LITTLE by Edward Carey

In the late 1700s in Bern, Switzerland, Marie Groholtz’s father has died, and her mother has taken a housekeeping job with Philippe Curtius.  Dr. Curtius models human organs out of wax, and Marie’s mother cannot abide what she considers to be macabre surroundings.  Marie, on the other hand, assists Dr. Curtius in his work and becomes basically his ward after her mother’s death.  The two move to Paris and take lodging with the Widow Picot and her son Edmond, where Dr. Curtius starts a business enterprise making wax replicas of human heads.  The Widow Picot detests Marie, who eventually has the good fortune to become the sculpting tutor to Louis XVI’s sister at Versailles.  This is a historical novel in every sense of the word, with lots of famous people crossing paths with Marie, including Voltaire, Robespierre, and Napoleon.  Marie, of course, becomes a wax sculptor in her own right—the famous Madame Tussaud.  It’s a great story, although the novel drags at times.  Marie is a spunky kid, and I laughed every time she asks Dr. Curtius if she is going to get paid.  The answer is always “No,” but she finally reaps the monetary rewards of her craft, her ingenuity, her fearlessness, and her ambition.