2019 -Discussion thread Q3 - The Toymakers

Beautiful story, quite possibly the first time since Harry Potter that I’ve felt myself being transported into a such a magical world. The choice of setting: The years of war which is commonly used to tell the story of children being forced to prematurely grow up following enlistment / having to take on adult roles around the house – but using it to then describe retaining a touch with one’s inner child made for an amazing and unique storyline.

One of my favourite scenes is right after Martha’s birth, when Papa Jack takes Cathy into the diorama and shows her the scenes of him making toys for fellow soldiers in war – and how each and every one of them (even the “toughest” of the pack) felt some element of solace in having a toy in their hand. This theme is pretty central in the book, and I thought the author very cleverly used the design of toys (particularly the soldiers, in the context of the Long War) to initially reflect differences in the brothers’ personality but later, after Kaspar had returned from the war, to show how he had been changed by his experience and how his views on fighting had diverged from that of his brother’s.

I swung back and forth several times re: which of the brothers I could relate more to (and in the earlier chapters, which one would get the girl!). On one hand, I respected Kaspar for his responsibility towards his younger brother particularly in the days where they were alone following the death of their mother and before the return of their father, as well as at Papa Jack’s funeral where he was clearly not up to the task of being there but was determined to be by his brother’s side. Yet, in the early Emporium scenes, I felt some element of inferiority complex in Emil – how hard he strove just to get recognition from his brother, who was described at this stage at having more raw talent in toy design, as well as his father – which made me sympathise with him. I felt this was in part spurred on by Kaspar’s dismissive behaviour towards his brother, a part of him that I really didn’t like. I have no doubt that Emil would have protected Cathy in the same way, though I wonder if he would have had the guts to actually bring her back the way Kaspar did. I really felt for him on the night of Martha’s birth when it became clear who Cathy preferred. Yet, in the later years, even when Kaspar became pretty much a broken man who I really couldn’t relate with, it was hard to root for Emil who seemed to have developed this complete obsession with winning, even resorting to killing his brother to achieve his objectives. At this stage he felt more like a monster than a man, and it goes to show how wars affect everyone, even those not fighting at the front line.

As someone in science, and being recently involved in many discussions about artificial intelligence and its utility in fields like medical diagnosis, I also couldn’t help drawing parallels with the soldiers who were able to support each other and effectively deal with elements of learned behaviour. I don’t know if this was intended on the part of the author, it certainly was not mentioned outright, but I thought overall it was a clever idea for a book written in 2018 but set in the past – a reflection of what artificial intelligence might have looked like in a less digital setting. I guess the general take-home message remains the same: that non-human intelligence has both its utilities and its dangers, and the good can be offset by designers with malicious intentions.

I don’t know at what stage I realised / accepted that a happy ending was never going to be possible, and a part of me wishes that the family met with a more harmonious end. The signs were there but only actually confirmed right in the last chapter (when what Emil did to Kaspar was also revealed – I completely did not see that coming!) that the Emporium ended at the same time as my journey with the toy makers did, though it is up to the reader’s imagination to dream up what Martha and her children may be able to reconstruct of the empire.

Thank you Janice peppercricket for taking me on this magical journey, it was lovely to feel like a child again 😊!

I absolutely loved this book. I haven’t read a book with a magical theme since the Harry Potter books and this made me realise that I missed them!
I loved the Emporium and envied the obvious joy of everyone visiting and working there. How they must have wished the snowdrops would be late.
The main characters were, with the exception of Nina who I disliked as soon as she appeared, likeable if not loveable, even Emil. However, he suffered from being the younger brother of a more able and charming sibling and I did feel for him and his obvious inferiority complex but the ending was truly shocking. I also found the soldiers ‘coming to life’ quite frightening.
Thank you for choosing this book. It wasn’t one I would have chosen for myself but I am very glad to have read it. If anyone wants a copy, I am happy to pass it on. In fact, it is the sort of book you want to pass on for someone else to read.

Just bought this for my kindle.
Sal

It's reminding me of the film Mr Magorian's Wonder Emporium so far.
Sal

Read the first 50 or so pages on the train last night..... I was enchanted, so I expect I will zoom through this one, especially as it's raining today!

Great review, Mrs Mac!

I spent a long time reading this book.  I never wanted to skim through any part of it to speed up the process.  Even if I had no time to read for a day, as soon as I was able to pick it up again I was thrust back into the Emporium.

I think the war theme particularly compelling.  Each November when Remembrance Sunday looms there is often a lot of propaganda on the internet about being proud to wear a poppy set against those who believe it glorifies war and we should celebrate the peace instead.  I think this book shows how within a family both sides can be seen.

The characters evolved throughout the story. At first Kaspar was too charming and I preferred Emil and felt sad for him that Cathy chose Kaspar.  After Kaspar came home from the war this changed, with him getting all my sympathy and my disliking Emil for him having no sympathy for his brother and being totally single minded.

The magical side made the whole thing more thrilling with the Kaptain himself having a voice to see how the brothers were viewed from inside the Emporium

Thanks Janice for introducing me to a fantastic book - I still have my copy if anyone wants to read