Join us for an evening in the company of Elizabeth Macneal as she talks about her highly acclaimed debut novel The Doll Factory, an intoxicating tale of love, art and obsession.
Set in London in 1850/51, The Doll Factory tells the story of Iris, an apprentice doll-maker who dreams of being a painter, and of Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by the strange and beautiful with ambitions of founding a museum dedicated to his macabre obsessions.
The Great Exhibition is being constructed in Hyde Park, and two people meet among the crowd. For Iris, it is the encounter of a moment, forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, the meeting marks a new beginning. When Iris is asked to model from the Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint, and suddenly her world begins to expand, to become a place of the new dual freedoms of art and love. But Silas has thought of one thing only since that chance encounter, and his obsession is darkening.
Elizabeth Macneal was chosen as one of the ‘hottest-tipped’ debut authors of 2019 in the Observer’s annual showcase of ‘exceptional’ new writers. The Doll Factory is a stand-out debut novel and we’re delighted to welcome Elizabeth to Oswestry!
Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of The Doll Factory). Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee).