Title: The Smallest Man

Author: Frances Quinn

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Publication Date: 7th January 2021

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

My name is Nat Davy. Perhaps you’ve heard of me? There was a time when people up and down the land knew my name, though they only ever knew half the story.

The year of 1625, it was, when a single shilling changed my life. That shilling got me taken off to London, where they hid me in a pie, of all things, so I could be given as a gift to the new queen of England.

They called me the queen’s dwarf, but I was more than that. I was her friend, when she had no one else, and later on, when the people of England turned against their king, it was me who saved her life. When they turned the world upside down, I was there, right at the heart of it, and this is my story.

Review:

I honestly cannot express how much I loved this book but I’ll give it a go! It is beyond fantastic and exactly what I needed this year! The story follows Nat Davy who we meet as a child at the beginning of the novel. He is small, very very small and despite assurances from his mother he is not getting any bigger. A series of events leads to him ending up as a gift to the young new queen of England and from there his life becomes increasingly extraordinary.

There are some characters that just stick with you long after finishing a book and Nat is unquestionably one of them. I was rooting for him from the very first chapter and he is up there on my list of favourite book characters ever. His compassion, wit and unique position during a very turbulent era of history makes following his life story endlessly engaging. The Smallest Man is a work of fiction but it has its basis in fact and the author has so expertly woven Nat Davy and his friends/enemies into the fabric of history that he feels so completely real. I had a massive smile on my face for almost the entirety of the book, at least when my heart wasn’t breaking for Nat in the sadder moments.

I don’t want to give anything away plot-wise because The Smallest Man is so consistently compelling and enjoyable that I would hate to take any of the joy of marvelling at the surprising turns Nat’s life takes away from readers but I will just say, you do not want to miss this book. It is one hundred percent one of my favourites of this year and actually will be going on my list of my all time favourite reads! It is beautifully written with a warmth and witty intelligence that leaps off the page and creates a world that feels achingly real with countless memorable characters I guarantee readers will fall in love with. I adored absolutely everything about The Smallest Man and could not put it down until the very end. An incredible, fulfilling and truly special book which I wholeheartedly recommend to everyone!

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.