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Happy As Larry
Laurence Augustine Rainbow is born into an ordinary family, and seems set for an ordinary life. But as the world changes around him, so does the happiness of his own family.
Unique, dark and ultimately uplifting, this is a beautiful story of one family - and one boy - trying to hold their heads above water in a world quietly gone mad.
Unique, dark and ultimately uplifting, this is a beautiful story of one family - and one boy - trying to hold their heads above water in a world quietly gone mad.
- GenresYoung AdultTeen
Paperback
First published June 1, 2010
About the author
Scot Gardner
30 books57 followersScot Gardner wasn't born reading and writing; in fact, he left school in year eleven to undertake an apprenticeship in gardening with the local council. He has worked as a waiter, masseur, delivery truck driver, home dad, counselor, and musician.
These days he spends half the year writing and half the year on the road talking to people about his books and the craft of writing.
These days he spends half the year writing and half the year on the road talking to people about his books and the craft of writing.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 26, 2011
‘The story of a life can be left in the hands of just a few key players and acted out on a stage scarcely bigger than a suburban dream. With a humble cast and a budget limited to the income of a professional postman, the life of Lawrence Augustine Rainbow is one such story.’ Larry is the desperately loved child of Mal and Denise, a regular in-love couple, but as a series of dramatic events intrude on their lives, both from far away and in their street, the bonds that tie their close-knit family begin to fray. Moments such as the invasion of Kuwait, the first probe landing on Mars, 9/11 and meeting scruffy neighbourhood kid, Clinton Miller. Larry is instantly likeable and grows even moreso as he tries to save his parents’ marriage and runs holding a rope with elderly neighbour Vince who is going blind. This is an expertly crafted novel by a writer who loves words. As we follow the Rainbow’s decline, Scot never abandons his affection and hope for these characters, as he creates an increasing tension that takes hold, while you wait, fingers crossed, and hope for the ending.
December 21, 2021
This is like no other Gardner book I have read. I'm used to gritty characters finding their way in the world with humour, a bit of angst and a touch of hope at the end. Larry is such a character, and I was in his corner a the way through, but boy it's a hard, heartbreaking read to get there. 💔 Mal and Denise, Larry's parents, are a presence a the way through, and at times it felt like I was reading THEIR story. And Vince, Larry's neighbour is a classic Gardner mentor character for Larry.
I'm glad I read all the way to the end, despite crying angry tears for the last two chapters. And it is easy to see where The Dead I Know came from.
A worthwhile read to see how Scot Gardner's craft has developed.
Don't miss it.
I'm glad I read all the way to the end, despite crying angry tears for the last two chapters. And it is easy to see where The Dead I Know came from.
A worthwhile read to see how Scot Gardner's craft has developed.
Don't miss it.
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February 11, 2017I'M NOT OKAY
IT'S NOT OKAY
Nothing is going to be the same again. Why didn't just go to sleep instead of reading this. My head feels funny.
I feel like I'm drowning in all the sadness around me.
IT'S NOT OKAY
Nothing is going to be the same again. Why didn't just go to sleep instead of reading this. My head feels funny.
I feel like I'm drowning in all the sadness around me.
February 10, 2015
It was all going perfectly until the last few chapters. I feel as if the author just threw in a bunch of Hollywood drama for the sake of an ending. Disappointed.
November 8, 2018
This book started out OK but just became ultra depressing. Just horrid! I think the end was meant to show you can get through whatever life throws at you but unless you are religious it is not very comforting at all. The good people get destroyed in progressively more horrid ways. The poor dog gets its head blown up. The baby bird gets squished and the rabbit gets thrown at things till it dies. Seriously who thinks up all this and doesn't bat an eyelid?
This book is seriously messed up and I would certainly not let young people read it. Just nasty!
This book is seriously messed up and I would certainly not let young people read it. Just nasty!
June 11, 2022
Awfully written. Where is the zero button?
February 19, 2013
This is the second work of Scot Gardner's that I read. I enjoyed his 'Gravity', so i picked this one up. But it was very hard to read.
While it isn't inherently terrible or badly-written work, 'Happy as Larry' unfortunately suffers from BEING INCREDIBLY BORING. Very early on, I had already written this one off as an 'okay/pass' kind of book, but luckily, it somehow managed to redeem itself in the latter half. For this reason, and for the latter parts of the book, I can somewhat look upon it favorably.
That being said, there were many issues with the book that caused me to avoid picking it off my desk and methodically chugging through it. IT'S SO SLOW AND BORING. The prologue introduces it as a story that will turn away from Hollywood syndrome and be somewhat morbidly realistic and blunt, an "everyday kind of" feel. But this "everyday" feel makes the first half drag on and on, and it was hard to maintain interest. Gardner also makes an effort to relate the events of Larry's childhood with the disasters and events in history at the time. At first, it's kind of cute, but it quickly becomes irritating and overused.
There is too much information that is not needed, too much focus on everyday life that doesn't serve a purpose. While I understand what Gardner is trying to do here, the way he's portrayed average daily life and is slowly feeding little hints of darkness at the reader, I wish he was more specific with this direction. I don't need the extra pages of scenery or flowery descriptions of life here. I feel that there is a place for somewhat philosophical pondering later in the book, when things have actually developed, and then, they should be small snippets thoughtfully placed within the text.
Larry is also kind of boring. I like him and all, sounds like a nice kid. But his personality is so flat, he is simply a "nice kid" serving as a way to look into the family dynamics of Mal and Denise. He asks all the right questions at the right time in order to display certain facts about the Rainbow family at a certain time. For this reason, I don't find him very believable as a child at all. His age is also defined shakily, even later in the book, he still seems to act too young and naive for his given age.
I do have to say that the common recurrence of death in Larry's childhood was done quite well. Clinton was also incredibly well-written, he creates fear in the reader, he's exactly the kind of twisted kid born from unfortunate circumstances, and I feel that Gardner truly deserves some recognition for creating such a fantastic character and displaying it so well.
It is not until after the first hundred pages or so that Gardner somehow redeems himself. For me, this happened when Clinton accidentally doused himself with petrol and set himself alight. At last the novel seems to have found its direction, and with this direction, the events flow better together and the pacing improves. Towards the end of the book, things move much faster and drama is created nicely, making the rest an enjoyable and thrilling read.
When Larry finally snaps, I manage to see Larry as a three-dimensional character rather than the flat one he was previously. As before, Clinton is a worthy nemesis, an artfully created villain, and the misunderstandings and trouble he creates for Larry is painful to see. This book is at its best when the Rainbow household falls apart and all the things that have been built up over Larry's childhood come together in a violent meltdown. And I'm happy to say it was worth the excruciatingly painful first half of the book to get to this point.
Overall, 'Happy as Larry' is a great, dark story with a good idea behind it. I appreciate the direction and purpose Gardner was working towards, but his execution faltered in a few areas. It can afford to be shorter and more succinct, where every isolated incident in Larry's childhood and his parents' lives should count, where no piece of writing is wasted or boring. It would've benefited from a harsh heavy edit- such as cutting out the first hundred pages- as it is a story that should be gripping the whole way through, not just from the second half.
While it isn't inherently terrible or badly-written work, 'Happy as Larry' unfortunately suffers from BEING INCREDIBLY BORING. Very early on, I had already written this one off as an 'okay/pass' kind of book, but luckily, it somehow managed to redeem itself in the latter half. For this reason, and for the latter parts of the book, I can somewhat look upon it favorably.
That being said, there were many issues with the book that caused me to avoid picking it off my desk and methodically chugging through it. IT'S SO SLOW AND BORING. The prologue introduces it as a story that will turn away from Hollywood syndrome and be somewhat morbidly realistic and blunt, an "everyday kind of" feel. But this "everyday" feel makes the first half drag on and on, and it was hard to maintain interest. Gardner also makes an effort to relate the events of Larry's childhood with the disasters and events in history at the time. At first, it's kind of cute, but it quickly becomes irritating and overused.
There is too much information that is not needed, too much focus on everyday life that doesn't serve a purpose. While I understand what Gardner is trying to do here, the way he's portrayed average daily life and is slowly feeding little hints of darkness at the reader, I wish he was more specific with this direction. I don't need the extra pages of scenery or flowery descriptions of life here. I feel that there is a place for somewhat philosophical pondering later in the book, when things have actually developed, and then, they should be small snippets thoughtfully placed within the text.
Larry is also kind of boring. I like him and all, sounds like a nice kid. But his personality is so flat, he is simply a "nice kid" serving as a way to look into the family dynamics of Mal and Denise. He asks all the right questions at the right time in order to display certain facts about the Rainbow family at a certain time. For this reason, I don't find him very believable as a child at all. His age is also defined shakily, even later in the book, he still seems to act too young and naive for his given age.
I do have to say that the common recurrence of death in Larry's childhood was done quite well. Clinton was also incredibly well-written, he creates fear in the reader, he's exactly the kind of twisted kid born from unfortunate circumstances, and I feel that Gardner truly deserves some recognition for creating such a fantastic character and displaying it so well.
It is not until after the first hundred pages or so that Gardner somehow redeems himself. For me, this happened when Clinton accidentally doused himself with petrol and set himself alight. At last the novel seems to have found its direction, and with this direction, the events flow better together and the pacing improves. Towards the end of the book, things move much faster and drama is created nicely, making the rest an enjoyable and thrilling read.
When Larry finally snaps, I manage to see Larry as a three-dimensional character rather than the flat one he was previously. As before, Clinton is a worthy nemesis, an artfully created villain, and the misunderstandings and trouble he creates for Larry is painful to see. This book is at its best when the Rainbow household falls apart and all the things that have been built up over Larry's childhood come together in a violent meltdown. And I'm happy to say it was worth the excruciatingly painful first half of the book to get to this point.
Overall, 'Happy as Larry' is a great, dark story with a good idea behind it. I appreciate the direction and purpose Gardner was working towards, but his execution faltered in a few areas. It can afford to be shorter and more succinct, where every isolated incident in Larry's childhood and his parents' lives should count, where no piece of writing is wasted or boring. It would've benefited from a harsh heavy edit- such as cutting out the first hundred pages- as it is a story that should be gripping the whole way through, not just from the second half.
October 19, 2011
“A life of darkness and light, hope and pain, and miracles of an everyday nature.”
This is the story of an ordinary suburban family, the Rainbows, focussing in particular on the early years of the son of the family, Laurence Augustine Rainbow. The author, Scot Gardner, takes a risk in the first few chapters by postponing the plot and giving us instead a chronological account of events occurring in the Rainbow household. He relates these to the larger events happening on the world stage with regular news updates throughout the book, for example, “On Monday 12 September 1994, two things happened in the world that whispered of greater changes to come. A light aircraft crashed into the White House, and Mal Rainbow got a licence to drive a car.”
These references to the news of the day play a wider role in the novel than is first apparent. Larry learns that people can die, just like animals do, from watching a dead boy being lifted onto a stretcher on the television; Larry’s Mum, Denise, is devastated by Princess Diana’s death because it unleashes “a rage at God she had kept lidded all her life”. To add to the fun Gardner uses many television-related metaphors throughout the story, “Hers was a nature-documentary death, animal and cruel”; “Sometimes, for Larry at least, life was a cartoon.” His use of language throughout the book is delightfully rich and vivid, “The child sluiced into the world like a lychee pinched from its skin”; “his mother had been battered and marked like a lunch-box peach.”
A plot gradually emerges from the events in Larry’s life, but unfortunately the author drives his story towards an overly dramatic climax which tested the patience of this reader, as did the shallow and stereotypical characterisation of bad boy, Clinton. These aren’t major defects, however, because the book is so intriguingly original. It acknowledges the importance that adults play in a child’s life and doesn’t relegate them into the background like so many Young Adult novels do. It examines the relationships between characters and their families so that their actions can be understood from a wider perspective. There are many different types of families depicted in the book, all of them realistically portrayed. No family is perfect. Larry’s family isn’t perfect and his neighbours’ families aren’t perfect either, but let’s be thankful for the times when “for the moment, just here” we can all choose to be Happy as Larry.
This is the story of an ordinary suburban family, the Rainbows, focussing in particular on the early years of the son of the family, Laurence Augustine Rainbow. The author, Scot Gardner, takes a risk in the first few chapters by postponing the plot and giving us instead a chronological account of events occurring in the Rainbow household. He relates these to the larger events happening on the world stage with regular news updates throughout the book, for example, “On Monday 12 September 1994, two things happened in the world that whispered of greater changes to come. A light aircraft crashed into the White House, and Mal Rainbow got a licence to drive a car.”
These references to the news of the day play a wider role in the novel than is first apparent. Larry learns that people can die, just like animals do, from watching a dead boy being lifted onto a stretcher on the television; Larry’s Mum, Denise, is devastated by Princess Diana’s death because it unleashes “a rage at God she had kept lidded all her life”. To add to the fun Gardner uses many television-related metaphors throughout the story, “Hers was a nature-documentary death, animal and cruel”; “Sometimes, for Larry at least, life was a cartoon.” His use of language throughout the book is delightfully rich and vivid, “The child sluiced into the world like a lychee pinched from its skin”; “his mother had been battered and marked like a lunch-box peach.”
A plot gradually emerges from the events in Larry’s life, but unfortunately the author drives his story towards an overly dramatic climax which tested the patience of this reader, as did the shallow and stereotypical characterisation of bad boy, Clinton. These aren’t major defects, however, because the book is so intriguingly original. It acknowledges the importance that adults play in a child’s life and doesn’t relegate them into the background like so many Young Adult novels do. It examines the relationships between characters and their families so that their actions can be understood from a wider perspective. There are many different types of families depicted in the book, all of them realistically portrayed. No family is perfect. Larry’s family isn’t perfect and his neighbours’ families aren’t perfect either, but let’s be thankful for the times when “for the moment, just here” we can all choose to be Happy as Larry.
June 24, 2013
I was really looking forward to reading Happy as Larry because I liked Scot Gardner's book The Dead I Know, but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed by this book.
Happy as Larry tells the story of Larry (Laurence) Rainbow, his parents (Mal and Denise) and those around them as Larry grows up from baby to teenager. The first page begins with the introduction: "A life, like a film, has a beginning, a middle and an end... The story of a life can be left in the hands of just a few key players and acted out on a stage scarcely bigger than a suburban dream... the life of Laurence Augustine Rainbow is one such story. A life of darkness and light, hope and pain, and miracles of an everyday nature."
I agree that Happy as Larry is this kind of story, but I found myself constantly wondering where the story was going and what the point was. It did have a beginning and an end, but the plot in the middle seemed lost amongst all of the descriptions of day-to-day life as Larry grows up. I understand that it was supposed to be the story of Larry's childhood, but it seemed more like a slightly boring memoir than a novel. The main development in the plot happened at the end, which was a bit dark and might shock younger readers, particularly after the innocence of the earlier parts, but I guess it's all part of Larry's development from child to young adult.
The other issue I had was who the target reader is supposed to be. The fact that the protagonist ages from baby to teenager might make it hard for readers to identify with him at different stages in his life. Although it's the story of Larry's childhood, it also revolves around his parents and his elderly neighbour. These characters were all very well-rounded and realistic, adding depth to the story. It's written in the third person - is this so that young readers can identify with Larry and older readers can identify with his parents? My main question is: would teenagers really be interested in the story of Larry's childhood? I lost interest towards the middle of the book, so I suspect many young readers would too.
All in all, I think Happy as Larry has great characters and a lot of good messages about family, friendship, growing up and dealing with difficult people and situations. Readers could be moved by the story - if they persevere and read it to the end.
Happy as Larry tells the story of Larry (Laurence) Rainbow, his parents (Mal and Denise) and those around them as Larry grows up from baby to teenager. The first page begins with the introduction: "A life, like a film, has a beginning, a middle and an end... The story of a life can be left in the hands of just a few key players and acted out on a stage scarcely bigger than a suburban dream... the life of Laurence Augustine Rainbow is one such story. A life of darkness and light, hope and pain, and miracles of an everyday nature."
I agree that Happy as Larry is this kind of story, but I found myself constantly wondering where the story was going and what the point was. It did have a beginning and an end, but the plot in the middle seemed lost amongst all of the descriptions of day-to-day life as Larry grows up. I understand that it was supposed to be the story of Larry's childhood, but it seemed more like a slightly boring memoir than a novel. The main development in the plot happened at the end, which was a bit dark and might shock younger readers, particularly after the innocence of the earlier parts, but I guess it's all part of Larry's development from child to young adult.
The other issue I had was who the target reader is supposed to be. The fact that the protagonist ages from baby to teenager might make it hard for readers to identify with him at different stages in his life. Although it's the story of Larry's childhood, it also revolves around his parents and his elderly neighbour. These characters were all very well-rounded and realistic, adding depth to the story. It's written in the third person - is this so that young readers can identify with Larry and older readers can identify with his parents? My main question is: would teenagers really be interested in the story of Larry's childhood? I lost interest towards the middle of the book, so I suspect many young readers would too.
All in all, I think Happy as Larry has great characters and a lot of good messages about family, friendship, growing up and dealing with difficult people and situations. Readers could be moved by the story - if they persevere and read it to the end.
August 1, 2011
I was hesitant to read this book because it looked strange and not like the type of book I'd usually read, I have not regretted the move I made to read this book one bit and was sucked into it from the first page. I loved the way this book started from the moment Laurance augustine Rainbow was born and took me on a journey all the way through his life. This book really got me hooked because it was unlike anything I've ever read before, it fasanated me that the author was able to link up world events with his plot in such an intricate way. It is an amazing book I'd definetly recomend to anyone who wants to read something different.
February 12, 2014
I wouldn't necessarily call this an 'enjoyable' read, but it was certainly worth it. It kind of reminded me of The Grapes of Wrath, in that this poor family kept having terrible things happen to them. I really enjoyed all of the characters - they were all so 'human'. There was no turning point for each character - they just went through peaks and troughs, which I thought was great. I also loved (and hated) the character of Clinton - we all have had a kid like that in our neighborhood, and he really gave me the creeps.
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
May 23, 2013
Although a good book. I would definitely say it was from from his best works. The book, really, was just ok. There was nothing I found majorly horrendous about it, but it certainly won't be standing out in my mind as a book I'd like to own. I'm glad that I only borrowed it from the library, rather than buying it, as I feel I would have been left let down and disappointed.
October 17, 2011
It began slowly and I had a little trouble getting into it but once I had past a couple of chapters I really got into it. Scot Gardner is one of my favourite authors. This book is worth reading but keep going, don't stop after the first couple of chapters
August 15, 2014
How Scot Gardner managed to fit what's happened to the Rainbows, and to the world over so many years, in so few pages, while sharing such an understanding of life. I'll never know.
What I do know is, this book is amazing!
What I do know is, this book is amazing!
May 19, 2023
This book absolutely caught me off guard, picked it up from a free little library on holiday and put off reading it until the very last day. The world news at the start of each chapter was so unique and engaging. Aussie small town plot that kept my interest the whole time.
July 29, 2010
loved it! though i didn't get why Guillaume(?) freaked out when Larry visited him in the hospital after he got beat up??
October 17, 2010
Very funny and sad at the same time
November 14, 2010
Best YA novel of 2010. Could be read by Yr8 to adult and enjoyed by all.
December 6, 2010
Growing up, the family dynamic, the news of the day, the moral compass all get a workout in this FANTASTIC novel by Scot Gardner. I think this was my favourite read of this year 2010.
Read
July 25, 2011A really different read as we follow the life of larry through all the major events happening in the world at the time. A great one for kids who want real life stories rather than than fantasy.
Read
August 5, 2011packs an emotional punch.
February 21, 2015
I cried when Vince died. Enough said.
January 8, 2016
Wow! That was a brilliant read.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews