3.0
The Dollmaker
By Nina AllanPublisher Description
A TOR.COM BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: A fairy-tale-infused love story between two lonely souls—with “distinctly Gothic overtones and a Nabokovian narrator” (Locus).
“The literary equivalent of getting lost in a steampunk-inspired, cutting edge fashion show . . . while you dream of places you’ve never seen.” —Book Riot
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 remain alone with their painful pasts or break free and, unlike their dolls, come to life.
“The literary equivalent of getting lost in a steampunk-inspired, cutting edge fashion show . . . while you dream of places you’ve never seen.” —Book Riot
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 remain alone with their painful pasts or break free and, unlike their dolls, come to life.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities19 Reviews
3.0
Tabitha
Created 4 months agoShare
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“Such a strange book. I found myself disliking the characters but wanting to know more about them. I still have no idea how I really feel about it, but it was difficult to read. Took me weeks to get through it even though it's not a long read. Not sure it the tone was off or if my dislike of the characters threw me off, but definitely a slog.”
Multi-layered charactersUnpredictableDark settingDarkRomantic
Jixam
Created 10 months agoShare
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MeShell
Created 12 months agoShare
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Doyle
Created about 1 year agoShare
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Katstronautz
Created over 1 year agoShare
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“I was interested in the story based on the fairytale aspect and I was disappointed with what I got. I was expecting Grimm like fairytales that added to the story and though the fairytales did give a sort of insight into Andrew’s thoughts they are not what one would think of as a fairytale. It is just a side story about regular people and with each one I got to it drained any further interest I had in book.”
About Nina Allan
Nina Allan is a novelist and short-story writer. Her previous fiction has won several
prizes, including the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel, the Novella Award, and the Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire for Best Translated Work. She lives and works in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Dollmaker is her third novel.
prizes, including the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel, the Novella Award, and the Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire for Best Translated Work. She lives and works in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. The Dollmaker is her third novel.
Other books by Nina Allan
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