Little, by Edward Carey

I was blown away by this book, I think about it all the time, and cannot recommend it enough for people who enjoy historical fiction!

This book is about the life of Madame Tussaud - and honestly it’s the most shocking, bizarre and disturbing story that feels like a fantasy - yet the whole thing is true! The book is set mainly in France in the 1700s, when Little meets a timid and reclusive man who makes wax anatomical models. The story develops really quickly and moves through different phases of her life chronologically - it just gets more and more intense, dramatic, unbelievable and emotional throughout. It’s very gory, macabre, violent, upsetting and one that still haunts me a bit even though I read it a while ago, but there are moments of tenderness, humour and kindness.

It is just such an incredible story that I can’t believe is not more well known! Madame Tussaud endured more than one lifetime’s worth of pain, loss and suffering, and yet still managed to continue and create the company that we know today.

How accessible is it?

I devoured this book and stayed up all night and into the morning to finish it - it was so gripping and shocking and I found it very easy to read. I loved that it has illustrations!

Little aesthetic - all photos from Unsplash