The Smallest Man

This is an enjoyable and interesting story about a little known historical character. It was an easy read and whilst I enjoyed it I struggled with its lack of grounding in time and place.

Thanks to @netgalley for my eARC.

*A big thank-you to Frances Quinn, Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
An interesting debut which takes the reader to the 17th century England and whose central character is based on a historic figure Sir Jeffrey Hudson who was immortalised by van Dyke in a portrait together with the Queen of England.
The main character, who is the narrator, Nat Davy, is a dwarf, born to a poor family, loved by his mother and brother, not by his father alas, who literally sells him to the Duke of Buckingham. This is the turning point for Nat whose fate changes for better it seems. The novel concentrates on three stages of Nat's life and I found Part 1 especially interesting as through the hardships he undegoes his strong personality shines through. Nat finds support in another character who is also physicaly challenged. He achieves a lot and remains faithful to the Queen who values his opinions and acts of bravery. Parts 2 and 3 were not that engaging for me probably due to the love plot as I hardly ever appreciate romance in HF. Besides, the more the story progressed, the less interest the author took in historical background, concentrating on Nat's little adventures. The author succeeds in depictiong the fate of those who were 'different' and providing the details of what life was like for them in the 17th century.
A novel which reads well and will be appreciated by readers looking for some history and some romance.

The Smallest Man is a fascinating story of an unusual man during the 17th-century reign of King Charles I of England. The religious conflict in Europe seemed focused on England and Charles was the King who contributed to England’s descent into civil war. The resulting Interregnum years when Parliament ruled under Oliver Cromwell and the restoration of Charles II, is one of the most tumultuous periods in English history. The fictional narrative plays on the backdrop of King Charles I, his young Queen Henrietta Maria and many characters of the royal court. The precarious nature of life and how it was typically exploited against the poor was wonderfully captured and it reminded me of the beginning of Pillars of the Earth.

The challenge for Frances Quinn was to decide whether the novel focused on the historical correctness of the events that defined the period or provide scope for the freedom to write an entertaining and creative story around a specific character. Frances Quinn’s decision to creatively use Jeffery Hudson as the protagonist to tell a story of the period with freedom from historical accuracy was a good call. To that end, she changed the name of the Queen’s Dwarf to Nathanial (Nat) Davy and gave him a voice and purpose that is totally imaginary.

At only eighteen inches tall when he was a child and young man, Nat was sold by his father to the Duke of Buckingham. The duke in return offered Nat as a curiosity, a ‘rarity of nature’, to the Queen. The distress it caused Nat’s mother to part with her son in that manner was heart-breaking and yet the unpleasant practice of selling children was all part of daily life. Nat was delivered to the Queen inside a pie to facilitate a surprise, which was actually true. It soon became apparent to Nat that the Queen was in a similar position, being wagered through marriage and living away from her family in an unfriendly environment.

“Queen Henrietta Maria was still only a girl, barely five years older than I was. The youngest daughter of the King of France, she’d been sent away from her home and family to marry a man she’d never met, who didn’t like her much, and she had the Duke of Buckingham stirring the pot to make sure it stayed that way.”

The pressure the Queen received from all sides was very well highlighted and it enabled a strong bond between Henrietta and Nat – two similar souls unsure of their destiny. As part of the many characters resident at the royal court, Nat made an unfortunate enemy in Charles Crofts, which provides speculation and the weave of fiction with imaginatively ordered fact. Close friendships were developed with Jeremiah as an older mentor, and Henry and Arabella, of similar age, which became the central theme of the second half of the novel. As feelings and vulnerabilities grew, Nat often wondered what chance a dwarf could have of finding love with a normal beautiful woman. Perhaps to see Arabella marry Henry would at least keep them close. There are a lot of uncertainties, misunderstandings and close encounters that tantalisingly evade the three friends.

The uncommitted love story played a little too long for me and the twists that kept relationships colliding with a confusion of true intentions dominated a lot of the story in the second half of the book. The rush of events towards the end felt abrupt and cut too short. I would recommend reading this book.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy in return for an honest review.

This is a really enjoyable and easy read. The story follows the life of Nat Davy from his home in Rutland to becoming the Queens dwarf and the following years as he travels with the Queen to Holland and onto France. It is set to the backdrop of the English Civil War. This book is inspired but real people and events.

I would consider this book general fiction rather than historical fiction as the story is more about the life of Nat and his experiences in a society where small people are seen as a curiosity rather than the historical events themselves. However, it is still a good book written with sensitivity and insight into the hardships Nat endured but ultimately it is a positive story of love, friendships and with a clear message that if you’re brave enough you can achieve anything.

We are first introduced to ten year old Nat Davy as he is excited to visit the local village fair. He has a very important reason for visiting – he wants to ask the ‘faerie’ for a wish – he wishes to be tall. You see, Nat Davy is a dwarf, and desires above all to be like his brother Sam. After unintentionally causing a scene at the fair, Nat’s life changes dramatically as he is sold to Queen Henrietta Maria of France. What follows is a life closely entangled in the English civil war on the losing side:

‘He is England’s smallest man, but his story is anything but small.’

Don’t get me wrong, this is a really good book. It is incredibly well researched, and though I’m not so familiar with the English civil war I definitely learnt some new things from Quinn’s novel. But at its heart, this is a character-based novel. Nat’s narrative is compelling, allowing you to truly empathize with his plight and his descriptions and opinions of other characters are equally so. One particular moment that stood out is his internal struggle over accidentally murdering Crofts – a man who had bullied and belittled him for years. It’s tremendously well done and I’m a sucker for morally grey characters.

Despite this, I have to give The Smallest Man 3.5 stars. It took me a fairly long time to read this because it was so much happened – many events seemed to happen within moments of each other and it was hard to keep track of dates and locations at times. In fact the events of the latter half of the novel happened so quickly that before I knew it, Charles I had been beheaded (spoilers for history I guess) and I had reached the epilogue. Too much build up, and not enough pay off I think. Nevertheless, if you are interested in the time period I would definitely recommend this book. It is certainly one of a kind and I have not seen another with the same premise.

A really interesting starting point - the life of ‘the smallest man in England’. A life filled, as so many, with family, love, regret, friendship and more.

* spoiler alert ** Enjoyable story based on the true life of the queens dwarf (thank you Google for the information and the Van Dyke image).
I really enjoyed the first part of the book,finding his feet at court and growing up.
Less so the second half for me,with the war raging I felt too much time was spent on possible romance.
As a whole I enjoyed the book. 
It's a time period I knew nothing about,and I feel a tiny bit more knowledgeable now.

With thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster uk for this book.

From the very start The Smallest Man took ahold of me and didn't let go until the very end. Nat Davy is a wonderful character as are the friends that he makes as the book goes on. You find yourself rooting for him as the book goes on.

The Smallest Man is also a history book as it tells you about the civil war that is going on in England and how it affected not only the people at the top, The King and Queen but how it affected even the 'Smallest Man'

I also liked the writing style of Frances Quinn.

I will be recommending this book to all my friends and family.

Wasn't keen on this. I wondered who it was for. The notes say 'adults' but it feel like a middle grade book., It's very simplistic and so surface-level. No real sense of time and place. There's a lot of history notes in it but no real feeling of being there. I read this book straight after I read Blood & Sugar, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson - and Quinn might want to take a look at that for how to bring a real feeling of time to her work.

I really liked how story starts and how it flows through to the end. I also liked certain characters and obviously the main character is full of wit. But and I am sorry to say it’s a big one. I did not get the sense it was set during the civil war. It was all too glossed over and just too clean and tidy. Yes there were villains but they didn’t scare me. It felt a bit flat to me. Also what or who is Francis Quinn?? And also there are points in the story where the smallest man is mentioned then the next sentence does not line up or even make sense. I am not sure if this is because of an issue with kindles formatting or an editing error. Overall the plot is good and the characterisation is good just there’s a lack of place and time.