Brilliant. This book well and truly deserves 5 stars. It is wonderfully written and totally different from anything I have read. This is a magical story about a magical toy shop. Robert Dinsdale has an incredible imagination and a wonderful way of telling a story. I am not going to give away any of the story. It is better to discover it yourself. I feel I want to start reading it again to see what I missed the first time.

I really enjoyed this tale and went back to read it again as there is so much content. Would definitely recommend it.

A magical book., literally, beautifully written which took me back to my childhood when I saw pixies on my bed at night. This novel isn’t just full of magic it’s full of relationships especially the dynamics within a family, full of hope and despair but most of all MAGIC.. I loved it.

The writing is very magical and it transported me to my chidlhood. But, sometimes it was too much of magical realism for me and the plot dragged quite a bit.

Cathy is pregnant, 16, and a runaway. Responding to an ad, she goes to work for the Godman Brothers and Jack, the elderly man behind a magical Emporium in London. The book is certainly right for the coming Christmas season and has a very atmospheric feel to it. I liked the characters and how life has a habit of changing things. Well written and researched, although I did find it a bit too long in places. Recommended for the toys alone.

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This book was enchanting, you didn't know what they would make next in this wonderful toy emporium. You were taken away on a tale of survival, love, and imagination. Totally enthralled me.

I absolutely adored this book. It created that feeling of home, of nostalgia, and childhood, that special place where magic still exists. It's easily one of my favourite books now and I look forward to reading it for many Christmases to come.

The Toy Makers is a delightful tale, a Stunning read which captivates you and takes you on a magical journey.

The Toy Makers is about a family. There is Papa Jack or Jekabs Godman and his sons Emil and Kaspar. The story covers the life of a girl called Cathy. At 15, Cathy Wray is pregnant and runs away from her family. Her parents are going to send her away and have her baby adopted. Cathy sees an advert in the paper calling for people to work in Papa Jack’s Toy Emporium, a place of hope and sanctuary. The story begins just before the First World War through the Second World War and up to 1953.


The Emporium is the most fantastical toy shop in London. It sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike. Wonderful toys, with more than a touch of magic, and a store just as magical which opens with the first frost and closes with the flowering of the first snowdrops. Patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own.

This book started out with this childlike feeling and as the years in the book progressed it became more serious, and I felt the responsibility of adult hood, every now and then an undercurrent of the sadness and a stab of reality, of real life, war and lost family or friends.

There are good times and bad, and the ongoing rivalry between Emil and Kaspar is partly to blame. The ending is bitter-sweet. Overall this is a complex and intelligent book that exceeds the expectations of the reader.

Lastly many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK, for providing me with a copy this book in return for a fair and honest review

Marvellous & magical. Exceptionally well written, conjures up such delightful images of impossible toys. Not all sugar & spice, there is a distinctly dark side which emerges, making a perfect balance. I have enjoyed reading other books recently, but this was more than a great read - I became immersed in a journey I didn't want to end. Truly exceptional

The Toy Makers is a delightful tale that is sure to delight fans of magical realism. The story and characters caught my attention right from the first page, and I instantly found myself swept into the world of the Emporium and its owners. I did find the transition from the first part of the story to the second a little jarring. However, once the second part got going, I was soon caught up in the action once more. Overall, this a wonderful read to while away a few winter hours and allow yourself to believe in magic once more, and I would give it a solid 4-4.5 stars.

The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale 5+ stars

Magical! That is the only way to describe this beautifully written, unforgettable, gem of a story.
What an intriguing and compelling read this was, it captivated me and my imagination from the beginning and would not let me put the book down. This is an entrancing story and not at all what you first think it will be, there are twists and turns that take you off in all directions. At times it is sad, with insights into the human soul, and at others joyous; it is a story of wonder, enchantment and sadness; a story of the impossible and the reality.

The characters are so well written, I become so involved in their lives that I felt I was there in that Emporium with Cathy and Kasper, living their ups and downs inside their ever changing world. I want to play with Sirius, Kapitan and all the other magical toys. This is an unforgettable story.

If you want truly magical read, that will spellbind you then this is the one for you. I want first frost so I can try and find the emporium for myself.

I was asked to read this book via Netgalley. Thank you Robert Dinsdale and Penguin Randon House for allowing me the opportunity to read and preview this book.

This book has so much to offer the reader. Magic, romance and real life. It spans most of the life of a girl called Cathy. At 16, Cathy Wray is pregnant and runs away from her family. Her parents are going to send her away and give her baby to someone else. Cathy sees an advert in the paper calling for people to work in Papa Jack’s Toy Emporium, a place of hope, a place where children’s dreams can come true and where the impossible becomes possible. It is set from 1917 onwards and whilst you get caught up in the magic and romance of the toy emporium you are also brought crashing back down to earth with the real life realism of living through the harsh realities of war. I really enjoyed reading this story and felt empathy with all the characters. Definitely a future childrens/YA award winner.

What a book and a half! I will never look at toys in the same way again. This book is just fantastic - a wonderful story with brilliant characters which will grip you from first page to last. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

The Toymakers is a book about an Emporium, a magical store of children’s toys. The book follows Cathy who runs away from home and finds a new life/Home within the Emporium. A fascinating book, very innovative. I found it an entertaining read

Lots of books catch my imagination but very, very few capture it. This is one of the exceptions as it had me well and truly captured from page 1. Would have read it in one sitting but, from time to time, I had to get some sleep. Can't begin to explain the book's attraction without giving "spoilers" and so I will end by saying that if you like your imagination to run riot, your imagination will thank you for the freedom! Go Buy This Book.

Absolutely amazing the author brings back memories the magical feeling of your childhood when you used visit the big toy stores at Christmas. He also gives the reader a beautiful love story and shows the tragedy of War. I would recommend this book as must read for 2018 and I for one will definitely be reading it again.

This is a magical book and a wonderful but heartbreaking read.

I loved this book. Hours passed as I was reading without me realising, and even when it reached the small hours of the morning, I could not stop. I wish I could put my finger on what makes this book so brilliant. The writing is gorgeous, vivid, and visual. It seems redundant to say the characters are well developed. They weren't characters to me. They were real people, with all the hopes and dreams, fears and foibles of real people. I shared in their pain, their uncertainties, their unexpected joys.
The book succeeds because its foundation is a study of human life, and watching four generations of a family succeed and fail. It's also a book about nostalgia, sentimental but never mawkish. It's about how toys can make us feel like children again, and the trials of one family trying to bring some joy into a troubled world. But it's also about magic. The ordinary magic of love and hope, and the extraordinary magic of what might happen if, just if, a toy were to one day come to life.