I have read several of deLint’s other novels and always admired his ability to make magic tangible in a contemporary, real world setting. The way he weaves myth and fairytale into otherwise ordinary settings is almost like a kind of magic in itself. He is also a master at avoiding fantasy tropes, telling stories that are full of unique characters and plot twists.

Wonderful. Two stories in parallel. You'll lose yourself in this fantasy. I really must read more of this guy.

I'm not actually a Charles de Lint fan. Since I read this book some years ago I've read a few books by the author that I really didn't care for, some I found okay, but none I like as well. Sometimes it happens like that, you find the first book you stumble on by an author turns out to be the best you ever run across. The story caught my interest from the moment Janey (Little) finds the curious book in her grandfather's attic. The folk music angle...the magic permeating the story has all kinds of...

8/10So much of this book is a delightful, magical, thought-provoking story, but the mismatched romance aspects (every woman loves Felix?) and the powerful, evil, mystical cabal who run the world plot(s) don’t work as well as the story of Jodi and her companions dealing with the Widow Pender and central tale surrounding William Dunthorn’s mysterious book. The author’s philosophizing is neatly woven into the themes and plots of the tales, adding depth rather than distractions within the story.

I must have failed completely to grasp that half the book (Jodi's storyline) was in fact the book Janey is reading. This wasn't clear to me at all, I went back and it still didn't seem to be made clear so either I am being especially stupid (possible) or it genuinely wasn't very clear.This is a huge book, I feel it would have benefitted from some serious editing, also contains the usual gangster EVIL villains that De Lint seemed to be very keen on in his earlier books. Something I find grates on...

Written in 1991, years before the current " Urban Fantasy" trend, The Little Country is a magical and mythical novel taking place in our world. The setting, unlike other De Lint novels that are usually set either in Ottawa, Newford or the Southwest, is Cornwall, England. Most of the story is set in the time it was written, but part of the story, within the story, takes place in what appears to be the 19th century. Otherwise, the characteristics typical De Lint's writing; the blending of myth and...

Magic, music, mysticism and mythology all play their parts in shaping the world and lives of de Lint's characters in The Little Country. Set in the 1980s, these elements come up hard against the modern world and its corruptions and complications. In this book, de Lint shows once again that he is a master of painting the ineffable with words and images that touched my heart and spirit. Very highly recommended.

My favorite DeLint. It's about Janey Little, a musician who finds a secret book hidden in her grandfathers house; a book that is different for everyone who reads it and full of great power. It's being sought by the Order of the Grey Dove, a Crowleyan group of scary powerful wierdos.

Ok, this started good. I was interested. It's a very unique and intriguing story for sure. There are.magical people, evil secret societies, a scary witch-like lady, talking dead people. All kinds of interesting things! I made it about halfway and I've been struggling for weeks now with it. I'm not sure what happened but I'm just not caring anymore what happens. I read a few pages, put it aside. So, I'm going to officially put it aside and move on.

One of the first Charles de Lint novels I read. I've been hooked ever since. It's still one of my favorites. I think it's the combination of well-written fantasy, the coast of Cornwall, and all the music that makes this one so wonderful.

The Little Country contains two stories, a modern day world of seemingly inaccessible magic (wake up and smell the roses kinds), and the story within a story of a sinister fairy world that may not be entirely fictional after all. The magic of books and music! de Lint's got me there. (Add food to the equation and there really is nothing better.)Charles de Lint writes well enough about what drives the normal old little people (er not the fairy kind of little people, the kind that get stepped on by...

Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places, but it seems harder and harder to find standalone Fantasy novels. Everyone seems into trilogies (especially if you're writing YA) and long series. I get it. Why spend all that time world-building for just one novel? But, even so, sometimes I don't want to invest in a long saga or three-parter. I just want a great Fantasy read. And with The Little Country, I found one. Not too long, but meaty and very satisfying. No new languages to learn or worlds

Every book tells a different story to the person who reads it. How they perceive that book will depend on who they are. A good book reflects the reader, as much as it illuminates the author's text.Much like what The Gaffer says to Janey about the book choosing it's own time, I feel like that is what happened with me & The Little Country! I am a huge fantasy fan, so of course I have heard of Charles de Lint before, but not this particular book. One day last year, I was browsing my favorite used b...

Years ago, a coworker of mine left his technical position behind, to focus full-time on his musical career, playing traditional music on instruments like the hammered dulcimer, fiddle and mandolin. The last time I saw Carl, he was bearded and smiling, looking younger than I'd ever seen him appear while at his job—and he's still going strong as of 2018.I think Carl would fit right into Charles de Lint's world. The old music still has magic to it, you see, or at least it does in The Little Country...

Quite possibly the most whimsical and unique book I've read in quite some time, this was my first time reading anything by Charles de Lint, and I'm sure this won't be the last. It is an unusual book, and it is truly unlike anything I've ever read, but I got lost in the story within The Little Country. There was something about Charles de Lint's writing that just absolutely sucked me in. Honestly, I think part of it had to do with the fact that this story reminded me of just good old-fashioned st...

An interesting fantasy novel with a story within a story, the book story set in a less mechanized time (there are bicycles and steam locomotives, but no cars are mentioned that I can recall). There characters were engaging, and the sense of place in the frame story set in Cornwall was wonderful, but there was too much philosophizing for my taste. Most contemporary readers of fantasy would find this book rather slow, but despite my criticisms I liked it.

I was about to pull another Guy Gavriel Kay novel off my shelf for a reliable good read after slogging through a bit of a stinker, when I was pricked by a pin of conscience. I've met Charles de Lint occasionally over the years; he is a friend of a friend; we've exchanged a few e-mails and he's given me some advice.And I have not read one of his books until now.After finishing The Little Country, this seems truly ludicrous. This book easily stands up with some of the finest fantasy writing. It is...

Clearly written by a mystic, this is one of the most magical novels I've ever read. DeLint's writing is a delight as well as the way he weaves a wealth of knowledge about music into the story. I'm a big fan of Celtic music and it's hard to read this book without hearing a ghostly reel playing in a far off corner of one's mind. Highly recommended. I've already begun sending copies to friends. And, oh goody, look - this author has a deep bibliography!

This was a great story. The different characters were vibrant and real, the situations they found themselves in had a good emotional loading and you found yourself really uncertain what the end would be. The different storylines complemented each other well and left a good satisfying feel at the conclusion of the book.One way this book really scored was the character development of the ‘bad guys’. A book I had recently finished had totally left out any character development for the bad guys but

It started out really well, very interesting. There are two stories running parallel with each other. At first, I enjoyed one story more than the other but I was eventually taken over into the other story. However, the middle seemed to drag on a bit. By the end it all made sense but I sort of lost a bit of interest.The pros for the book was that the author used his imagination and touched on things that I’ve thought about but never said out loud. You’ll have to read the book to know what I’m tal...