Rating: 
Summary: Not His Best
Review: I walked into the library one day, looking for, "something different." As I turned the Fantasy rack, a book literally fell into my hands. I didn't look at it. I'd asked, the Universe supplied. Back home, I began to read what turned out to be a book of short stories, and I couldn't put them down. I kept saying, "She got it right!" and, "This is sooo good!" After I turned the last page, I looked at the front cover and got a shock. He got it right. This author, who had just moved to the top of my "To Buy" list, was a man who wrote with so much insight and emotion that I'd mistaken him for a woman (yeah, not PC, and?) I bought the book, "Dreams Underfoot," read it again, then years passed before I had time to read for relaxation. To my joy, I saw that de Lint had just published, "The Little Country" - about a magical book, and an adventure dealing with the Little People of Another Land... A third of the way through the book, I had to check the cover to make sure I had the right author. Don't misunderstand, the book is good, it just isn't as good as I expect from de Lint. I wondered if I'd gotten hold of an early draft of a work meant to be a series, because this is a very fragmented work. The story is laid out in a way that makes the reader flip back and forth between the groups of characters who are involved in the same quest, but not with each other. Each of their sections ends with a cliff-hanging moment, then you get to read about another group getting to their crisis, while keeping straight all the names, locations, and threats. It could have been done better, especially the confrontation between Janey's grandfather and Bett, the resolution of which was delayed too long. By the end, I was annoyed with the protagonist, Janey Little (not the most likeable person,) loved all the other characters, (he could write one whole book about Edern and his people, another about Denzil, Taupin, Henkie, and the children of theTatters, and a third about Peter Goninan.) The most disappointing thing, however, was the author's voice. It was as if he wanted to write this book, but he was tired. Some of it sounds like a travelogue, some like a music lesson, and other parts were like a class in myth and metaphysics (Blavatsky, Colin Wilson, and the superstitions of Cornwall.) This was not the passionate voice I'd come to expect, and at the end, it wasn't the magic I'd wanted. Read it, then, if you haven't already, read the Newford Stories, and get a better idea of why de Lint is known as, "The Master of Urban Fantasy."
Rating:
Summary: Not His Best
Review: I walked into the library one day, looking for, "something different." As I turned the Fantasy rack, a book literally fell into my hands. I didn't look at it. I'd asked, the Universe supplied. Back home, I began to read what turned out to be a book of short stories, and I couldn't put them down. I kept saying, "She got it right!" and, "This is sooo good!" After I turned the last page, I looked at the front cover and got a shock. He got it right. This author, who had just moved to the top of my "To Buy" list, was a man who wrote with so much insight and emotion that I'd mistaken him for a woman (yeah, not PC, and?) I bought the book, "Dreams Underfoot," read it again, then years passed before I had time to read for relaxation. To my joy, I saw that de Lint had just published, "The Little Country" - about a magical book, and an adventure dealing with the Little People of Another Land... A third of the way through the book, I had to check the cover to make sure I had the right author. Don't misunderstand, the book is good, it just isn't as good as I expect from de Lint. I wondered if I'd gotten hold of an early draft of a work meant to be a series, because this is a very fragmented work. The story is laid out in a way that makes the reader flip back and forth between the groups of characters who are involved in the same quest, but not with each other. Each of their sections ends with a cliff-hanging moment, then you get to read about another group getting to their crisis, while keeping straight all the names, locations, and threats. It could have been done better, especially the confrontation between Janey's grandfather and Bett, the resolution of which was delayed too long. By the end, I was annoyed with the protagonist, Janey Little (not the most likeable person,) loved all the other characters, (he could write one whole book about Edern and his people, another about Denzil, Taupin, Henkie, and the children of theTatters, and a third about Peter Goninan.) The most disappointing thing, however, was the author's voice. It was as if he wanted to write this book, but he was tired. Some of it sounds like a travelogue, some like a music lesson, and other parts were like a class in myth and metaphysics (Blavatsky, Colin Wilson, and the superstitions of Cornwall.) This was not the passionate voice I'd come to expect, and at the end, it wasn't the magic I'd wanted. Read it, then, if you haven't already, read the Newford Stories, and get a better idea of why de Lint is known as, "The Master of Urban Fantasy."
Rating: 
Summary: Pure magic!!!
Review: In The Little Country, the enchanting dual-world storyline and Mr. De Lint's lyrical prose combine to mesmerize the reader. This is the finest modern fantasy I have ever read, by one of the most gifted writers of this day. Mr. De Lint, please give us more works like The Little Country, and soon!
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting!
Review: Once again DeLint has woven a beautiful story of magic, mystery and myth. I was immediately in love with the West Country, Janey Little and her grandfather, known as The Gaffer. There are two stories interlocked and connected by the music of the universe, and the magickal energy we all share. If you want to be transported to another country....try "The Little Country!"
Rating:
Summary: The magic of books
Review: The Little Country is all about the magic and music of books, the time periods and places they can take you, and the people to whom they can introduce you. If you enjoy immersing yourself in a story, read this charming tale by DeLint. You will be introduced to a wonderfully vivid cast of characters who are almost too real--you will be hard pressed to tolerate anything bad happening to the heroes and will wonder why they would ever get mixed up with the villains--and taken on a magical journey. Good rainy afternoon reading.
Rating:
Summary: Urban Fantasy at its Best
Review: The Little Country is my first foray into Charles de Lint country, and needless to say, it was a wonderful trip. Janey Little is a successful musician who nevertheless feels a growing sense of inertia. When she finds a mysterious manuscript written by her favorite author, Janey's world simultaneously gets better and worse. Old friends and lovers drift into her life, secret societies threaten members of her small town, and startling revelations are made. Intertwined with Janey's story is the saga of young Jodi, a girl who finds herself face to face with curiouser and curiouser situations. Do Smalls really exist? Can music really mend whole worlds? The Little Country is a tale of urban fantasy with epic proportions. What really makes this rather long novel (500 plus pages) work is the beautiful development of secondary characters. Janey's friends Clare and Felix, for example, are indispensable pieces of the puzzle. Even the most minor of characters are realistically rendered as three-dimensional people with their own unique outlooks and problems. Music IS magic, as The Little Country so beautifully conveys. Mysterious, charming works of fiction are also rather magical, themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Well done
Review: THE LITTLE COUNTRY is quite unlike any of Charles DeLint's other books. Although he relates to his characters in this book every bit as well as he relates to all his other charactes, DeLint brought the readers to England and to a world woven of musical scales and terrible conflicts. As an avid fan of his, I would say this is among my top three favorite Charles DeLint books.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good But Drags
Review: The Story: Janey Little lives with her grandfather in Cornwall in the little village of Mousehole. Her grandfather's best friend wrote two widely sold books before he died, but actually wrote a third book -- published in only one edition -- that he left in the keeping of Janey's grandfather. A secret, semi-occult society is after the book for some reason; they won't tell anyone why, and Janey and her grandfather don't know why the book is so special. Little do they know how special it is! While that story unfolds, the reader is given (in alternating chapters) the story in the secret, one-edition book, also called "The Little Country". The book-within-a-book is loaded with magic and faerie aspects, that eventually wind up in the book-about-the-book part. Commentary: There is a very good story in this book. While the alternating of book-within-a-book and book-about-a-book chapters takes some getting used to, it eventually makes sense and works well. My criticism is that, while Charles de Lint always writes in a very detailed manner, this book takes that to the extreme. There is too much introspection by the characters, and too much scene description. The excessive detailing interferes with the flow of the story and lessens the overall impact and quality. This book is 529 pages long, but should have been 400-450 pages instead. Then, it would have earned at least four stars from me, if not even five.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good But Drags
Review: The Story: Janey Little lives with her grandfather in Cornwall in the little village of Mousehole. Her grandfather's best friend wrote two widely sold books before he died, but actually wrote a third book -- published in only one edition -- that he left in the keeping of Janey's grandfather. A secret, semi-occult society is after the book for some reason; they won't tell anyone why, and Janey and her grandfather don't know why the book is so special. Little do they know how special it is! While that story unfolds, the reader is given (in alternating chapters) the story in the secret, one-edition book, also called "The Little Country". The book-within-a-book is loaded with magic and faerie aspects, that eventually wind up in the book-about-the-book part. Commentary: There is a very good story in this book. While the alternating of book-within-a-book and book-about-a-book chapters takes some getting used to, it eventually makes sense and works well. My criticism is that, while Charles de Lint always writes in a very detailed manner, this book takes that to the extreme. There is too much introspection by the characters, and too much scene description. The excessive detailing interferes with the flow of the story and lessens the overall impact and quality. This book is 529 pages long, but should have been 400-450 pages instead. Then, it would have earned at least four stars from me, if not even five.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books ever
Review: This book changed me. It will change you too. It is one of the most 'complete' books I've ever read. The characters are so real that I have contemplated writing them letters. de Lint is a better storyteller than most - I've described his writing to friends as "as clear and inventive as Steven King, but with actually well-written prose and resolved characters - not just good storytelling." But don't let any mention of Steven King push you away if it's likely to. My main point is that his writing is going to appeal to a broader market than the typical SF/Fantasy crowd that it's aimed at.
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