In 1629 England, the religious divide between Catholics
and Protestants rages and no one who practices
Catholicism is completely safe. Sixteen-year old dwarf
Jeffrey Hudson has the face of an angel and has used both
his gift and his misfortune to help his family make ends
meet over the course of his life. One day his cruel
father sells him to the equally cruel Duke of Buckingham.
Jeffrey is immediately placed into the court of Queen
Henrietta Maria as a spy. As Lord Minimus, Jeffrey takes
his place in the Queen's Royal Menagerie. He becomes the
court fool among such others as a rope dancer, dwarves,
acrobats, and a giant, putting on masques so that the
homesick queen can enjoy herself. As the net around
Jeffrey and Henrietta Maria draws closer, the intrigue of
the Stuart court is laid bare, and Jeffrey must decide
once and for all where his loyalties lie.
THE QUEEN'S DWARF is officially a new favorite novel of
mine. It is fantastically written historical fiction and
I cannot say enough to let you know how I truly
appreciate it. First of all, this is a story and a time
period about which I have never read in historical
fiction. The subject and hero being a person with
dwarfism is novel and creative to the extreme. I
absolutely love Jeffrey; he's so real. He is aware of his
limitations but also expresses feelings and thoughts that
stand in stark contrast to the realities of his
situation. He has a great deal of empathy for others,
which comes through in his reluctance to spy on the Queen
and her friends. As he falls deeper in love with
Henrietta Maria, he shows a nobility which few men show
in media when he refuses to allow himself to entertain
fantasies while he is conscious enough to fight them. His
selflessness in protecting his family and his new friends
is amazing. Jeffrey Hudson is not just the main character
and narrator; he makes the book a masterpiece.
The characterization on the Queen and her court, as well
as the Royal Menagerie, is fantastic as well. I think
they really complement the main character, especially
since we see them all through his point of view. I really
felt for the poor young queen, forced to be an adult long
before most of us would be, so far from home and
responsible for so much. The characters really work well
to create suspense, as Jeffrey's job demands. You feel at
one moment that you can trust someone, and then you know
you cannot. The ending may well come as a shock,
depending upon who you believe you can trust. The
characters are so well written that even I was not sure
whether Jeffrey means what he tells his audience or not.
The period details are absolutely wonderful. Even if
you've never experienced a novel wherein court life is
described, you will not be lost. Everything is so organic
and beautifully written that you will have no doubts
about what goes where. THE QUEEN'S DWARF is so well
written and so steeped in history that it is a treat for
anyone who enjoys an immersive experience in their
reading. There is a great deal of inner workings which
are explained in such a way that they don't feel like
exposition at all. The descriptions of preparations for
masques and pageants are so beautifully done. If you
don't know how these things tend to work, you certainly
will after reading.
The two or three readable love stories in this book are
heartrending and painful, but those which are meant to be
happy do eventually find that happiness. When dealing
with a novel of court intrigue, you do not often see true
love conquering all; THE QUEEN'S DWARF not only provides
us with this, but with the sweetest of unrequited loves
which were ever set to paper. I think any romantic could
not resist the beautiful romances in Jeffrey Hudson's
perspective. From the giant and the rope dancer to the
King and Queen, the different aspects of love are paraded
and shown to us for approval.
THE QUEEN'S DWARF is a historical fiction that reads like
a private letter from a friend. It is truly fantastic
writing and I hope to read a great deal more from this
author. Not for about eight years have I found such an
immersive and wonderful piece, let alone one based so
strongly in real events. I highly recommend this to
readers of all ages, or at least those ages above
sixteen.
A richly imagined, gorgeously written historical novel
featuring a unique hero: Jeffrey Hudson, a dwarf
tasked with spying on the beautiful but vulnerable queen
It's 1629, and King Charles I and his French queen
Henrietta Maria have reigned in England for less than
three years. Young dwarf Jeffrey Hudson is plunged into
the Stuart court when his father sells him to
the most hated man in England—the Duke of Buckingham.
Buckingham trains Jeffrey to be his spy in the
queen’s household, hoping to gain intelligence that will
help him undermine her influence with the king.
Desperately homesick, Henrietta Maria surrounds herself
with her "Royal Menagerie of Freaks and
Curiosities of Nature"—a "collection" consisting of a
giant, two other dwarves, a rope dancer, an
acrobat/animal trainer and now Jeffrey, who is dubbed
"Lord Minimus."
Dropped into this family of misfits, Jeffrey must
negotiate a labyrinth of court intrigue and his own
increasingly divided loyalties. For not even the plotting
of the Duke nor the dangers of a tumultuous
kingdom can order the heart of a man. Full of vibrant
period detail, Ella March Chase's The Queen's
Dwarf is a thrilling and evocative portrait of an
intriguing era.
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