that I should say that among other things, this book talks about PTS (post-traumatic stress) and how war changes people, teenage-pregnancy, family issues, in case someone is sensitive to any of those topics. I feel that they were talked about with great care and in a slightly realistic way, because I mean, we are talking about a magical toy store… But even the magic was believable and beautiful! This was the best magical realism I’ve read.

This was an amazingly beautiful book. If you like magical realism and historical fiction conjoined, this is the book for you. But I believe that anyone would enjoy this book. It will transport you to when you were a child and it will just make everything possible! Highly recommend it!

Reviewers have said this book was perfect for lovers of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern or Caraval by Stephanie Garber. They're not kidding. Magical realism in its droves; toys, mysterious job adverts, frost, Christmas, and a Dickensian London. You had me at hello.

A book of time travel, back to historical London, back to your childhood, back to Christmas, The Toymakers is a story about brotherly ties, childhood, the gift of magic, shelter in times of need, trust and of course, love.

Time and space are different inside Papa Jack's Emporium.

Cathy Wray is 15 years old and pregnant. Faced with the prospect of giving up her baby, she runs away to the Emporium to work for Christmas. Instead of finding shelter and work for the Christmas season, she finds a home and a family.

Emil and Kasper are brothers competing for their Papa's respect. With Kasper finding it easier to reproduce the magic that his father creates, Emil feels as though he is constantly playing catch up. Despite this, together they make Cathy a home, and slowly show her and then bring her into the Emporium magic.

The Emporium opens at the first frost of the season and closes with the first snowdrop.

The author winds magic through the spaces between the lines, in the small spaces we see in the corner of our eyes, where our childhood sits and with it, our belief that anything can happen. The reader is quickly drawn into this world effortlessly, and taken on a pathway through the aisles of the Emporium.

Themes: magic, toys, childhood, love, trust, brotherly competition

Thanks to Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and Netgalley for my free ARC.

It doesn’t matter how young or old we are – isn’t there always something magical about a toyshop? Well, there’s never been a toyshop as magical as Papa Jack’s Emporium, a wonderfully enchanted establishment that sits in a quiet mews in the heart of London’s Mayfair and is open only from the night of the first frost to the flowering of the first snowdrop.

Papa Jack runs the Emporium with his two young sons, Kaspar and Emil. Together they create marvellous toys that defy imagination – patchwork animals that seem to be alive, cloud castles and instant trees, model soldiers that actually fight their own battles… although it seems small on the outside, the Emporium is a cavernous place with many shelves and many floors and the latest person to enter here, a young runaway called Cathy Wray, is going to change it forever. When Cathy takes a job at the Emporium she becomes the object of affection for both Papa Jack’s sons, but when the First World War rages and Kaspar is called to the battlefield, not even the old man’s magic can hold off the horrors of the outside or protect the Emporium’s stock of childhood innocence.

Like all the best magical-realism, The Toymakers walks that fine line between touching the readers heart with some glorious Hans Christian Andersen-like fantasy and then breaking the readers heart whenever reality encroaches and the fantasy is threatened. It’s a story that seems tailor-made for Christmas but avoids mawkish sentimentality, and although it begins like a celebration of everything that’s good about the festive season it does take some decidedly Dickensian turns into the darkness as we follow the fates of Cathy and Papa Jack etc. from pre-WW1 and into the decades that follow. In fact, the novel’s old fashioned-ness is a major part of its charm. Robert Dinsdale’s storytelling is terrific and his narrative frequently takes turns we would never have expected, even if the midpoint shift in tone is a little jarring and the conclusion is a bit heavy on the metaphor. Still, that’s a small criticism for an unashamedly feel-good Christmas story that will put a smile (and maybe even a tear in the eye) on even the most jaded reader’s face.

The book surprised me. I didn't read too much of the synopsis so was just going into it as a magical book shop. Has a lot more levels than that, each of them as interesting and charming as the others. The only thing I will say is I definitely want to get myself a toy soldier army.

I loved this book! It felt so magical - the characters were wonderful and the story kept me hooked all the way through. It covered everything from love, hope, friendship and I could not put this down!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Robert Dinsdale for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.