Edward carey - little (Gallic Books)

Longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize 2019 Longlisted for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2019 Longlisted for The Rathbones Folio Prize 2019 'A startlingly original novel' - Times, BOOK OF THE YEAR There is a space between life and death: it's called waxworks Born in Alsace in 1761, the unsightly, diminutive Marie Grosholtz is quickly nicknamed "Little".

Orphaned at the age of six, she finds employment in the household of reclusive anatomist, Dr Curtius. Her role soon surpasses that of mere servant as the eccentric doctor takes an interest in his newfound companion and begins to instruct her in the fine art of wax modelling.

From the gutters of pre-revolutionary France to the luxury of the Palace of Versailles, from clutching the still-warm heads of Robespierre's Terror to finding something very like love, Little traces the improbable fortunes of a bloodstained crumb of a thing who went on to shape the world...