Scan barcode
catherine_tara's review
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
lisamshardlow's review against another edition
4.0
Set in the early 1600’s and spanning 20 years. 10 year old Nat Davy is born with Dwarfism. His father sees him as a useless burden and tries to sell him to the circus. Getting a better price elsewhere, Nat ends up being sold to Queen Henrietta Maria, and is presented to her in a pie! Nat soon discovers that the 15 year old Queen is also in a similar situation, having been ‘sold’ into a loveless marriage to King Charles I and is desperately homesick. A friendship forms between Nat and the woman who will become the trigger for the Civil War. Nat must face discrimination and prejudice, but longs to be accepted.
I really loved Nat, his character was so lovely. Having a visible disability myself, I felt as though I could relate to him and his difficulties. I really loved the friendship that he had with the Queen, she accepted him just as he was and he became a trusted member of her household, which I thought was lovely. It’s a story of a very resilient person overcoming a lot of misfortune, sometimes it’s very sad, but a lot of the time it is also very uplifting. It isn’t very often that I come across fiction books about someone with a physical disability, and it’s been very refreshing to read.
One thing that I wasn’t much for was the politics surrounding the Civil War. Since the story is set from Nat’s point of view, I’m not sure he would have known most of what was happening after he was separated from the King and Queen, would he?
Despite the politics, which I admit that I didn’t really understand, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed everything about Nat and the characters he becomes friends with. I also think it was very well written.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction, stories about people with visible disabilities, the Civil War, a bit of romance, but above all a very uplifting story.
I really loved Nat, his character was so lovely. Having a visible disability myself, I felt as though I could relate to him and his difficulties. I really loved the friendship that he had with the Queen, she accepted him just as he was and he became a trusted member of her household, which I thought was lovely. It’s a story of a very resilient person overcoming a lot of misfortune, sometimes it’s very sad, but a lot of the time it is also very uplifting. It isn’t very often that I come across fiction books about someone with a physical disability, and it’s been very refreshing to read.
One thing that I wasn’t much for was the politics surrounding the Civil War. Since the story is set from Nat’s point of view, I’m not sure he would have known most of what was happening after he was separated from the King and Queen, would he?
Despite the politics, which I admit that I didn’t really understand, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed everything about Nat and the characters he becomes friends with. I also think it was very well written.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction, stories about people with visible disabilities, the Civil War, a bit of romance, but above all a very uplifting story.
josiesprobablyreading's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying
thechemicaldetective's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this book on audio, nicely narrated by Alex Wingfield. A fascinating story with a well constructed plot.
nicjohnston's review against another edition
3.0
The Smallest Man is an endearing and uplifting historical fiction.
As a child Nat hasn't grown and is a source of peculiarity in his village. His father considers that Nat will be able to provide limited work to support the family and takes an opportunity to sell Nat to a local landowner. From here the adventures start as Nat quickly finds himself gifted to the Queen and a pivotal figure in the Royal Court.
A stellar 3.5* albeit the narration on the Audible version was a little too Children's BBC.
As a child Nat hasn't grown and is a source of peculiarity in his village. His father considers that Nat will be able to provide limited work to support the family and takes an opportunity to sell Nat to a local landowner. From here the adventures start as Nat quickly finds himself gifted to the Queen and a pivotal figure in the Royal Court.
A stellar 3.5* albeit the narration on the Audible version was a little too Children's BBC.
beatriks's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Bullying, War, Abandonment, and Ableism
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
kwhammond's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
booksbybindu's review against another edition
5.0
’The Smallest Man’ has definitely entered the top ten books that I have read in 2020. For a debut novel this is stunning. I feel in love with Nat from the first page and was bereft when the book was over as I wanted to know even more about this life! It’s publication date is the 7th January - so either pre-order this beauty or make that reservation at the library as you can’t go wrong with this story, it’s just beautiful.
Nat is the smallest man in England. His father sells him to the local Duke who then gives him as a present to the young Queen. Seems being a dwarf means his father didn’t want him and he is now thought of as being property rather than a person. We see Nat evolve and develop throughout the book where he shows he is brave, loyal, thoughtful and quick witted. The book is set in a period of history that is full of turmoil and civil war. I have become a big fan of historical fiction and this is one of the best I have read this year. All the small details which evoke the period are present, you learn as you are reading, but what is special are the characters. You could pick this story and it’s characters up and it would stand the test of working at any other time. This is about a man’s life, remember this is based on a real events and there was indeed a smallest man in the court during this period. There is an authors note at the end where you can find out more about his life.
I am not actually going to say much more about the book as I think this is one where you should get to experience the magic of reading it blind. It’s an easy 5⭐️ read for me! I hope you enjoy it.
Nat is the smallest man in England. His father sells him to the local Duke who then gives him as a present to the young Queen. Seems being a dwarf means his father didn’t want him and he is now thought of as being property rather than a person. We see Nat evolve and develop throughout the book where he shows he is brave, loyal, thoughtful and quick witted. The book is set in a period of history that is full of turmoil and civil war. I have become a big fan of historical fiction and this is one of the best I have read this year. All the small details which evoke the period are present, you learn as you are reading, but what is special are the characters. You could pick this story and it’s characters up and it would stand the test of working at any other time. This is about a man’s life, remember this is based on a real events and there was indeed a smallest man in the court during this period. There is an authors note at the end where you can find out more about his life.
I am not actually going to say much more about the book as I think this is one where you should get to experience the magic of reading it blind. It’s an easy 5⭐️ read for me! I hope you enjoy it.
nickymaund's review against another edition
4.0
This was an unusual read for me, but after seeing a few recommendations I thought I’d give the audiobook a go. And boy I wasn’t let down. The premise might not seem that interesting, but it really was! Nat is a fictional retelling of a real life person (Jeffrey Hudson) and Nat’s story is full of heartbreak, joy, intrigue and injustice. You can see why he befriends fellow outcasts and how he battles bigots and bullies. I love his determination and his loyalty to his friends, and introspection at the end. For such a little person, he does make a big impact. Wingfield does an excellent job as narrator - particularly with the various accents! A really good read.
ruth559's review against another edition
3.0
This was was easy to read and learned a little bit about this period in history. No matter how much I wanted to like it more, I just couldn’t! It just didn’t live up to the other reviews in my opinion. Nat was a likeable enough character, as were the other main characters but just for some reason I kept thinking, he’s not as cool as Tyrion from GOT