A dense, rewarding read. Full of fascinating references to myth, history, Shakespeare, architecture,and more. A book to read and savor. The plot tends to meander at times, but the detours are always interesting. The pace is slooow, but again, the writing is so rich, that isn't as frustrating as it could be. It also reminded me very often of my favorite book of all--Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale", which is a much better book than this one! ( )

I have to report that I have no idea what’s going on in Little, Big. Smoky Barnable marries "Daily" Alice Drinkwater in a family that’s strange. Weird house. They might or might not have made deals with faeries. Faeries might or might not exist. Smoky doesn’t seem to know what’s going on either. Part of the story is about his son Auberon, named for a family uncle. Auberon moves to the City for a period and lives in a gutted out city block that’s been turned into a walled farm. That was cool. And then things get weird again and I lost track of the doings.

Full "review" here: http://reading.kingrat.biz/reviews/li... ( )

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. Approach this book with trust and curiosity -- allow yourself to be seduced by the language, the whimsy and the intelligence. Wander through the chapters as you would a house full of fascinating oddities and intriguing people. A book over which to linger. You will certainly want to keep a copy in your library, since I can think of few other books that so clearly invite a second, or third, reading. ( )

My all-time favorite novel, atmospheric, sad and funny story of a magical family in a house that is many houses. Great love story, too.

An epic story about a family caught at the interface between two worlds - that of man and fairies. Or are they? The book is ambiguous. For much of the novel the reader and the characters are kept guessing about what is actually going on. Are there fairies? Do they mean harm or good? Is there a war, or not? Even after reading the book, I am still not sure what really happened. Like the world of the fairies, the book is ambigous and ephemeral. ( )