Published in 1981 by Bantam Books, Little, Big is a novel which critics called a "neglected masterpiece." The novel tells the story of a man named Smoky Barnable. He travels by foot from a city to another place called Edgewood. There, he intends to (and was foretold to) marry a woman called Daily Alice Drinkawater. The novel chronicles the couple's love story, as well as the stories of future generations in the family.
John Crowley's Little, Big is a poignant exploration of loss, love, family, and perhaps most profoundly, what it means to be human. It simultaneously tells the story of one couple and all of humanity; despite being a fantasy, the novel is grounded in realism.
Little, Big won the World Fantasy Award in 1982. In their overwhelmingly positive review of the novel, NPR said that "Little, Big is that very rare book that manages to be both immensely imaginative and completely sincere." Similarly, acclaimed author Ursula Gein wrote that the novel is ″a book that all by itself calls for a redefinition of fantasy."
