Larry's Party

· Penguin
4.5
2 reviews
eBook
352
Pages
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn more

About this eBook

The San Diego Tribune called The Stone Diaries a "universal study of what makes women tick." With Larry's Party Carol Shields has done the same for men. Larry Weller, born in 1950, is an ordinary guy made extraordinary by his creator's perception, irony, and tenderness. Larry's Party gives us, as it were, a CAT scan of his life, in episodes between 1977 and 1997, that seamlessly flash backward and forward. We follow this young floral designer through two marriages and divorces, and his interactions with his parents, friends, and a son. Throughout, we witness his deepening passion for garden mazes--so like life, with their teasing treachery and promise of reward. Among all the paradoxes and accidents of his existence, Larry moves through the spontaneity of the seventies, the blind enchantment of the eighties, and the lean, mean nineties, completing at last his quiet, stubborn search for self. Larry's odyssey mirrors the male condition at the end of our century with targeted wit, unerring poignancy, and faultless wisdom.

Ratings and reviews

4.5
2 reviews
A Google user
1 April 2011
Very well written. Larry hovers somewhere between ordinary and extraordinary, neither a heel, nor a hero, in short, someone that middle class men can readily identify themselves with. At times somewhat circuitous, which I understand is intentional because he is a maze maker, but it still can be a bit repetitious. I found the ending came suddenly, I wanted to know what was next for Larry. A fine contribution from an author who l wish would have had the chance to do a couple more stories.
Did you find this helpful?
A Google user
18 May 2012
Wow i am in shock i am havimg a tough time textong as you can tell, my hands are shaking & sweaty! This story is about my dad he said a friend was writing a story about him and this was several years ago --he (dad) "A FLORIST OR HEDGEMAN!!"Come on i thought it would be a True account of his life,after reading some of the reviews just to make sure this was the book he'd mentioned i am so disappointed by the thumb twiddling events(his life) that were put in place of reality.IT IS MY DUTY TO REWRITE HIS STORY!
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Carol Shields (1935-2003) is the author of The Stone Diaries, which won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Canada's Governor General's Award. Her other novels and short-story collections include The Republic of Love, Happenstance, Swann, The Orange Fish, Various Miracles, The Box Garden, and Small Ceremonies (all available from Penguin).

Rate this eBook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Centre instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.