This book tells the story of Marie Grosholtz’s life later known as Madame Tussaud from birth until death. I would like to start by emphasizing that it is not a biography but a fiction novel. I’m saying this because I actually believed that it would be closer to reality but I had to find out that there are discrepancies in this novel regarding Marie’s life. For example, she was never an orphan, and small details are changed in order to create more excitement and dramaturgy.
I didn’t mind at all that it is not accurate historically because it still writes about a very interesting life in an enjoyable style. But don’t worry, the novel doesn’t lack history and famous historical figures. There is a part which is set in Versailles during the reign of Louis XVI and then the French Revolution is at the center. We meet with Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, the whole royal family, Napoleon, and many more through the eyes of Marie. She had the chance to meet with these people thanks to waxwork.
Characters
Marie learned wax modeling at a very young age from Doctor Curtius who was a father-like figure to her. I loved Curtius I think he is the definition of a weirdo. At the beginning of the book he only sculpted internal organs and body parts from wax and lived as a hermit. He was not used to human interactions for a long time. Then out of nowhere, he has to take care of Marie. These two find companionship through wax and make a good, successful pair. Curtius had a good heart but he was very weak-willed and let down Marie in many situations.
Thankfully, Marie was able to defend herself. However small she was she had the strength inside to endure and if needed fight for what was right. Besides her strength, I also liked that she could attach to people so genuinely even though they didn’t always deserve her love. As the book is written in first-person narrative it was easy to sympathize with her. I can honestly imagine the real-life Marie as the one described in this book. A strong woman who stood the test of life.
Story
The whole story is quite morbid because waxwork includes the topic of internal organs and the recreation of dead people. Plus you can imagine what the French Revolution could look like: death, suffering, and guillotine. I think the author painted a very realistic picture of that era which is very saddening to read. In addition, Marie’s life was full of losses, cruelty, and misery according to the book. The final success of opening her own business in London was only the tip of the iceberg. Edward Carey with his own voice and with his fictional additions to Marie’s life showed us what was underneath. It was a long road until the end but I really enjoyed this ride.
My summary
To sum up, Little was the most bizarre read of my life so far. I’m saying this because all of the characters without exception were imperfect and weird. To me, it felt like a refreshement and it was exciting to read about such unique people. One more thing I would like to highlight are the graphics in the book which were created by Edward Carey. I think it was a great idea to include them in the book because these add so much to the atmosphere and to the story itself.
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