Little, Big: Amazon.ca: John Crowley: Books

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Egypt #1 Solitudes

by John Crowley

CDN$ 13.87

Egypt #2 Love And Sleep

by John Crowley

3.8 out of 5 stars (4) CDN$ 13.51

Egypt #3 Daemonomania

by John Crowley

4.3 out of 5 stars (17) CDN$ 13.51

Best Served Cold

by Joe Abercrombie

4.5 out of 5 stars (2) CDN$ 15.72

The Ascent of Rum Doodle

by W. E. Bowman

4.6 out of 5 stars (7) CDN$ 17.48

› Explore similar items

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence
On a certain day in June, 19-, a young man was making his way on foot northward from the great City to a town or place called Edgewood, that he had been told of but had never visited. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

23 Reviews

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Huge & Gorgeous (& a bit too long), April 5 2004

By	Silas Traitor (The South, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Big (Paperback)

The anonymous young Smoky Barnable leaves the City to marry into a very strange family occupying the very strange manor at Edgewood, where a war, or a merging of worlds, or something like it, may or may not be happening.

Little, Big is a huge, gorgeous piece of work populated with some of the most endearing characters and touching episodes I've read in a long while. Each of Crowley's characters is affected - sometimes quietly, but always deeply - by the mysterious Something happening at Edgewood. There is a definite force at work, but whether it's good, evil, or indifferent is all part of the mystery. Crowley does have a tendency to be verbose; with a bit of snipping the book could have been 100 pages more to the point. Though the ending wasn't as illuminating as I would have liked, the tale itself was highly satisfying, with many smaller beginnings and endings along the way, and enough triumph and sorrow for all four generations of Edgewood.

I didn't think of it until just now, but Little, Big is similar to Mervyn Peak's Titus Groan. Think of Edgewood as a contemporary Gormenghast driven by otherworldly forces rather than ancient tradition.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical in Every Sense, Jun 30 2004

By	Joe "technophile" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little, Big (Hardcover)

Little, Big is no easy read, but is well worth the time. To summarize the plot briefly just to give an idea of the backdrop, Little, Big tells the Tale of Smokey Barnable, an ordinary man who leaves the City to visit with the family of one of his coworkers at their country house, Edgewood. There he meets (and marries) Daily Alice Drinkwater and her family, who all are Somehow part of a larger tapestry bridging the world as Smokey knows it and the world of the faerie. Be forewarned, though -- for a book about Faerie, don't expect little people with pointy ears on each page a la Lord of the Rings (which I love, btw, that is not meant disparagingly). On first read, there won't seem to be a lot of Faerie in it at all. But, the Faerie are mostly hidden on each page of Little, Big just as they are in Edgewood, and thoughout the read the sense of magic is everywhere.

Little, Big is at once epic in scope and deeply personal, magical and commonplace. That is part of the wonder of the book, the sense of magic that Crowley works into the quotidian, the feeling that something so unplausible really could be. Crowley's prose is incredibly rich, atmospheric and moving -- I often found myself wondering how he could write so many rich and beautiful lines in one book without ever feeling artificial.

There is not a lot of action, although so many things happen. There is not a lot of dialogue, although there are at least 8 major characters and scores of supporting players. And, as mentioned, there's not a lot of faeries, although they are everywhere (read it and you'll understand!). But, Little, Big is easily one of the best books I've read in the past ten years, the kind of work that is as magical as its subject matter and makes you long for more works this grand. It is a crime that Crowley has not found a wider audience, he is truly one of the most talented writers I've read.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5.0 out of 5 stars If there is a god..., Jun 9 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Little Big (Paperback)

then this is the Bible... well, it works for me at least! It is one of the most momentous and gorgeous books ever written, and god strike me down, I shall stand by that statement for all eternity! I first read this book when I was fifteen, and it hasn't left my side since (that makes nine years). A reviewer here wrote disparagingly that there is no plot, and that therefore you can open the book and read from any point... isn't that the nature of all great scripture? "please turn to verse..." While the writing is dense, and the plot may be slow, it is more than worth the effort to read it. Seriousely, look no further, this is the answer! I swear!

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 23 customer reviews...

Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical doorway...
A magical doorway of a book, whose interior, like the house where much of the novel is set, is larger than its exterior, by which I mean, its rewards and wonders are vast... Read more

Published 11 months ago by Lauren B. Davis

5.0 out of 5 stars Little Big is a big hit!!!
I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was totally lost in the whole story. The fairies, the talking fish, the many-sided house.... Read more

Published on Jan 23 2004 by hansem_m_

3.0 out of 5 stars Well-written but over-rated masterpiece
Well, yes, this is a good book. It's been hailed as a literary masterpiece and it probably is. However, the book has no plot. Read more

Published on Sep 18 2003

2.0 out of 5 stars with all due respect...
...to Crowley and his fans (both in general) ((I am one)) (and fans of LITTLE, BIG in particular)--I have to confess I found LITTLE, BIG a grave disappointment, both in comparison... Read more

Published on Jun 15 2003 by Vince Scoggins

1.0 out of 5 stars I just don't get it
I picked this book up based upon all the raves. Crowley was linked with Mieville and Neil Gaiman, whom I both love. So I was set to really get into Little, Big. Read more

Published on Jun 4 2003 by Michael Cain

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous!
This is an absolutely fabulous book; my favorite book of all time. The prose is breathtakingly beautiful, a joy to read. Read more

Published on Dec 13 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars At Last: A TRUE Masterpiece of Late 20th century Fiction
I first read 'Little,Big' in the late 1980s because I noticed the following fascinating pattern: amongst the most rigorous reviewers in places such as The Washington Post, NY... Read more

Published on Nov 8 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Dream Come True
You don't have to like science fiction or fantasy to love Little, Big. Anyone who appreciates beautifully crafted writing and books that touch the deepest part of soul should... Read more

Published on Oct 16 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A Portrait Of Our Lost Spiritual Legacy
Forget the usual trappings of fantasy, this is a modern masterpiece centering on two of the greatest themes in world literature: faith and remembrance. Read more

Published on Jul 28 2000 by Mr.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Portrait Of Our Lost Spiritual Legacy
Forget the usual trappings of fantasy, this is a modern masterpiece centering on two of the greatest themes in world literature: faith and remembrance. Read more

Published on Jul 10 2000 by Mr.

› See all 23 customer reviews...

Listmania!

Books I Will Never Forget: A list by Wendy Hazelwood Anderson
Magic: A list by Jessica "Jessica"
Some of the Greatest Books I have read!: A list by Anita Gagnon "book worm"

Create a Listmania! list

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

	90% buy the item featured on this page: Little, Big 4.5 out of 5 stars (23)
	4% buy The Glass Castle: A Memoir 4.8 out of 5 stars (85) CDN$ 8.25
	3% buy The Forgotten Garden: A Novel 4.8 out of 5 stars (8) CDN$ 20.16
	2% buy Egypt #1 Solitudes CDN$ 13.87

Little, Big (Paperback)

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product Details

Tag this product

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

Customer Reviews

Listmania!

Feedback

Your Recent History