The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

Reviews

“The Little Giant of Aberdeen County grabs you from its astonishing beginning to its riveting conclusion. Its charms are multitude—a wholly unique love story, a devastating friendship, a bewitching multi-generational history, all brought to an apex in the larger-than-life personage of Truly, a heroine simultaneously infused with a quiet and dignified grace and peculiar sense of purpose. This dark-yet-rollicking debut is a must-read.”

“A beautiful, startling and wholly original novel, LGOAC is infused with magic, lush language, and surprises on every page. Tiffany Baker has given us a flawed, prickly, enchanting heroine in Truly—part Cinderella, part Witch, part Behemoth. In this timeless story of small town life, the boundary between reality and fairy tale does not exist, and, happy endings are possible but hard-won. This book is a treasure.”

“Tiffany Baker poured her whole heart into this weird and wonderful first novel—and the result resembles its heroine: ungainly but magical; grotesque but true.”

“Truly Plaice is a heroine for our times. She is also a mercy killer, a healer, a loyal and loving friend, aunt and sister and the star of an enchanting first novel.”

“This fun, folkloric story is part Ugly Duckling, part Tim Burton’s Big Fish...For anyone looking to vanquish the cruelties of the real world, this one’s for you.”

“One splendid book...Pick of the week.”

“An alluring plot...lush voice...Baker has a good sense of the dark comedy of melodrama.”

“First-time novelist Tiffany Baker uses the omniscient first-person narrator with ease. Although written in the past tense, the straightforward timeline construction manages to deliver for its characters a fairy-tale quality of coming, going and being all at once. Truly’s wisdom and self-possession are the charm.”

“A little pearl of a book...like buried treasure.”

“Baker’s bangup debut mixes the exuberant eccentricities of John Irving’s Garp, Anne Tyler’s relationship savvy and the plangent voice of Margaret Atwood…It’s got all the earmarks of a hit—infectious and lovable narrator, a dash of magic, an impressive sweep and a heartrending but not treacly family drama. It’ll be a shame if this doesn’t race up the bestseller lists.”

“Carrington MacDuffie brings Baker’s sprawling debut title to life with a thorough attention to detail and excellent ability to convey the rustic local color of rural upstate New York without falling into stock caricatures…MacDuffie’s talent shines in her portrayal of Truly’s childhood friend Amelia Dyerso…MacDuffie also brings skill and insight to the male figures, particularly Truly’s menacing brother-in-law, Doctor ‘Bob-Bob’ Morgan.”

“Carrington MacDuffie blesses Truly with a sweet, lilting voice, a quality replicated in several characters…MacDuffie’s finest vocalization belongs to the speech-impaired Amelia Dyerson, Truly’s lone companion…Listeners will be moved by this remarkable story of love, loss, and ultimate triumph.”

“Little Giant is less freak show than fable. Baker does turn her attention to the daily travails of her characters, but the story, which strikes a universal tone and has a folkloric feel, is not bound by city limits. Baker cites her Ukrainian background as one of the reasons folklore has always fascinated her….Though Truly takes up the most space, Baker also populates her novel with a cast of minor characters who add color and their own distinctive voices to the narrative….Baker brings a wisdom and compassion to this timeless portrait of small-town life, a place where the boundary between reality and fairy tale is but a blur and happy endings are possible.”

“But the brilliant part of this book is the colorful world of Aberdeen that Baker constructs; she weaves together a multitude of little bits to fashion one genuinely entertaining story.”

“Baker’s writing is beautiful. Her descriptive style crafts Truly’s emotions into sentences that are hidden treasures.”

“A compelling, emotional, and intelligent novel from an author to watch.”

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