Roses Are Difficult Here Mass market paperbound - 1991

Doubleday of Canada, 1991. Soft cover. Good. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. Other than some creasing on cover this is an unmarked copy with a bit of browning-This is a novel of small-town life. The town where roses are difficult is Shelby, in the Alberta foothills, and the time is the 1950s. Matt Stanley, the editor of the local paper, relishes the range of people he meets, from Willie MacCrimmon, the local shoemaker and demon curler, to the oldest resident, Daddy Sherry, all the way to the disreputable Rory Napoleon and his wife, Mame, who once conceived at the top of a ferris wheel "because there was nothing else to do." But when a sociologist arrives to study the town, Matt takes her under his wing, which produces unexpected results. From scenes of high comedy (as when Santa comes to Shelby, or when Rory Napoleon's goats invade the town) to gentle sadness, this 1990 novel shows W.O Mitchell at his traditional best.

Bantam Books, January 1991. Trade Paperback. Used.

Toronto, ON: Seal, 1991. Mass Market Paperback. Near Fine. Clean, tight, unmarked; slight wear to edges; otherwise spine straight and uncreased; very minimal wear; appears unread; Well known for his funny and wise portraits of small town life, W.O. Mitchell's novel takes his readers deep into the heart of Shelby, AB. Both laughter and tears abound as outsider Matt Stanley, editor of the local newspaper, the Shelby Chinook, experiences the frustration of living and working in the insulated burg. But when the town is invaded by an Eastern sociologist, Stanley breaks through to a true understanding of the value and the joy of close community. This is the moving portrayal of a Canadian town tested and found strong and good.