• THESE are some of the titles that landed on my desk in the past few weeks. Not all have been read yet, and some will be reviewed in full. – Vivien Horler

The Smallest Man, by Frances Quinn (Simon & Schuster)

At 10 he was the size of a two-year-old, and was sold by his butcher father to a duke. A shilling changed his life. In 1625 Nat Davy was hidden in a pie (it must have been quite a big pie) so he could be given as a gift to the new queen of England. He became her friend and also saved her life. This historical novel was inspired by the life of Jeffrey Hudson, who became court dwarf to Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles 1. In an author’s note Frances Quinn says Hudson was a celebrity, “thanks to his tiny size, doll-like looks and ready wit”.

Girl A, by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins)

Girl A is Alexandra Gracie, one of seven children whose parents kept them locked up as prisoners in what they call the House of Horrors. But one day Lex and her sister Evie escape, which brings an end to their suffering and a jail term for their mother. The novel opens with Lex, now a New York-based lawyer, visiting the prison where their mother has just died. The children have inherited the House of Horrors, which Lex wants to turn into a force for good. But first she has to stop running from the past she and her siblings shared. One of the shouts on the cover describe Girl A as “terrifyingly gripping”.

The Prophets, by Robert Jones jun (riverrun)

Two young male slaves on a Deep South plantation provide the loving mutual warmth that in every other way is lacking in their lives. They look after the animals in the barn, and made the space their home. But then an older slave starts to speak for the master, and the slaves turn on each other, with developing tension culminating in a major reckoning. Author Marlon James describes this novel as “epic in its scale, intimate in its force, and lyrical in its beauty. The Prophets shakes right down to the bone what the American novel is, should do, and can be”.

The Chanel Sisters, by Judithe Little ((H Review)

Coco Chanel said a girl should be two things, “classy and fabulous”. She and her sister Antoinette certainly were. This is a historical novel about Antoinette and Gabrielle (later Coco), who changed the face of French fashion. They were abandoned at a Catholic orphanage as children, but dreamt of a glittering future, and began singing in cafes and music halls. Later in Paris they had a small hat shop on the rue Cambon, the beginning of the Chanel empire and legend. The story is told in the voice of Antoinette.

• These titles are among Exclusive Books’ 25 recommendations for March 2021.