Short description
The new novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'The Stone Diaries'.
Long description
The new novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'The Stone Diaries'. Larry's Party is about being a man in this part of the twentieth century, when so many supports have been removed, and covers the life of its protagonist, Larry, between the ages of 27 and 47, from 1977 to 1997, and illustrates how men have had to change; it looks at how you define masculinity in the post-feminist world. Two strands run through the book: work and goodness. The chapters are at once independent of each other and yet connected, with titles like: Larry's Friends, Larry's Look, Larry's Kid, Larry's Folks, Larry's Love, Larry's Penis, Larry's Speech, Men called Larry, Larry's Alternate, Larry's Party, Larry's Real Life Life, Larry So Far, Old Larry.
Review
'A brilliant fictional reflection on what it may be like to be a man in the late 20th-century.' Penelope Lively, Independent 'Altogether a cause for celebration.' Anita Brookner, Spectator 'There is a moving sensation that somehow leaves one grappling for the single word to describe it. Poignant? Touching? Oh you know, the real thing.' Harpers and Queen 'No more richly satisfying novel, to my knowledge, has been published this year!Shields demonstrates once again her extreme mastery of emotional geometry.' Sunday Telegraph 'This is, like all of Shields's work, filled with warmth and understanding.' The Times 'Exhilarating.' Sunday Times