The Smallest Man: the most uplifting book of the year

Frances Quinn

Jan 2021 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

‘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.’
 
A compelling story perfect for fans of The Doll Factory, The Illumination of Ursula Flight and The Familiars.
 
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.
 
Inspired by a true story, and spanning two decades that changed England for ever, The Smallest Man is a heartwarming tale about being different, but not letting it hold you back. About being brave enough to take a chance, even if the odds aren’t good. And about how, when everything else is falling apart, true friendship holds people together.

Praise for The Smallest Man:

‘Nat Davy is so charming that I couldn't bear to put this book down. I loved it’ Louise Hare

‘A perfect fusion of history and invention… Nat’s wit and humour make the poignancy of his story all the more powerful’ Beth Morrey

'What a page-turner! A timely tale celebrating courage, determination and friendship' Anita Frank

‘A perfectly formed masterpiece’ C.S. Quinn

'I found myself rooting for the Smallest Man in England from the very first page' Sonia Velton

‘A beautiful, heartwarming tale, weaving history and fiction intricately and seamlessly… I loved this book’ Louise Fein

‘This book took me on an epic journey with a character that will always have a special place in my heart’ Emma Cooper

‘An engaging, compelling, thought-provoking story of a life less ordinary’ Caroline Scott

‘A beguiling and well-written tale’ Ellen Alpsten

‘I absolutely fell for the book’s narrator: an ebullient character whose voice and world view I adored’ Polly Crosby

About the author

Frances Quinn grew up in London and read English at King’s College, Cambridge, realising too late that the course would require more than lying around reading novels for three years. After snatching a degree from the jaws of laziness, she became a journalist, writing for magazines including Prima, Good Housekeeping, She, Woman’s Weekly and Ideal Home, and later branched out into copywriting, producing words for everything from Waitrose pizza packaging to the EasyJet in-flight brochure. In 2013, she won a place on the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course, and started work on her first novel, The Smallest Man. That Bonesetter Woman is her second novel.She lives in Brighton, with her husband and two Tonkinese cats.