The Toymakers

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Review ------ "There is magic at the heart of The Toymakers, a glittery inventiveness that shimmers through the dark corners of a story about love, war and sibling rivalry...Robert Dinsdale's imagined toys are truly glorious...a gripping, moving story." (SUNDAY EXPRESS) "Like the magic at the heart of the story, this vivid, haunting novel is both vast and . A world war echoes a family conflict, and the delights and dangers of childhood suddenly have vast implications. A wonderful and thought-provoking read." (Katherine Arden, author of The Winternight Series) "What an extraordinary and wonderful achievement this novel is! I was gripped, and thrilled, and touched, and above all I was completely swept into the magic of the book...And the of the thing! Such a broad chronological range, such sweep, all with the lightest touch. Just astonishing." (ADAM ROBERTS) "truly magical ... Anyone who’s ever stepped inside a traditional toyshop and marvelled at the wonders on display will instantly be captivated by this book, which transports readers to The Emporium in London. Prepare to be charmed by this utterly enchanting tale." (CULTUREFLY) "A magical World War I novel" (METRO) From the Inside Flap -------------------- 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! Christmas is coming, and the goose is getting … 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, only one is truly magical...