Little, Big
by John Crowley
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More Recommenders
“One of the best novels I?ve ever read. | One of the best novels I’ve ever read. | Those of you who know me know how absolutely obnoxious I am when I passionately love something like Eurovision or wombats or anchorites or whatever, and ...well...I have a massive broadsheet of a chapter from Little, Big on my living room wall. I am a JERK about this book. | You can still order one of the trade editions of Little, Big. It?s one of the most beautiful books I?ve held. It?s the most readable edition of this classic and important book ever published. There are a few hundred left and then they will be gone. They ship in January. | You can still order one of the trade editions of Little, Big. It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve held. It’s the most readable edition of this classic and important book ever published. There are a few hundred left and then they will be gone. They ship in January.”
Source →“One of the best novels I?ve ever read. | One of the best novels I’ve ever read. | Those of you who know me know how absolutely obnoxious I am when I passionately love something like Eurovision or wombats or anchorites or whatever, and ...well...I have a massive broadsheet of a chapter from Little, Big on my living room wall. I am a JERK about this book. | You can still order one of the trade editions of Little, Big. It?s one of the most beautiful books I?ve held. It?s the most readable edition of this classic and important book ever published. There are a few hundred left and then they will be gone. They ship in January. | You can still order one of the trade editions of Little, Big. It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve held. It’s the most readable edition of this classic and important book ever published. There are a few hundred left and then they will be gone. They ship in January.”
Source →Recommended by 4 notable people, including Tim Ferriss and Neil Gaiman
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
John Crowley's Little, Big reads like a long, lyrical fairy tale folded into a family chronicle; its pleasure is in language, detail, and the slow blurring of ordinary life with uncanny edges. Scenes arrive as accumulative tableaux rather than tight plot turns, so what works best is mood and layered atmosphere rather than clear action. The main limitation is the book's fondness for digression and ornate sentences, which can stall momentum and frustrate readers who prefer fast plots. Best tackled in measured chunks so images have time to settle.
Read this if...
- •a book-club leader organizing a 10–12 person neighborhood group that meets twice a month and needs a two-month pick that keeps conversation alive — the novel’s intergenerational mysteries and ambiguous magic supply recurring discussion points across meetings
- •an English teacher on summer break with long evenings who wants to rebuild reading stamina and relish crafted sentences rather than chase plot twists — this book rewards slow, attentive reading sessions over a vacation or several long nights
- •a public librarian assembling a fall adult display to attract both literary-fiction and contemporary-romance borrowers who overlap in circulation — the domestic setting plus subtle fairy elements act as a bridge title for those audiences
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the prose drifts into long, meandering household histories and tangents that stall forward motion
- •annoying if you prefer plot-driven, fast-paced fantasy with clear magical rules and quick payoffs — this book privileges mood over mechanics
- •you'll lose interest if you want tidy, explicit explanations of fate or magic; the narrative stays elliptical and keeps many things unresolved
John Crowley's masterful Little, Big is the epic story of Smoky Barnable, an anonymous young man who travels by foot from the City to a place called Edgewood_x0097_not found on any map_x0097_to marry Daily Alice Drinkwater, as was prophesied. It is the story of four generations of a singular family, living in a house that is many houses on the magical border o...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- a book-club leader organizing a 10–12 person neighborhood group that meets twice a month and needs a two-month pick that keeps conversation alive — the novel’s intergenerational mysteries and ambiguous magic supply recurring discussion points across meetings
- an English teacher on summer break with long evenings who wants to rebuild reading stamina and relish crafted sentences rather than chase plot twists — this book rewards slow, attentive reading sessions over a vacation or several long nights
- a public librarian assembling a fall adult display to attract both literary-fiction and contemporary-romance borrowers who overlap in circulation — the domestic setting plus subtle fairy elements act as a bridge title for those audiences
- you'll likely put it down when the prose drifts into long, meandering household histories and tangents that stall forward motion
- annoying if you prefer plot-driven, fast-paced fantasy with clear magical rules and quick payoffs — this book privileges mood over mechanics
- you'll lose interest if you want tidy, explicit explanations of fate or magic; the narrative stays elliptical and keeps many things unresolved
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 5 sources and appears in Standalone Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, and Books Recommended by Tim Ferriss.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Catherynne M. Valente
“One of the best novels I?ve ever read. | One of the best novels I’ve ever read. | Those of you who know me know how absolutely obnoxious I am when I passionately love something like Eurovision or wombats or anchorites or whatever, and ...well...I have a massive broadsheet of a chapter from Little, Big on my living room wall. I am a JERK about this book. | You can still order one of the trade editions of Little, Big. It?s one of the most beautiful books I?ve held. It?s the most readable edition of this classic and important book ever published. There are a few hundred left and then they will be gone. They ship in January. | You can still order one of the trade editions of Little, Big. It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve held. It’s the most readable edition of this classic and important book ever published. There are a few hundred left and then they will be gone. They ship in January.”
View sources (3) ▾80%
Appears In
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.