Little, Big [Hardcover]

John Crowley (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Bantam (1984)
• ASIN: B000VDREK0
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (150 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,368,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Crowley was born in the appropriately liminal town of Presque Isle, Maine, in 1942, his father then an officer in the US Army Air Corps. He grew up in Vermont, northeastern Kentucky and (for the longest stretch) Indiana, where he went to high school and college. He moved to New York City after college to make movies, and did find work in documentary films, an occupation he still pursues. He published his first novel (The Deep) in 1975, and his 14th volume of fiction (Lord Byron's Novel: The Evening Land) in 2005. Since 1993 he has taught creative writing at Yale University. In 1992 he received the Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He finds it more gratifying that almost all his work is still in print.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

145 of 149 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, March 19, 2000

By 

Chris D. (Ocean Grove, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little, Big (Paperback)

It took me a few attempts to get rolling with "Little, Big". There is no real action to speak of and not a lot of dialogue - the story just sort of meanders along. Still, my perseverance was well-rewarded...and how! John Crowley's writing has an elegance and beauty that is simply incomparable. I could throw out any number of adjectives - lyrical, sensual, dense, profound, heartbreaking, haunting...in short, an amazing achievement. I have re-read it many times since, and each time I notice new details and depths. As the key concept of the book states, "the further in you go the bigger it gets". It is by no means a light, casual read, and will not appeal to all readers.

The complex story is hard to describe or explain very well (I've tried a number of times to do so). The book opens with a young man named Smokey Barnable making his way on foot from the City to a place called Edgewood, where he is going to marry Daily Alice Drinkwater. From this charming beginning, "Little, Big" goes on to trace the history of the Drinkwater family, whose story is quite literally a Fairy Tale that they only vaguely understand themselves (although they know that they are in it) and of Edgewood, an amazing house "of four floors, seven chimneys, three hundred and sixty-five stairs, (and) fifty-two doors", which is a doorway to the Fairies. "Little, Big" jumps back and forth across five Drinkwater generations as the meaning of the Tale and their place and purpose in it becomes clearer, while Smoky (and later his son Auberon) struggle with their disbelief.

It may not sound like much (and there really is a lot more to it than my extremely brief synopsis), but John Crowley's superb and gorgeous writing just sweeps you along. There are all kinds of odd digressions and even odder characters (including the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Grandfather Trout). Many times I found myself paging back through the book looking for small references that I half-remembered which came up again with greater significance many pages later. The last 50 pages or so (as the Tale reaches its conclusion) are simply heart-wrenching as the Tale (and the novel) reaches its conclusion.

Like other reviewers, I always pick up extra copies to loan to my friends. I just tell them to read it (and hopefully return it, which they seldom do). Don't get discouraged if you have problems getting through "Little, Big" at first. As I mentioned, it took me a few tries to really get rolling with it, but once I was "over the hump" I had no problems getting to the end, and even wondered why I had problems in the first place.

I really don't know what else I can say about this magnificent book. As it has remained my favorite novel for some years now, I cannot recommend "Little, Big" more highly.

89 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond good, May 8, 2000

By 

Michael Battaglia - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little, Big (Paperback)

Wow. That's all I can really say about this. I'm not sure what more I can say that would make you go out and seek this book down at all costs (the other reviewers here already having done a fine job of kindling that desire hopefully) but every little bit helps and maybe some publisher will read all these and realize that this book deserves to be in print. So . . . deep breath, where to start? I could say that this easily ranks among the best books I've ever read but that tells you nothing. So why do I love it so? The story in essence is a tale (or Tale) of one family's (one large family) association with fairies. But this isn't a typical fantasy novel. For one thing the focus is entirely on the family, the story lunges backwards and forwards in time and the family tree in the beginning is given there for a reason . . . pay attention to it. There's isn't much action but frankly you don't miss it, the action that is there is implied, Crowley shows us the mold and lets our imagination fill the spaces in, the way the best writers do. And ah, the language. If only every fantasy novel could capture the elegance and sheer range of his words. Whether he's being funny or serious or sensual or touching or whatever, there are passages you just want to read outloud. And you will be moved, he'll make you feel joy, despair and everything in between. George Mouse's retelling of his encounter with Sophie's baby has to be one of the most riveting pieces of literature I've ever read. But the overall tone is gentle, images of spring and winter with spring not far ahead (or behind) fill every corner. The fairies' influence is everywhere but they're rarely seen, which is absolutely great. One of the few perfect books in existence, I never wanted it to end and when it did, I felt perfectly satisified. Do whatever you can to find this book, the only bad thing about finishing it is that you know that it'll take a long time before you find a book nearly as excellent. But you can always read it again. One of the forgotten classics of all time, it deserves wider recognition.

73 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Dream Come True, October 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Little, Big (Paperback)

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 find what their looking for here. John Crowley is one of the most wonderful writers in existence and Little, Big is certainly his best effort to date. His wonderful (and wondrous) books do unfold without a lot of John Grisham action, so if that's your idea of great literature, Little, Big probably wouldn't be for you.

About half of this gorgeous story takes place in New York City, although Crowley never actually calls it that, he just writes, "the City," while the other half takes place at Edgewood (you will find as you read that none of the names in this book are chosen at random, each has a special significance that eventually becomes crystal clear). Edgewood is an unsurpassingly complicated house, built around the turn of the century, by an architect whose wife could see...faeries.

Although we never meet the faeries directly in this novel, their presence is felt through almost all of the book. They are the faeries of A Midsummer Night's Dream, embodying the qualities of mischievousness, whimsy, capriciousness and untrustworthiness. The faeries are also an odd mix of power and vulnerability, but their spirit is in decline. Much of what happens in Little, Big happens because the faeries must rejuvenate the old with the new. Far from being a simple tale of magic or fantasy, this a highly complex one; Little, Big is a mammoth work of more than 600 pages in length.

The story begins with Smoky Barnable, an ordinary man who marries into an extraordinary family (the architect's great-granddaughter). It is Smoky who introduces us to Edgewood and to the subtle, but fantastic presence that his wife's family seems to take for granted. Smoky has a difficult time adjusting and sometimes he feels as though he's the only sane person in an otherwise insane world. The other residents of Edgewood see it differently; they somehow realize that a grand scheme is being played out and that once it is, their lives, as well as the lives of the faeries, will take on a luminous new meaning.

As we near the end of the century, Smoky's son Auberon leaves Edgewood for the City. It is, however, not quite the magical city that Smoky knew. There is a depression, nothing runs quite like it should and a feeling of dread looms over all. Against this background of dread, Auberon meets and falls in love with Sylvie. It is her disappearance that provides the catalyst for the final act of the faeries' scheme.

Despite Little, Big's length, not a word in the book is wasted. Everything is essential, everything is perfect and everything is perfectly placed. There are digressions and detours, but they all have their purpose. And, even if they didn't, they are a joy to read, in and of themselves.

This is a book that unfolds slowly, like new Spring leaves or roses on a perfect summer's day, but slowly is just right for Little, Big. Crowley conveys so many emotions in this book: joy, sorrow, loss, lust but most of all, love. By the time you reach the end, you come to a slow but perfect understanding of why the faeries' rejuvenation is so crucial. This is a beautiful and beautifully-told tale and one that lingers...like a lover's kiss or the end of that perfect summer's day.