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_yellowbumblebee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
aaaaaaa holy shit!!! I have not lost myself in a book like that since I was a kid !!!
Full of Whimsey and joy but also sorrow and grief. I genuinely lost hours of my day sobbing over this book xx I loved it so much!!!
The ending is so sweet and so completely perfect for Cathy and Kasper !!!! I love them so much !!! they are the cutest <3 and they deserve the world!!!
fuck emil.... you absolute fucking cunt >:( I am so mad at him. At first, I thought he was just pathetic and I felt kinda sorry for him. but now he has no excuses. he is just a dick. who could do that.. to their own brother!?!?!?
Full of Whimsey and joy but also sorrow and grief. I genuinely lost hours of my day sobbing over this book xx I loved it so much!!!
The ending is so sweet and so completely perfect for Cathy and Kasper !!!! I love them so much !!! they are the cutest <3 and they deserve the world!!!
fuck emil.... you absolute fucking cunt >:( I am so mad at him. At first, I thought he was just pathetic and I felt kinda sorry for him. but now he has no excuses. he is just a dick. who could do that.. to their own brother!?!?!?
siobhano's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book while being in a very long, super boring advanced training session. So maybe I'm biased but this piece of magical realism kept me going. I was bored out of my mind and "The Toymakers" kept me awake.
Cath is 15 and pregnant. Her parents want her to give up her baby to cover her shame. Instead, she runs away from home and starts working as a shophand at the magical "Emporium", where toys are made, children are enchanted and reality can be twisted. But winter will soon end and her baby will be born. Will she be able to stay? Have her baby and a future? And will the two sons of the toymaker Jack make piece?
In addition, a world war is lurking just behind a corner. The novel starts in 1906 and ends after 1953. It was enchanting in parts but also partly annoying. I grew only semi attached to the characters and the toys that seem to be alive and have a will of their own. I also loved the mechanical little dog. *sigh*
3 Stars
Cath is 15 and pregnant. Her parents want her to give up her baby to cover her shame. Instead, she runs away from home and starts working as a shophand at the magical "Emporium", where toys are made, children are enchanted and reality can be twisted. But winter will soon end and her baby will be born. Will she be able to stay? Have her baby and a future? And will the two sons of the toymaker Jack make piece?
In addition, a world war is lurking just behind a corner. The novel starts in 1906 and ends after 1953. It was enchanting in parts but also partly annoying. I grew only semi attached to the characters and the toys that seem to be alive and have a will of their own. I also loved the mechanical little dog. *sigh*
3 Stars
ettathebibliophile's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
The Toymakers
⭐⭐⭐⭐
💭“Then, Cathy, that advert you saw, that ink sketched around it, perhaps that was the oldest kind of magic there is. The ordinary magic: a father who loves his daughter, telling her in the only way he knows how…”
I was immediately suckered into this book with the pull quote on the back of the book that said "for lovers of the Night Circus". From page one I was immediately transported to a Papa Jack's Emporium and it was somewhere I so wish was real.
This is a book where magic comes to life, toys are more than just objects and where childhood wonder battles the harshness of reality. Set against the backdrop of WWI, it was a vivid and emotional journey that held moments of light and whimsy, that were counteracted with moments of sorrow and the confrontation of the fragility of life.
The characters are flawed and complex, particularly the toy making brothers Emil and Kasper. Their sibling dynamic is the core of the story, and whilst I loved the characters there were moments where I wanted to shake them (you will understand when you read it).
It was utterly magical but the second half did slow as the weight of the war and its consequences took over. It's not a bad thing - but very bittersweet as reality overshadows the whimsical charm of the first half of the book.
🛍Buy/Borrow? BUY - This for those of us who watched Toy Story and wished to know if it was real. If you loved the imagery and magic of the Night Circus this will hit the spot for you as well.
larrythegoof's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
danifeatherstone's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
Although a bit slow, a really beautiful book. And I fund myself almost crying a few times in second half of the book. It was that sad. I wanted to hit Emil at the end.
Although a bit slow, a really beautiful book. And I fund myself almost crying a few times in second half of the book. It was that sad. I wanted to hit Emil at the end.
ionamuir's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0