Rating: 
Summary: Well done, as usual
Review: After reading "Stone Diaries" and "Happenstance" I finally got around to reading "Larry's Party." And I'm glad I am; really I am, it's just that this one didn't make it to "5" for me, and somehow it just missed being the most terrific book ever. In simpler terms, characters were alive and fully fleshed, plot was good, lots of interesting info on all aspects of hedge mazes, great interior monologue, BUT ... chapters started having the feel of short stories because so much information was repeated as if you, the reader, couldn't keep the facts straight. This said, please read Carol Shields. She is wise beyond belief and writes honestly.
Rating:
Summary: Intersting in a voyeursitic manner
Review: The Larry in question is a man whose entire adult life is studied minutely in this novel, and this is what is fasinating about it. It has certainly held my attention, even though there is no real adventure or substance in the plot - it is all about Larry. Having said this it is certainly an entertaining book, and the sub plot of his obsession with hedges is different, but all in all I think Larry is a guy we can all identify with, and Ms Shields does a very good job of making us care what happens to him.
Rating: 
Summary: Maze for the Mind
Review: What I didn't get immediately, but then dawned on me Eureka-fashion at three o'clock in the morning, was that this book is structured like a maze. Yes, think about it - it keeps looping back and more is revealed about one thread of story each time. If you took the trouble of tracing the paths of the maze diagrams in the book, you would see that. Now why didn't I see that? The writing is very good prose, and the descriptions often very rich and sensual - especially of the Harris tweed jacket (I own one) which I read three times, before reading the rest of the book. However, the tale lacks an emotional centre ... its like a well-written story about ... what? Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of "about what?"/slice of life stories which sizzle - but this just wasn't one of them. I felt exactly like ... completing a maze and finding an ugly stone fountain at the end. Exactly. Unfortunately.
Rating:
Summary: Unique
Review: What an usual book. I loved how Carol Shields created a man who at first glance seems ordinary but is in fact quite extrodinary. I loved his passion for mazes and the symbolism they stood for.
Rating: 
Summary: I Loved This Book!
Review: I thought this was one of the more refreshing books I've read in a while, due mainly to the fact that Larry is nothing special. I get so tired of reading novels where the protagonist is a billionaire or a stunningly handsome James Bond-type character. I really enjoyed the mundane descriptions of Larry growing up in Winnipeg, and how the events in his life just sort of happened to him. I found the ordinary characters to be much more believable and much more interesting than the usual hyped-up characters who populate modern fiction. The layout of the book actually had me wondering whether these chapters were originally written as short stories; I too found the repetition of background material in each chapter to be somewhat tedious. As a plot device it didn't really wash. Overall, though, this is another Bargain Bin treasure that I am going to recommend to others. I read "Stone Diaries" and must say that I liked this one better. Hoorah for the common man!
Rating:
Summary: Go straight to The Stone Diaries instead
Review: I am a huge Carol Shields fan, but this book left me lukewarm. This is one of the few times Shields inhabits the skin of a male character, ostensibly to explain what it's like to be a man at the end of the 20th century. If, after feminism, a man is no longer a hunter-gatherer, a protector or provider, what is his role in relationships, family and society? If you're a Shields fan already, you'll find this entertaining and well-written, if a bit lightweight. The ending, where Larry comes around full circle, echoing the pattern of one of his mazes, was tied up a bit too neatly for me. If you're new to her work, by all means read The Stone Diaries or Swann first -- her two best works, in that order. Larry's Party is a good book, but for me not as brilliant or satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: On second thoughts
Review: When I first read this, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and much more than 'The Stone Diaries'. More than a year out, however, I find that 'Diairies' has stayed with me longer. I did like the structure and plotting of this story, and think Shields is a terrific writer. The central conceit of the maze is fun. Nice to read a "serious book" with a happy ending too.
Rating:
Summary: Flows like water.....
Review: Extraordinary.... simply Shield at her best! This is the best sory I've ever rad so far! Shield described Larry as a character of typical Canadian that really gives a true impresion on what is really like to be Canadian. The stories flow like a river eventhough the ending of the dinner party doesn't give much excitement as expected! Still.. this is highly-recomended!
Rating:
Summary: Great - until the very end
Review: Carol Shields is a great author and I have read many of her books and was totally engrossed with her characters. With "Larry's Party", I loved it until the chapter entitled "Larry's Party" (the last chapter?). The ending was a let-down. The entire book builds the character of Larry up so successfully and intimately. The last chapter is anti-climatic or disappointing. It may have been better to not have read this chapter and just end the book by guessing the outcome on one's own. No regrets on buying this hardback though--expands my library of Carol Shields books.
Rating:
Summary: it's a great book
Review: This book was one of many that I've read and I only know one other book that has put such an effect on me. This book shows a point of view that can't easily be showed. Carol Shields is a fantastic author and I can't wait for more of her stories.
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