What a wonderful, unusual book. Nat Daly is a small man with a big heart and a big personality. In the year 1625, at the age of 11 but the height of a toddler, he is sold by his father to the Duke of Buckinghamshire, who presents him as a gift to Henrietta Maria of France, queen consort of ill-fated Charles I. It could have been worse: because he is unable to contribute to the family income, Nat’s father first thought to sell him to a travelling freak show.

The author’s grasp of what it means to be in Nat’s shoes, to be so different from everyone else at a time when this might indicate witchcraft at play, is stunning and absolutely credible. Nat is the looker-on who sees most of the game at a thrilling point in history: he witnesses the English Civil War and the king’s execution. He also records the growing closeness of the royal couple, once Buckingham is out of the picture, and the queen’s desperate attempts overseas to raise funds and an army for her husband. Yet Henrietta Maria’s very existence is fuel for the rebels’ fire as she is a strong proponent and symbol of Catholicism in a Protestant country that is becoming ever more Puritanical.

A keen student of history and a republican to boot, I’ve always been rather in favour of the Roundheads, but here they come across as grasping, vicious bullies. Yet the author is even-handed, we learn that the king is, in many ways, the author of his own misfortune in trying to play different sides off against each other and constantly changing his mind in negotiations.

It’s not all lot palaces and thrones; there’s a cast of credible ‘ordinary’ characters, such as Nat’s friend, the gentle giant Jeremiah; Sam, Nat’s slow but loyal brother; and their much quicker witted wives.

The novel is based loosely on the true story of Sir Jeffrey Hudson, the queen’s court dwarf, aka Lord Minimus, who was imprisoned for his Catholic sympathies and was (probably) buried in a pauper’s grave. Self-effacing to a fault, Nat doesn’t believe he deserves happiness but, fortunately, a much brighter future lies in store for this brave, resilient, optimistic big-hearted man. I was sorry to have to say goodbye to him.

I cannot post this review on Amazon but will do so as soon as reviewing is ‘open’.

A really brilliant piece of historical fiction! Initially I was drawn in by the cover of this one, it's absolutely stunning. And the story is just as good as it looks. I thought it was very original and really liked the writing style, definitely going to be on the lookout for more from Frances Quinn. Great book!

This is a solid 3, maybe 3 1/2 stars for me.

What I will address first is the category of book this is listed under. This is under adult fiction, but really, I feel this is more of a YA novel. I know that this is more suited for my 13-14 year old students than me as the language is much simpler, there are very short chapters and the relationships between characters aren't as fully developed as they would be in an adult novel. I also thought that the way characters reacted would be more believable to a teen than an adult.

One of the strengths of this book is that Quinn has researched the topic well. Quinn does a good job in ensuring that the book isn't laden with boring and extensive history of the time (a history teacher saying history in historical novels can be boring!) and that just enough information is given to set a context and the rest of the history is taught through the events of the book, not as a lengthy narrative. I also like how Quinn used Sir Jeffrey Hudson as the inspiration to the story and actually included real events.

This could be read alongside a KS3 history unit on power/royalty or on the Stuarts.

This is a truly unique story told in excellent prose. Set amongst colourful characters and exciting history, Nat's perspective is insightful and moving. Thank you for the ARC!

The smallest man

The smallest man is a work of historical fiction from writer Frances Quinn. Undoubtedly Quinn has done her research and she effortlessly blends true events and people of the 17th Century with poetic licence as she crafts the story of the fictional Nat Davey, dwarf of the queen and the smallest man in England.

Quinn’s characters are beguiling and Nat narrates his tale well. We feel his anguish at not being able to grow, his sadness at being sold by his father and his bold nature and clever personality shine through with his friendships and relationships throughout the years.
The story tells of the tumultuous political events of Cromwell and King Charles 1 but it is removed from those main protagonists as we follow Nat in his journey through life. I wouldn’t have said one needed to have a firm grasp of English history to follow the events unfolding as they are laid out and explained well though perhaps skimmed over in parts.
The last section of the book is slightly less truthful as Quinn weaves a romantic tale to sew up the story but it is a charming story nonetheless. 4 stars.
Thanks to simon and shuster, net galley and Frances Quinn for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nat Davy - the smallest man in England - is ten years old and eighteen inches tall. Despite his best efforts to grow, whether by magical or physical methods, his height remains significantly detrimental to his life. Add in a greedy, stone hearted father, and we see Nat narrowly miss being sold to the circus, only to be bought as a gift for the young queen of Charles I, ultimately surprising her by popping out of a pie.

Quinn perfectly weaves her story in mixtures of invention and truth. Although Nat was based on a real man, Jeffrey Hudson, his exploits only matched Jeffrey’s some of the time, and his feelings and emotion can only be guessed at. In contrast, Quinn paints a clear and true picture of the English Civil War, of the unrest, and its effects on both those in power and those in poverty.

It was gorgeous to see Nat’s relationship develop with the queen - both of them outcasts, both of them lonely, they find common ground and maintain a solid relationship. It’s an unlikely, yet beautiful friendship, and really disputes any preconceptions readers may have about how a queen would treat such an unusual companion.

There’s a lot going on here, and it can sometimes become difficult to keep up - particularly with the politics of war. The novel was split into three parts, and I felt differently reading each of them. The first allowed us to get to know Nat, and experience his removal from family, and his adjustment to his new lavish lifestyle; very engaging and emotional. The second moved the focus on to the political and royal side of the narrative, with the third winding things down to the ultimate conclusion. It was in these second and third sections where I didn’t feel as engaged, although I couldn’t describe why this was, other than they lacked something the first part had in abundance. It’s very strange for me not to be able to put my finger on this, but here we are.

I felt Quinn did an excellent job of showing us how people were treated in the seventeenth century, particularly those who were different. If you were disabled, you could expect stares and namecalling, to feel completely othered, and perhaps, even, to be sold to the circus by your father. Nat’s struggles were heartbreaking, and his stark wish - to be just like everyone else - remained a constant reminder of how we still treat others.

There was some interesting commentary towards the end where Nat considers where he would be in life had he grown to the same size as everyone else. He considers the places he’d visited, the people he’d met, and concluded none of this would have been possible had he reached an average height. I think there’s something there each of us can hold close - despite our flaws, our choices, and our regrets, the blessings we’ve had have only been possible because of who we are.

A gorgeous look at an unusual and heartrending protagonist, with (if you’re a dunce like me) some excellent historical knowledge to take away. Quinn has crafted something great here which will fascinate historical fiction lovers, and anyone who just loves a good underdog.

Having known very little about this period of history, The Smallest Man was an eye-opening and intriguing read that was very hard to put down. It's one the grips the reader from start to finish.

Nathaniel (Nat) Davy is a ten-year-old dwarf who lives in a tiny cottage with his parents, brother and baby sister. Life for him changes after the 1625 Oakham Fair where he's almost sold to the circus by his father. But then a Duke comes to know about this peculiar boy and buys him as a gift. Nat is presented in a pie to the young Queen Henrietta Maria to add to her collection of oddities. Young Nat soon becomes an essential member of the Queen's court where his friendship and loyalty to the royal have him go down a life he couldn't have imagined. A life filled with adventure of hunting, racing, narrowly escaping calamity after calamity and fighting actual battles. Once considered as the smallest man in England, Nathaniel Davy's story is of epic proportions.

My top three thoughts on 'The Smallest Man':
1. I'll be honest, I judged this book too quickly and expected it to be a GoT kind of story with similar trials and prejudices as we'd seen with Tyrion Lannister. I'm so glad my initial assumptions were wrong, and my unnecessary hesitation didn't stop me from reading this fascinating book. Even though Nat has some challenges that could vaguely overlap with Tyrion's, this story is nothing like GoT. I was utterly captivated by this historical fiction from the first paragraph itself.
2. The plot is loosely based on the real-life of Jeffery Hudson, but it also has the backdrop of religious conflicts in Europe that led to the Civil War. I appreciate that Quinn doesn't focus on the political aspects/the historical correctness of the time and instead pushes the themes of courage, love and acceptance. The book has 3 parts which look at different phases of Nat's life. I devoured the first part in an hour because it made me connect with the characters and showed Nat's journey and his defiant spirit so well.
3. I found it hard to get involved in the romance. I felt Nat's assumptions, vulnerability and the stress on his fragile emotions played out for too long. The love angle confusion and misunderstandings took away from the engaging story. It also felt like the momentum that had been built by the pre & post-war, adventures slowed down.

Thank you so much Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy in return for an honest review.

I absolutely love historical fiction and as this is based on a true story I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. This book covers a period of time I knew little about, the historical details were woven in to the main story really well. I feel like I’ve had a good quality history lesson too. Very moving book- you just feel for this amazing friendship. Great read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of The Smallest Man by Frances Quinn. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. It had me fascinated with Nat Davy's story from the offset and I could hardly put the book down.
Opening in 17th century England, it follows a fascinating story of England's smallest man being sold to royalty from a young age and overcoming many obstacles during his life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Nat Davy is a small lad, exceptionally small. His mother and brother accept that he is 'late in growing' but his father becomes more and more embarrassed by his small son. Nat visits a fair and meets another 'small person', but she is in captivity, living an horrendous life performing as a freak. He fears this may be his fate, but his father gets a better deal.

Nat is given as a present to Charles I wife Henrietta Maria, and becomes her dwarf. Then the Civil War breaks out.

The reader sees court life and war from viewpoint of this interesting character. Nat is portrayed with joy and sympathy, and is a really well-rounded character. His adventures (loosely based on a factual figure) are historically accurate and believable. The story really draws you in and takes you to the turmoil of the English Civil War.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and hoped there might be a sequel but I suspect the author has rounded it off now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable and interesting book, it didn't grip me from the get go, but it was a fascinating story and I found I kept coming back to it.

This is an excellently woven tale of fact (there was a dwarf called Jeffrey Hudson who was presented in a pie to Queen Henrietta ) alongside the fictional character of Nathaniel Davy whose family and life transports us through his escape from a fair freak show to the court of King Charles I and the later civil war and final execution of the King under Cromwell's reign.
The story is told by Nathaniel, beginning from his earliest memories until a happy family ending for himself. Perhaps the dialogue could have been a little more mature in some chapters but overall you as a reader are successfully taken along with the small boy (I especially liked the early family scenes and relationships with his mother and brother Sam) and the novel cleverly allows us to feel his distress in a human context alongside the political and religious upheaval for Henrietta who becomes a friend.
Good sense of the century and its turmoil and the life of the court and those whose loyalty is often so quickly dismissed when there is a threat to their power.
Very enjoyable and made me explore the factual context of the idea and particularly the paintings by Van Dyck which brought to life the image of this character - small but with a big brave heart.

This is the charming and lively story of Nat Davy, based on the true life character Jeffrey Hudson who was court dwarf to Queen Henrietta Maria.

We first meet Nat as a ten year old who has realised that he is smaller than other boys his age, and wants nothing more than to grow bigger. Whilst visiting the fair when it comes to town, Nat spends a penny to view a real life ‘faerie’ who he believes will grant him his wish to grow. Horrifyingly the faerie is clearly trapped in a cage and forced to perform as a spectacle, and Nat quickly realises that she’s not a faerie at all, she’s a little person just like himself. Unfortunately Nat is spotted by the men of the fair, and although escapes, he discovers that his father has arranged to sell him to the travelling fair people, since he’ll never earn his keep at home.

Although Nat’s mother manages to persuade his father to keep him at home until the fair revisits, believing he might change his mind, he doesn’t. However, unknown to Nat and his mother it seems that his father has arranged a profitable deal with a duke, and hands him over for eleven shillings. The duke gifts Nat to the Queen, and so begins Nat’s life in the royal household.

With true to life events and characters, this book is a delight. Covering a short but eventful period in history, we follow Nat and the Queen through her teenage years, their developing friendship and escape to exile during the Civil War. I adore historical fiction, and this was a joy to read. The scrapes and adventures Nat gets himself in and out of are written with wit and emotion in equal measure. And the ending is satisfying ;)

With many thanks to NetGalley, Frances Quinn and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Fantastic book! This book really does encapsulate the time and just so interesting and different to other historical novels. I would certainly recommend this if you want history but with a touch of weird rolled in and just gripping. Kept me reading into the night.

The Smallest Man in England tells the story of Nat Davy, a dwarf, who at ten years old was sold by his father. He is given to the queen, Henrietta Maria, as a gift. From there, Nat has to find a way to accept his new life while being treated differently because of his size. The reign of Charles I is the backdrop for this novel and as the English Civil War begins, Nat remains at the side of his Queen.
I enjoyed the first part of the story but found it a bit dull once the 'love interest' was introduced. For me, the love story fell flat and the miscommunication was repetitive. But, on the whole, this was an enjoyable book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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.