Larry's Party
Carol Shields · 1935–2003 · Canada / United States
Why it matters
An ordinary Winnipeg florist discovers a passion for building garden hedge mazes after his honeymoon at Hampton Court, and the novel leaps forward in years to track his marriages and inner life. Shields again insists an unremarkable life deserves fiction's full attention.
At a glance
family sagapsychological novel
Difficulty 4/10medium pace339 pagesWarm, accessible prose moves in clear multi-year leaps rather than a dense structure.
