The Smallest Man

Written by Frances Quinn

Narrated by Alex Wingfield

‘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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio UK
• Release date: Jan 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781471195969

Frances Quinn

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.

Reviews for The Smallest Man

[Denise Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome Book. Great life lessons packed into a wonderful story.

[Jeanne Nichol · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great story! Relaxing listen. Narrator so easy to listen to!

[brett studer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very touching story that speaks to the heart of those who feel alienated from society — and how they persevere and learn to adapt to any situation thrown at them. It’s about the lesson that although many aspects of our identity are gleamed through a societal lens, our core identity can only be revealed to ourselves, by ourselves — and that can sometimes take a very long time.

[Phil Shames · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I totally enjoyed it. Combining history, fiction and memorable characters to create a wonderful story

[Charlotte · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing story with twist and turns. Love the extra-ordinary journey of this little man. Simple and heart warming. It brought smile on my face whenever I listened to it. Quite a long story as an audio book but didn't feel lengthy to me at all!

[Sonya Palumbo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! This was awesome. The narration was perfect. One of the best books I've ever read.

[Angie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! I wish they’d make this book into a movie. I listen to so many amazing books and Hollywood is doing remakes and creating crap.

[Amber Johnson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an enjoyable story. The only reason I’m giving four stars and not five is that I found a few of the passages (especially the war descriptions) a bit dry. Overall it was a good read.