The Eliza Doll by Tracey Scott-Townsend

Release: May 1, 2016
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Wild Pressed Books
Source: Love Books Tours
Find it at: Amazon, B&N, iBooks,AbeBooks, Book Depository

Ellie can’t work out whether she’s running away from the past or towards a future she always felt she should have had. She left university and had baby after baby without even meaning to. But it was her third child she blamed for ruining her life.

Now her children have grown and Ellie is on her own. She shocks everybody by selling her home and moving into a converted van to travel the country selling handmade dolls at craft fairs.

It can be lonely on the road. Ellie has two companions: her dog, Jack, and the mysterious
Eliza who turns up in the most unexpected places. At every encounter with Eliza, Ellie feels as if she’s standing again in the aching cold of a waterfall in Iceland, the sound of crashing water filling her with dread.

Ellie can’t change the past. But is it really too late to rectify the bad thing she did when Eliza was a baby?

About the Author:

SEA BABIES e-book 21st February 2019, paperback 1st May 2019. Tracey is the author of four previous novels, The Last Time We Saw Marion, (2014) Of His Bones (stand-alone sequel to The Last Time We Saw Marion, 2017) The Eliza Doll (2016) and Another Rebecca: originally published by Inspired Quill in 2015 but re-released in September 2018 by Wild Pressed Books. Tracey’s novels are poetic and painterly.
Tracey is also a poet and a visual artist. All her work is inspired by the emotions of her own experiences and perceptions. She has a Fine Art MA (University of Lincoln) and a BA Hons Visual Studies (Humberside Polytechnic). She has exhibited throughout the UK (as Tracey Scott). Most importantly, she is the mother of four grown-up children, who have astonished and inspired her.

Tracey and her husband Phil travel regularly in their campervan with their two dogs, and next year plan to buy and convert a library van as a more permanent home

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The Eliza Doll Review:

The Eliza Doll is a lovely tale about a woman’s life and challenges she faces as she becomes a mother.

Ellie is a very interesting character, and I liked the various emotions she goes through. At times, I loved her for the way she raised her kids single-handed (with hardly any help from Jonah). My heart went out to her when we learn about her history with her father. But at times, I just wanted to shake her for not controlling her urges. As you can see, the author wrote the characters very well that made me engrossed to them. On a side note, I also loved the beautiful description of Skogafoss, Iceland, and have added it to my checklist of places I want to visit someday.

The supporting characters also add well to the scenes. I love Eliza! Even though she appears in few scenes, I just wanted to hug her and accept her. I also enjoyed Ellie’s relationship with Catherine, and thought they made a very nice duo.

However, while I enjoyed the story-line, the author could have slightly polished a few scenes. I felt the book was a bit bumpy at first. As each chapter fluctuations between the past and the present timelines, it took me a while to get a hang of the story. Also, I was hoping for Ellie to resolve her feelings with Deb, but that did not happen. Moreover, while I liked Greg and Ellie, their relationship was very sporadic didn’t have an impact on me. In fact, I liked Jonah with Ellie more because he was a prominent figure throughout the story.

Apart from that, I really enjoyed reading this story. Overall, The Eliza Doll is a very nice contemporary with many layers.