This is a magical story about a magical place.

The Emporium sits in a quiet alleyway in London. It opens on the night of the first frost and closes at the flowering of the first snowdrop. Inside is a magical toyshop like no other. The building doesn't seem quite big enough to contain the many aisles and floors that exist on the inside. The toys are just a little bit more special and magical than real toys. Papa Jack rules over the Emporium with his two sons, Kaspar & Emil. All three work away bringing new toys to the shop for the opening night. To this place comes Cathy as a young 16 year old. She has a secret as the Emporium has secrets.

I loved this story. I fell in love with the Emporium. The idea of toys which are a little bit more alive than ordinary toys. Sirius the patchwork dog who is to all intents and purposes like a real dog. The patchwork rabbits who eat up scraps of material and produce their own baby patchwork rabbits. A gondola which floats high above the shop floor surrounded by flying Pegasus, the toy soldiers..........the list is endless. It was wonderful to create this place from the book descriptions and my own imagination. I imagine each person's view of the Emporium is slightly different but each one as magical as the rest.

In this setting are very real people. Papa Jack who underwent terrible punishment as a young man who was finally able to return from Siberia to claim his young sons. Kaspar & Emil so gifted in their own ways but Kaspar goading his little brother & Emil feeling so insecure. Add pretty Cathy into the mix and there are bound to be divisions.

We follow the story of the family Godman and the Emporium from the early 1900s into the first world war. Kaspar leaves the Emporium to fight on the battlefields and returns a different man as they all did. Will life inside the Emporium be the same?

As I read through this book I felt the same sort of imagination and magic as when I read "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. It is that clever juxtapositioning of the real world and the slightly magical one.

As well as building a wonderful setting there is a good plot to this story. The plot is solid & builds up throughout the book to an excellent conclusion. I hadn't seen the conclusion coming but it worked well within the book. I do like a satisfying ending.

So throw off your preconceptions of reality & settle into a slightly magical world where much is just a little bit different.

I shall be seeking out other books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Wow wow wow!
Pull up an armchair to the open fire, get a mug of cocoa and lose yourself in the magical world that is Papa Jack's Emporium. Set in early twentieth century's London toy shop of the Godman family, you follow the fate of the emporium filled with toys touched by the magic of the toymakers and how their lives in turn are touched and changed by them. Truly magical, will take you back to your own childhood and its wonders and fantasies. Highly highly recommended read!

Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale is a story of Cathy a teenage runaway who takes a job in Papa Jack's Emporium. A place where magical toys are made and sold by toymaker Jekabs and his two sons. I enjoyed the imagination and the description of the toys that were created. I really liked the character of Cathy. I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

*thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.
I am quite upset that I didnt enjoy this book. It was too slow for me and I think if I was more in the mood, I might have liked it a bit more, but I cant be sure of that. The idea sounded so so good and I was really looking forward to reading this so I was super excited to find out I was approved for a copy. I dont regret at all that I did read it and I will add this to re-read another day to see if my mind changes. Now that I know what to expect. This is definitely the type of book I would like. Magic, Christmas time, Historical all my favourites. I wasnt too fussed with the characters. The brothers I could have taken or left, they didnt interest me greatly but there were some quite good parts but unfortunately not enough of them.

I think the point of this is that its ment to be read as a 'cosy' rainy day, nothing to do but read type of book. So thats what I will do again, wait until I have one of those days and give it another go because I feel that this book does hold potential if in the mood.

Thank you to Netgalley, Katie Sunley at Penguin Randon House and of course Robert Dinsdale for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

This book did not play out in the way that I thought it was going to. It started out with this wonderful childlike feeling of magic and whimsy and as the years in the book progressed I felt this creeping responsibility

Magical, enchanting, beautifully crafted - a description of both the narrative and the toys of the story. Kaspar and Emil are brothers, and wait to inherit Papa Jack's Emporium from their father. All three men craft toys, extraordinary, fascinating toys, and the Emporium is crammed with children and their parents marvelling at these spectacles. Enter Cathy, a new shop hand, pregnant at 16 and looking for a new start. The Emporium becomes her home too; we share her life as WW1 brings devastating change to the world inside and outside the Emporium. The toy soldiers created in the Emporium's workshops change alongside the world outside, and it is only years later that we learn the real story. A vibrant page-turner.

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.