I’m not entirely sure what I expected from this novel but it wasn’t quite what I got.

I thoroughly enjoy the idea of stories within a story and while Ewa’s stories were undoubtedly my favourite parts of the book, they also seemed to break the flow of the storyline involving Andrew and Bramber. I couldn’t connect to these two characters at all. Andrew’s chapters in particular spoke to me less and less. Bramber’s letters were more intriguing but those too started to lose their appeal after a while.

Nina Allan has a beautiful way with words and I’m sure this story will appeal to lots of readers. Sadly, I’m not one of them but I’m fairly certain it’s a case of “it’s me and not the book”.

This was such a strange read, I'm not really sure if I enjoyed it or not.
I'm left feeling rather short-changed as the ending was unsatisfactory, unless the journey was the story in of itself and not really meant to end?
I enjoyed following Andrew and learning about his life and understood why he was trying to get to Bramber. I found Bramber's letters a little frustrating but again understood why they were powerful enough to entice Andrew to make such a journey.
The short stories peppered between every entry however I felt - whilst interesting enough on their own - were too distracting and not as relevant as we were lead to believe and trying to be a bit too clever.
Either the stories should have been a device or the dolls should have been a device - not sure the story needed both, or I don't believe the story between Andrew and Bramber big enough to warrant both.
And I was very confused most of the time as I couldn't get a handle on the time period the main story or the short stories were meant to be set in.
All in all it felt too disjointed, unsatisfactory and a little pointless - whilst quite easy to read and with some good characterisation. this one wasn't for me.

Andrew is a dollmaker and collector, having spent his entire life being fascinated by dolls. He starts sending letters to Bramber, a fellow dollmaker, who places an advert in a collectors magazine. Bramber is looking for information on Ewa, a fellow dollmaker from the past. In these letters they weave elements of their sheltered lives to each other on paper. Will Andrew and Bramber break free of their personal entrapments?

I enjoyed the nostalgic letter writing elements of the book and thought this was an unusual technique. One which definitely paid off! The book is also very well written and Nina Allen has a great way with words.

Unfortunately, that is where the praise ends for me. I really struggled with this book. I simply couldn’t get in to it, as it simply didn’t seem to flow. Whenever I picked It up, it felt like a chore. I have a feeling this is a definite ‘marmite’ read, and it just simply wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis tells quite clearly what this story is about. This is a story with other stories woven into them. A story about Andrew and Bramber, and their correspondence with each other. They have a shared interest in dolls, not just any dolls either. These are sought after items, they have a history and at times a price tag. Andrew decides he wants to visit Bramber and so takes a journey, during which he reads a story book. It’s by Ewa Chaplin, she also made dolls.

This is a slower paced story that felt a little erratic at the beginning. It took me a good while before I got to grips with the characters, their stories, the alternating timelines and the style. Gradually I found myself drawn into the story and the stories. It was one of those books where I suddenly found myself engrossed and hadn’t realised it had happened. The short stories that Andrew reads during his journey are at times on the dark, or very dark side, they are like twisted fairy tales. There are things that mirror Andrew’s life.

I really enjoyed this book and I have a feeling that it is not going to be for everyone. At times it has the feel of literary fiction, with a mix of fairy tale and fantasy. There is subtle romance aspect to it though not one that follows the usual route or expectation.

It’s one of those books that I think may divide readers, for me, there are parts I really enjoyed and others not so much. It is well written, it has an unusual structure to it. It is a book I would recommend and it will be interesting to see what other readers think of this one.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Dollmaker Andrew has engaged in a pen relationship with a woman called Bramber, who he suspects is trapped in a facility she needs rescuing from. Their shared love of dolls inspired Andrew and Bramber to write to one another, and through the letters, they have developed a strong relationship. Andrew believes he loves Bramber, and is so sure Bramber is the one for him, he decides to set off on a hundreds of miles journey to surprise Bramber. Along the way, he passes the journey by reading a book that contains fairy tales, which are an awful lot like Andrew’s own life.

I didn't know what to expect with this story, and it kind of took me aback. It was a pleasant story, as it all revolved around human connection. The story is told through the perspectives of Andrew and Bramber (through her letters to Andrew). Whilst Andrew’s narrative was effective in establishing character background and reader connection, I felt Bramber’s narrative through her letters was a bit underwhelming and less effective. I genuinely suspect this will be a personal sentiment, as the notion of letter writing is typically endearing (which I feel too!)… I just wasn’t able to connect with Bramber.

My favourite parts of this book were the fairy tales by Ewa Chaplin. They provided the book with a variety of genres, and really ensnared my interest. These stories included: A woman who falls in love with a poor man, and seeks to escape her loveless marriage to be with him. A woman who falls foul to a dwarf whose idea of time is complex. A teacher who is convinced her new student is a bad omen. A girl who is betrayed by her aunt, and learns she isn't all that she seems.
What Andrew finds is these fairy tales by Ewa Chaplin seem to mirror his life, and people he knows, to an unabashed degree. I think the parallels were quite good, in helping Andrew’s development of understanding life on a deeper level.

All in all, I read this in 2 days and I’m rating it 3 stars. The story was well written as at some points there was really beautiful prose. But I found there to be quite a somber tone throughout this read, and at times that was fine, but it was really depressing too. I didn’t massively like the story, and the only reason I can give is I didn’t find the story as engaging as other reads. I somewhat enjoyed it, and appreciated the depth within the story, but I was left feeling rather underwhelmed due to the vague way the plot and the characters were written. I recommend this to people who like whimsical prose and short stories, because the book does impress in that regard. But other than that, I wouldn’t recommend this as a story that’s definitely one people should pick up and read.

Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-copy, in exchange for this honest review.

This has a really eerie feel to it that I can’t put my finger on. I loved reading Brambers letters, loved the descriptions of the old towns in England as Andrew travelled to rescue Bramber. A fantastic novel with beautiful descriptions of doll making, weaves together perfectly.

The Dollmaker is unlike anything I've rever read before. I felt like I had to pay attention (which is a good thing) because it felt like I was reading extracts from another book, however, once I finished the novel, it became clear to me. It was a sweet love story, but it still had a refreshing take which made it stand out from the rest. I enjoyed it and strongly recommend it to anyone.

I really wanted to like this, but it was a real struggle to finish it. Andrew is the dollmaker of the title, making his way across the country to visit Bramber, who he has been writing to about a mutual interest in the work of Ewa Chaplin. As well as making dolls, Chaplin wrote short stories and some of her work is interspersed with Andrew's journey, him talking about his own life and letters to Andrew from Bramber - detailing her interest in dolls and her story.
It's all well-written and cleverly put together with links between the stories and Andrew and Bramber's lives. It just dragged quite a lot for me, and I had difficulty keeping up the momentum with it.

I really liked this once I got into it, slow to start and the letter forms took some getting used to, but once I got past this it was really good. I enjoyed it a lot but thought the end was a little anticlimactic, but still a good read.

This is a wonderful story that did grip me once I got into it.

I have mixed feelings about this book but overall it was an okay read. Some parts gripped me and others I felt were a little slow. The book mixes stories and letters which takes some getting use to but the writing is easy to read and follow once you get into it.

It follows Andrew who is fascinated by dolls and makes them himself. He gets in touch with a fellow doll collector Bramber and they begin to start a correspondence through letters. The letters mean we get to know more about the characters and the world they live in which I thought was a great way to write a book. Bramber is looking for information on Ewa, a dollmaker and writer of short stories. The short stories are woven in through the book and I liked a few of them. After a year of correspondence Andrew decides to visit Bramber but doesn't tell her and I found the desciptions of his travel great and the conclusion to the story is magical in its own way.

If this book sounds like it is good then I would recommend you read it. Although not my usual genre I really enjoyed reading it for a change.

Synopsis: Andrew Garvie is (a dwarf) living in London who enjoys making dolls. He answers a personal ad in his collectors magazine and begins a snail-mail relationship with Bramber Winters, a woman who lives in a mental institution across the country. Upon realising he’s in love with her, Andrew sets out on a mission to meet her in person and on his journey reads his way though a collection of short stories by Ewa Chaplin.

I ended up warming to this book a lot more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the Gothic vibe it had working for it and the sense of mystery it created.

Let’s talk about the structure. The story of Andrew and his trip to visit Bramber acts as a frame narrative, within which short stories are interspersed. As well as this, the letters Bramber writes are scattered throughout the storying giving you insight to her character and story. If you’re a fan of short stories, then this will probably work for you, though I can imagine some readers might wish for a deeper connection to the main storyline. I personally quite liked this structure. However, to be honest, I didn’t really care about what happened to Andrew that much and found the dark little stories exciting in comparison.

The ending felt a bit anticlimactic to me. Perhaps because of all the recurring themes in the stories Andrew reads (damaged hands, dwarfism, child prodigy), I kind of expected them to lead towards something. There seemed to be numerous connections between the stories and Andrew’s situation with Bramber… but why? What were they hinting at? Mind you, it’s possible my confusion by this is due to my own failure to put the pieces together.

I liked the dark and twisty feel to the short stories. Andrew reads them from a book, which I would probably be looking for in Waterstones right now if I didn’t know it was fictional. There are no fairytale-esque happy endings or predictable character arcs. They were intriguing and well written and after a little while I found myself looking forward to the next one. To an extent, I do like how things are never explained fully. We never receive a conclusive answer about what is fiction and what is reality. It leaves you asking questions. Keeping this in mind, I still wish I had some closure at the end.

Overall, it was a good read but not one of my absolute favourites. It took a while to get through (a book of this size would usually take me anywhere from a few days to a week, but I ended up reading this for almost a month). I just didn’t feel overly invested in the story, but kept coming back to it anyway out of a mixture of commitment and intrigue. I’d recommend it to lovers of short stories and dark supernatural fiction.

As much as I tried with this book, I couldn’t get to grips with it. Spurred on by plenty of 5* reviews on goodreads, I kept trying but ultimately the ever changing narrative just put me off from enjoying it. Thank you for the opportunity to read it and it is a wonderful book if it’s your ‘thing’. It just isn’t for me.

When I first heard about this book, I was expecting something enchanting, akin to The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale or The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and maybe a dash of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton.

Maybe there’s more of that later on in the book, but I wouldn’t know. I found the opening chapters to be dull and uninviting, and the interjecting stories within the story bothered me, so I’ve decided to DNF it. Apologies but it wasn’t for me.

The only takeaway I have is an overwhelming nostalgia for the lost art of letter writing.

Thank you to Nina Allen, Quercus, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was Avery beautiful told story, my first of Nina Allen and now I’ll need to get my hands on her other book. A very rich and poetic tale beautifully set. All the characters compliment each other perfectly, and it was beautifully magical story. Loved it x

I think this book will be visually breathtaking once published! The cover is absolutely captivating, and I adore the illustrations throughout the book!
In this beautifully crafted tale we follow Andrew a Little boy who instantly falls in love with a doll Marina, from this point on his love for dolls grows with him, he eventually become a doll maker.
Once grown he makes contact with a fellow doll lover via a doll magazine advert, and two become ‘pen pals’. He finds that she loves doll made by Ewa Chaplin, something which he doesn’t connect with. After more than a year of correspondence he decides to plan a trip to meet Bramber. On his way he plans to visit different places along the way.
He is also curious to understand the connection Bramber has with Chaplins dolls. As Chaplin also writes book he buy her modern fairy tails to read on his journey. The content of this book is beautifully entwined throughout our main story, bringing hidden depth to the book, as they mirror the lives of the main protagonists.
This is a very different layout for a book, well worth sticking through! Very cleverly told, I will be buying a copy of this in release! Thank you to Netgalley, Quercus Books and Nina for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst providing a challenging structure, Nina Allan writes a wonder of a luminous novel littered with dollmakers throughout. It is complex, magical, multilayered, and interspersed with the dark tales providing the reader with stories within the main story that fray and blur the edges of reality. I came close to giving up at the beginning but was richly rewarded as my persistence began to pay off as I got caught up in the atmospheric, magical and deeply unsettling storytelling that whispers of obsession, of dollmakers and love. Whilst set in modern times, it gives off whiffs of the Victorian era and strong elements of the gothic. Short in stature, Andrew Garvie is a dollmaker who finds himself engaged in a burgeoning relationship with Bramber Winters in a mental institution in Bodmin Moor, developed through the letters they exchange.

Like a contemporary knight in shining armour, Andrew embarks on a quest for Bramber, convinced by the strength of his inner feelings for her and what he has learned about her, irrespective of views contrary to his. On his journey, he engages with the chilling and eerie fairytales written by the Polish writer, Ewa Chaplin, with their elements of horror. They strangely echo the unfulfilled and traumatic past and lives of Andrew and Bramber. This is a novel of being different from others, of identity, feeling comfortable in one's skin, of learning to live again, rising above the fractured and fragmented past experiences. Nina Allan gives us twisted and challenging storytelling, not linear in its structure, embracing the bizarre and the odd with the magical, and weaving the threads in the book with true expertise. I adored her stellar characterisation and the beautiful, lyrical and richly descriptive prose. This may not be a book for everyone, especially as it does not seek to provide all the answers, but it works exceptionally well for me. I found it both enthralling and enchanting. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

This is probably a book you either love or hate, since it's definitely off the beaten path and takes a bit of getting used to. I highly recommend perseverance!

Ever since childhood, Andrew has been fascinated with dolls. Later in life he becomes a collector and dollmaker himself. Through an ad in a collector's magazine he gets in touch with Bramber, who is looking for information on Ewa, a dollmaker from the past. They start a snailmail correspondence in which we get to know their characters and surroundings. The writing is easy accessible and moves at a good pace.
Ewa, the dollmaker, is also the author of some short stories, which Bramber gifts Andrew. These stories are woven into our main story. This mixing of book, letters and stories can be quite confusing in the beginning, but once you get their connection, the magic starts to appear.

Well over a year into their correspondence, Andrew decides to visit Bramber. He doesn't announce his plan, but instead travels through England stopping at places that have special meaning to him. A fascinating trip filled with delightful artistry and quirky characters.
Throughout the journey Andrew and Bramber keep writing, Ewa keeps telling her stories. All characters compliment each other. Gotta love serendipity!
The conclusion of the story is simply wonderful, as true magic should be.

The Dollmaker grabbed me and wouldn't let go and I loved every minute of it!

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus Books / riverrun for the ARC.

A wonderful and magical novel, brilliantly crafted. Shades of Sarah Perry's "Melmoth" - which I enjoyed, but this is much better. The blurb and some reviews make this sound like it could be one of those quirky love stories about two misfits finding one another, but it is much more nuanced and also much darker than that. The twisted short stories that appear throughout the book add an extra dimension to the plot.

Sure to be one of the biggest books of the year. I would recommend this to readers of literary, horror and science fiction rather than mainstream commercial fiction, as it is a tricky and intellectual novel that needs to be read at several different levels.

The Dollmaker is a love story.

It is it the story of Andrew and Bramber, told gradually through Bramber’s letters to Andrew. They build a slow, strange and dreadful picture of her life in the institution and the two of them become closer.

Meanwhile, on his travels, Andrew is reading the short stories of Ewa Chaplin, another doll maker and writer, he finds her stories as bewitching as her dolls.

The story does jump at times between the two tales, but this really adds to the atmosphere and the odd flow to the story.

I felt while this is a love story, it’s all about our differences and how we should embrace this and just be ourselves and try not to pass judgement on others. There is a little sci-fi /fantasy feel here too, which adds to the marvellous atmosphere.

This is a wonderful, original and unique tale and I can thoroughly recommend it.....book clubs will love it too.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

I have mixed feelings about The Dollmaker by Nina Allan. This is a story, with lots of little stories entwined into it. It is well written and lots of you will like it but, I just thought what was the point of it? This book I thought was about a Dollmaker and there were some parts about it. It was also about two pen pals Andrew Garvie and Bramber Winters, who write to each other their innermost thoughts even though they have never met each other. Once I got into a short story and excited to see how the story would pan out, it would completely change to something completely different. For me I like a book to flow nicely, not have to work at it all the way through. Sorry this wasn’t for me.
Thank you Quercus books and NetGalley for a copy of this book.