I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

This is a great book set in the 17th century during the reign of Charles.
The book was written very well. The pace was off in the second half of the book.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Based on the true story of Jeffrey Hudson (aka The Queens Dwarf), this is the tale of Nat Davey in the early 1600s. Nat’s father sells him to a Duke who then gifts him to the Queen of England. Here he is dressed up and kept like a doll. Through a series of events, Nat soon shows the Queen that he has other uses for her, particularly as a spy, first in helping her to develop her relationship with the King and later in evading capture during the English Civil War.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you enjoy Historical Fiction, you will love this book. Historical Fiction is heavily saturated with WW2 stories, so it was super exciting to read one set during the King Charles/Cromwell years. This would also make a great read for kids from about the age of 10 onwards as it does read more like a fantastic children’s book than an adult’s book.

It was really challenging to imagine a HEA for Nat when considering what ending awaited Jeffrey Hudson, so I would advise not doing the research before reading if you don’t already know the story, save that for after you finish.

There was a lot of telling rather than showing in this book, even for a story set in the first person narrative and I think this is because it’s told in the past tense and so I think a present tense narrative would have been better.

I really liked the depth of development in the characters and the plot was fast-moving and exciting. The story stayed with me and prompted further reading in this time period.

I absolutely loved this novel so much. As a regular historical fiction reader, I was excited to read this as I'd heard great things about it. Frances is a brilliant storyteller and The Smallest Man is probably one of the best historical fiction novels I've read in a long time. Highly engaging and brilliantly told.

Frances Quinn is just wonderful, as is this book.

I devoured this over the course of a lazy Sunday and what a delight it was. The Smallest Man is sublime and has become one of my top books.

A beautifully woven tale of a life less-known.

I will read anything that Frances Quinn publishes in the future, for sure.

Thought-provoking and mind-blowing. I couldn't stop reading! Not to mention, the cover is beautiful and looks amazing on my bookshelf!

The smallest man - Frances Quinn

🙏🏻 brilliant! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it. Love it and would recommend to anyone

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, however this book set in 17th century England was a surprisingly enjoyable read! The plot had me engaged quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

‘𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘕𝘢𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.’

Such a captivating piece of historical fiction, inspired by the story of Jeffery Hudson, who actually was England's smallest man. It's also the debut novel for Frances.

Told in first person, Nat takes us throughout his life from when his father sold him for ten shillings at the tender age of ten, the civil war and his being the Queen's dwarf.

A beautifully written, heartwarming read of friendship, love and loss. The Smallest Man is utterly magical and a grown ups version of a fairytale. I wished it could have gone on forever.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolutely enchanting book this is. I am kicking myself for not getting to this one sooner.

A wonderfully compelling and enjoyable read from start to finish. The plot, the characters, the setting, everything here was so beautifully described and fully fleshed out, so utterly believable. I was happy to be lost within these pages. Nat Davy has such an extraordinary story; I highly recommend this one to all Historical Fiction lovers. This is unlike anything else you've read, and I promise you'll love it!

5 enchanting stars

A thoroughly enjoyable slice of historical fiction, this book is a delight. Great characters, immersive scene-setting, and a story that is propelled forward at a satisfying pace.

Nat Davey is the best kind of protagonist - one you can really root for and share the ups and downs of his story.

A great book and one I would happily recommend.

This is such a fantastic book! I fell in love with Nat immediately.

I hadn’t heard of him before and after getting to know him through this book, I will be searching for more information on his life.

The authors writing style really brings you into the story, I could completely visualise the settings and surroundings.

As a massive historical fiction fan, I am looking forward to further work by the author.

This was an engaging historical fiction chronicling the life of Nat Davy and set in seventeenth-century England. I was captivated by the author's writing style and the plot swept me along.

This is an extraordinary story that will captivate you from the very beginning. I loved that it was partially based on a true story and the author used it as a vehicle for such beautiful narrative. Thank you for my ARC.

Beautiful, tender, painful. This is a gorgeous historical fiction, fleshed out in full and completely riveting. I love historical fiction, but sometimes they can get a little tedious and repetitive (using the same tropes/ideas), but I found Quinn's book fresh and interesting. Especially as it was based on a real story – very well done.

I will ultimately be honest in all that I write about this book.

I am not a lover of Historical Fiction, however, last year I found that there were more HF books that I was enjoying and so I decided that I would try more as perhaps it was actually the genre for me.

The Smallest Man is beautifully written. The characters are so well described, I love it when a description actually gives you a vision of what you think a character looks like - rather than just gibing you the bare bones and you have to make the rest up for yourself. The settings were all described beautifully and I had a real sense of where I was meant to be, the time period of where I was mean t to be and the thoughts of all those characters that were included in the story.

The storyline... it made my heart hurt in some parts. But overall, I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a great book with a beautiful storyline and the fact that it was based on a real story makes it even better in my eyes.

The writing is absolutely beautiful and I was completely immersed in Nat's world from page 1.

The story revolves around Nat Davy, a dwarf sold by his father as a 'pet' to the queen of England. It is a story of man's ability to overcome physical limitations and of hope over adversity.

The character of Nat is fictional but he is loosely based on Jeffrey Hudson, the queen's dwarf.

Highly recommended. The Smallest Man definitely packs the biggest punch.

This was a really well written historical fiction and I liked how it focused on the reign of Charles the First. Nate as a character was written well and the author also made sure to to to include every aspect of what made him relatable. He had elements that I really liked and some behaviours that made him come across in a less positive way. The world was written clearly and it was easily believable that these people and characters would have been in this situation. I liked over Queen progress from a young girl to a strong warrior Queen and this change really showed the passage of time. The one area I think I would change would be the pacing, as our couple of places where it was just a bit off for me.

This is a historical fiction novel which will tug at your heart strings, have you on the edge of your seat and warm your heart as you proceed through it.

The story is set in the 17th century with a new King, Charles, on the throne and a new Queen, 15 year old Henrietta Maria who had been Princess of France.

The story is told from the point of view of Nat, ‘The Smallest Man’

Nathaniel Davy is 10 years old in 1625 at the beginning of the story.
He has a happy childhood although his family is very poor, growing up with his brother and sister in a small village called Oakham.

It is becoming clear Nat is not going to grow like his brother. Nat’s father realises he is not going to be any use on their land and sells him, against his wife’s wishes, to a Duke who is close to the King. Thankfully the Duke offered more than the fair freak show he was initially going to sell Nat to.

Nat finds himself being dressed ‘baked’ in a pie and given to the Queen as a gift from the king as a toy. A doll to entertain her along with her dogs and monkey.

However over time, the Queen and Nat become close and he becomes her confidante. Over time Nat begins to enjoy his new life and thinks of home less and less.

Sadly the days of living the life of luxury are numbered for Nat as war is on the cards.

We follow Nat through the highs and lows of life, and wonder if his undying love for Arabella could ever be reciprocated. Could anyone ever love someone like him?

Inspired by a true story of Jeffrey Hudson who was court dwarf to Queen Henrietta Maria.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a review copy of this wonderful book.