Author

Elizabeth Macneal

Primary Agent

Madeleine Milburn

+44 (0)20 7499 7550

International Rights

Liane-Louise Smith

+44 (0)20 7499 7550

Film & TV

Hannah Ladds

+44 (0)20 7499 7550

Information

Biography

Elizabeth Macneal was born in Scotland and now lives in East London. She is a writer and potter and works from a small studio at the bottom of her garden. The Doll Factory, Elizabeth’s debut novel, was a Sunday Times bestseller, has been translated into twenty-nine languages and has been optioned for a major television series. It won the Caledonia Novel Award in 2018, and was a No. 2 Sunday Times bestseller. In 2019, Elizabeth was chosen as one of The Observers ‘hottest-tipped debut novelists’. Her second novel, Circus of Wonders, was an immediate Sunday Times bestseller, hitting No. 4 after only a partial week of sales.

Social Links

Books

Featured Book

1866. In a coastal village in southern England, Nell picks violets for a living. Set apart by her community because of the birthmarks that speckle her skin, Nell’s world is her beloved brother and devotion to the sea.

But when Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders arrives in the village, Nell is kidnapped. Her father has sold her, promising Jasper Jupiter his very own leopard girl. It is the greatest betrayal of Nell’s life, but as her fame grows, and she finds friendship with the other performers and Jasper’s gentle brother Toby, she begins to wonder if joining the show is the best thing that has ever happened to her.

In London, newspapers describe Nell as the eighth wonder of the world. Figurines are cast in her image, and crowds rush to watch her soar through the air. But who gets to tell Nell’s story? What happens when her fame threatens to eclipse that of the showman who bought her? And as she falls in love with Toby, can he detach himself from his past and the terrible secret that binds him to his brother?

Moving from the pleasure gardens of Victorian London to the battle-scarred plains of the Crimea, Circus of Wonders is an astonishing story about power and ownership, fame and the threat of invisibility.

View book

The Haunting Season

Elizabeth Macneal

The Doll Factory

Elizabeth Macneal

Press and Reviews

“An array of celebrated writers have contributed spooky stories to this beautifully produced book.”

– Daily Express

“What a line-up of authors … these classic tales, intended to be read by candlelight, will thrill lovers of old fashioned, spooky tales.”

– Woman

“Prepare to be spooked by these eight fantastically frightening tales … best read by candlelight (if you dare….)”

– Good Housekeeping

“You won't find a more thrilling winter read this year, or a better line up of writers who have mastered the gothic and ghostly.”

– Sara Collins, Costa Award-winning author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton

“Gorgeous, macabre, beautifully crafted . . .a brilliant re-making of an old tradition, and this is a book destined to be read and re-read through many…”

– Amanda Mason, author of The Wayward Girls

“The chilling tales of The Haunting Season will make you feel oddly cosy, in the way that only the best ghost stories can. Exquisitely crafted from…”

– Francine Toon, Sunday Times bestselling author of Pine

“Vividly rendered . . . captivating . . . engrossing.”

– Evening Standard

“This is a dark delight and fans of The Miniaturist and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock will love it.”

– Red Magazine

“One of this year's best debuts tells the story of Iris, an aspiring artist in 1850s London . . . A clever and gripping read.”

– The Times

“Stunningly confident . . . thoroughly engrossing.”

– Ian Rankin

Elizabeth Macneal

Primary Agent

International Rights

Film & TV

Biography

1866. In a coastal village in southern England, Nell picks violets for a living. Set apart by her community because of the birthmarks that speckle her skin, Nell’s world is her beloved brother and devotion to the sea.

The Haunting Season

The Doll Factory

Press and Reviews

Award Winning Literary Agency