The Magic Toyshop (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The summer she was fifteen, Melanie discovered she was made of flesh and blood..." (more)
Key Phrases: grey dress, Aunt Margaret, Uncle Philip, Edward Bear (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Originally published as Honeybuzzard (LJ 1/1/67), Shadow Dance launched British author Carter's career, which she buttressed with The Magic Toyshop two years later. Both received praise from LJ's reviewers, especially the latter novel, which was hailed as an "extraordinary, even brilliant piece of writing" (LJ
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

In this brilliantly imagined novel, Angela Carter explores the tormented world of adolescence and the heart's ability to withstand even the deepest sorrows. "A tour de force . . . put out shoots of all Carter's fascinations, which turns up in her later books: illusion and stage magic, myths and folktales, sorcery, the allure of suffering, incest, revenge, escape."--Voice Literary Supplement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140256407
• ISBN-13: 978-0140256406
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #503,796 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Place to Begin Reading Angela Carter, November 2, 1998

By	Jeffrey Osier (Chicago USA) - See all my reviews

I've been knocked out by every Angela Carter book I've read, but for some reason this early effort is my favorite. It doesn't contain her most gorgeously drunken prose (I think that honor goes to "Wise Children") or showcase her unique storytelling gifts as well as her short fiction does, but it's a powerhouse all the same.

There are some great scenes here: the sensuality of the girl's private dream world at the beginning of the novel, the crushing finality when she and her brother arrive at their uncle's house and she realizes what a grim turn her life has taken, the descriptions of her brother, their monstrous uncle, his long-suffering wife and hapless brothers-in-law, the bizarre puppets her uncle creates.... This is highly imaginative stuff, and it doesn't let up for a minute.

"Nights at the Circus" and "Wise Children" are both very funny novels, and even their darkest episodes can't diminish the humor. "The Magic Toyshop" sinks into darkness very early on and remains there for most of the novel. But Melanie is such an engaging and sympathetic character that you never once give up hope that somehow, she'll find some kind of escape from the dismal world into which she's thrown.

If you've never read Angela Carter, this is a good place to start. It's a bit more traditional than many of her other novels, but it has plenty of bite and a set of characters you'll never forget.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Toyshop horror romance?, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

It seems I can't go back to this book without recalling the conditions in which I read it - I had just entered a four weeks-schooling period (an obligatory choice for military service in my country), which took place in a remote manor house in the countryside, it was full summer and very hot, and I shared a tiny room with a guy who never spoke a word. I was extremely bored and horrified at the thought that this would be my life for a month onward. At nights I read this book about a girl who also enters a world she doesn't find very pleasing, and even though I'm not suggesting that I experienced nearly that amount of misery, I truly could identify with her. I felt like being locked in a cage, but this book liberated me in a way.

Which isn't to say it is a very optimistic or light-hearted work. Not in any sense. But it's written with emotion and humour, the author's voice is very sympathetic. It makes you think about life. So what, we're all prisoners, there's no way out, just keep on doing what you do, but it's good to remember once in a while that dreams never hurt.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing, dark story, November 7, 2000

By	Sabrina "soyarra" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

In 1991 I saw the film version of this book on A&E and was immediately hooked. Carter wrote the screenplay, and while the film had many elements of magical realism not in the book, it was an almost perfect adaptation. I wish I could see it again! After searching in vain for a copy of the book in the US, I finally found one in a small bookstore in Sydney, Australia in '92, and have been reading it at least once a year since then. Although it was one of Carter's earliest works, its strange rhythm and imagery are spellbinding and very mature, and yes, it does have echoes of traditional fairy tales, something that became somewhat of an obsession for Carter in later years. It's a wonderful story.