This is beautifully written but I couldn't fully emerge myself in it. I'm not entirely sure about non-ownvoices authors using other people's conditions or abilities to create a 'fairy tale' atmosphere.

Pavla's birth is difficult in many ways. Born to elderly parents whose desperation for a child has led them to consult a local witch she is born a dwarf and faces rejection from her disappointed and guilt-ridden mother. Over time the infant manages to overcome her mother's reservations and become her parents' darling but even as she grows beautiful and clever (if not tall) they worry for her future and turn to the disreputable Dr Smetanka and his assistant Danilo in the hope of a cure. As one might expect, things do not go to plan. So begins Pavla's tale of many transformations as she is buried, stretched and anointed in the quest for height and passes through forests, freakshows, prisons and several physical forms. Her story is paralleled by that of Danilo who is haunted by his role in Pavla's life and passes from doctor's assistant, carnival performer, madman and engineer as he seeks to make amends.

Silver has created a pitch-perfect modern fairy-tale with shades of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, Angela Carter and Catherynne M. Valente. She uses the familiar tropes of transformation and redemption with great skill and such unwavering confidence that the reader is easily swept up in the fairy-tale logic of their childhood with no inclination to break the spell with unwarranted disbelief. But despite the feeling of familiarity she manages to surprise at every turn, the sudden shifts and shocks always supported by her evocative prose.

The tales of Pavla and Danilo beautifully compliment each other, both centring on the exploration of the self whether this is through physical change, from childhood to adulthood, from dwarf to wolf-girl or a change in situation and role. It is also a meditation on the way we use stories (and stories use us) to shape our identities and speaks for the transformative power of love and the consequences that our desires for our loved ones can have, for good and for ill. "Love is not always kind," a young Pavla realises, "and it is never simple."

This is a wonderful fairy-tale about being yourself, no matter how that manifests, in the face of adversity. Pavla, our protagonist, is a fabulous creation, otherworldly and yet totally believable. There is nothing in the narrative that doesn't seem perfectly acceptable and that is to the credit of the author, who has created a fully realised internal logic to her fairy tale world. The prose is lyrical, but efficient and the pacing of the narrative is great. It is a really accomplished piece of writing and I will definitely look out for this author's future works.

Cruel and wonderful and vivid and original and beautifully imagined and I absolutely adored it.

This is one of those books where I am not sure if I can adequately put into words why I enjoyed it so much, so please bear with me while I try. I went into this book nearly blind and I think this was the best way. You cannot say what this book is about because telling it would spoil some of its magic, so here is my decription in the most vague way possible:
It is about a girl who is a bit different and the way the world reacts to her. It is about love and regret and family ties. It is about wrong decisions and right decisions and about finding a place in a world that doesn't make sense. It is about cruelty - cruelty of war, of mistreatment of the sick, but most of all about the cruelty we can inflict on the ones we love.

I struggled with defining the genre for my bookshelves: is it historical fiction? Is it magical realism? Is it a fairy tale retelling? In the end, it is a bit of everything and this is one of the reasons why it worked so well for me. Everything was unpredictable but still made sense when it happened. I adored the matter-of-factness used to describe things that are extraordinary, which is why I adore fairy tales so. I don't need for things to be explained and I was absolutely fine with not knowing why things happened the way they did.

Usually, books that keep at arms length from their characters do not work for me, but this time I did not care. While I didn't really have an emotional response to the characters I had one for the absolutely bloody brilliant story told and the way it is told and the descriptions of the world.

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I received an arc of this book curtesy of NetGalley and Oneworld Publications in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for that!

I liked this, but must admit that I was expecting to love it. I think there were a few reasons for this, the biggest being that because of all the changes in the main character I had a very hard time connecting to her. It almost felt like I was reading short stories connected by a theme, more than an actual novel about one character. I really enjoyed the dwarf and the wolf story, but not the carnival show part. I was expecting magical realism, so some of the fantasy elements felt a bit over the top. The ending and the characters of Danilo and especially Marcus were very well done. Please don't skip this book because of me, there are many rave reviews, and if you enjoy a dark and different type of fairytale you should try this.

After many years of hoping for children an elderly couple finally gets their hearts desire. A daughter. But she is not like other children, she is perfect in every way except that she is a dwarf.

Pavla is a happy child but her parents, wanting a normal life for Pavla takes her from doctor to doctor in the hopes of finding a cure.

When finally, one of these “doctors” finishes with Pavla, she is no longer a dwarf, but she is no longer fully human, either. Due to this radical transformation, the “doctor” suggests that Pavla stays with him and tours the country. This becomes no more than a freak show, with the doctor’s assistant Danilo trailing along, completely besotted with Pavla.

The story and Pavla goes through many transformations, some of which I liked, and others that I loved. And this is where my confliction with the story lies. The first two sections as described above had a Grimm Brothers feel to it and had the story stayed in this vein it would have been a charming 3 ½ stars for me.

However once Pavla and Danilo’s paths split the story became something deeper. The writing was haunting and captivating. As the story progressed and focused more on Danilo it felt as if Pavla’s original story doesn’t fit into the story anymore. As if this is two very different novels that was mashed together. The link between Pavla and Danilo also felt strongest when they were split up.

The first part was heavy on the folksy magical realism but I feel the story only found its stride after the half way mark. My favourite books on magical realism are those that are so subtle with the magical part that you can almost pretend that it’s a product of the character’s imagination.

Danilo’s character has his feet firmly in reality, a reality that deals with the ravages of war, prison, stolen orphans and the wonders of engineering.

Pavla’s character is walking the flimsy line between overly fantastical and believable. A character I only really started liking after she left the freak show.

I have decided to round up my rating to a full 4 stars because the latter part of this book stole my heart.

Little Nothing is a story about transformation, about a girl who is a miracle, a dwarf, and a beauty, who grows up to be many other things. A cross between The Tin Drum and a fairy tale, Silver’s novel skirts the line between reality and allegory, leaving a trail of myth in its wake. The events and characters in the book fit together like a puzzle, using the fixed narrative conventions and easy coincidence of fairy tale and legend to create a story that flows from one section to the next.

The improbability and unreality of some of the events in the book may not appeal to everyone, particularly in conjunction with the more realistic elements and depiction of harsh imprisonment. However, Little Nothing is a treat for anyone who likes retellings of and new fairy tales and myths. Though lacking in the linguistic playfulness of transformation found in authors like Jeanette Winterson in favour of a more straightforward style, the novel blends the telling and enacting of stories to create a work in which fairy tales are both invented tales and reality.

The first few paragraphs of this novel put me off, and I wondered about the editing quality overall and worried about sticking with it. I'm glad I stuck with it because this story turned out to be amazingly well done. Reminded me a bit of Maggie Stiefvater's writings mixed with tones of Aesop's Fables.

It's quite hard to review this without giving much away but I will try my best. The blurb says this book is about Pavla a female child born with dwarfism but it turned out to be about so much more. Love, loss, family, nurture, fitting in, individuality, and animal instinct are just some of this story touches on.

I found it amazing how the author was able to weave so many stories so beautifully and tidily into one story. After finishing this book I felt simultaneously amazed and emotionally spent. That's a sign of good writing. I look forward to more from this author.