Call number
FIC RUS
Collection
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Series
Publication
Vintage (1994), Edition: 1st Vintage Contemporaries ed, 560 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML:This slyly funny, moving novel about a blue-collar town in upstate New York??and in the life of Sully, of one of its unluckiest citizens, who has been doing the wrong thing triumphantly for fifty years??is a classic American story. Divorced from his own wife and carrying on halfheartedly with another man's, saddled with a bum knee and friends who make enemies redundant, Sully now has one new problem to cope with: a long-estranged son who is in imminent danger of following in his father's footsteps. With its uproarious humor and a heart that embraces humanity's follies as well as its triumphs, Nobody's Fool, from Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Richard Russo, is storytelling at its most generous. Nobody's Fool was made into a movie starring Paul Newman, Bruce Willis, Jessica Tandy, and Melody Gri… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member katiekrug
It took me over a month to finish Nobody's Fool but that had more to do with me than with this excellent novel. I ended up loving it and connecting with it in a way I did not expect, and much more so than with Russo's Pulitzer winner, Empire Falls. I think this was mostly due to my familiarity with
The protagonist, Sully, is a ne'er do well handyman with an ex-wife, a mistress, a resentful son, confused grandson, and devoted best friend upon whom he heaps (usually good-natured) abuse.
This is how Sully's life goes:
"He didn’t know for sure, of course, but it just made fatalistic sense the truck would die today. Yesterday he’d had a job offer that was contingent upon having a truck, which meant the truck had to die.” (page 227)
And this is the enigma that is Sully - a good man with a good heart who mostly seems to make bad decisions and has trouble connecting with other people on anything but a superficial level (Ralph is his ex-wife's husband and Peter is his son):
“'People like Sully,' he said. 'I do myself. He’s…' Ralph tried to think what Sully was.
'Right,' Peter said. 'He sure is.'” (page 386)
There is not a huge moment of redemption in this novel, where the sun suddenly shines on Sully and all becomes clear. But he does seem to begin to come to have a sense of his impact on people and to care what that impact is. His former carelessness becomes unacceptable in the face of the growing affection between him and his grandson. He remains implacable in some things though, including his hatred of his deceased father who was a mean and bullying drunk who abused his wife and sons.
“But Sully could only surrender so much, and he understood that if he and Ruth married, she’d eventually have him visiting Big Jim’s grave with fresh flowers. She’d go with him and make sure he left them. And where was the justice in that? It would mean that in the end Big Jim had fooled them all and beat the rap, walked out of court on some flimsy Christian loophole called forgiveness. No. Fuck him. Eternally.” (page 543)
Harsh, yes, but I feel the same way about certain people and circumstances in my life, so again, the bell rang clear and true for me.
And a final quote, which I just loved, because it perfectly describes the complexity and mystery of love and what ties us to other people:
“For fairness and loyalty, however important to the head, were issues that could seldom be squared in the human heart, at the deepest depths of which lay the mystery of affection, of love, which you either felt or you didn’t, pure as instinct, which seized you, not the other way around, making a mockery of words like ‘should’ and ‘ought’. The human heart, where compromise could not be struck, not ever.” (page 545)
Highly, highly recommended, if you can tolerate a book in which not much seems to happen. Still waters run deep.
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the area in which the novel takes place (upstate New York, north of Albany and near a fictionalized version of Saratoga Springs which I visited often as a child) and my familiarity with the characters peopling Russo's world. They were so real to me, all their foibles and kindnesses and self-destructive behavior, all the quiet despair of living on the edge in a dying town. But it's all rendered very subtly, with humor and grace.The protagonist, Sully, is a ne'er do well handyman with an ex-wife, a mistress, a resentful son, confused grandson, and devoted best friend upon whom he heaps (usually good-natured) abuse.
This is how Sully's life goes:
"He didn’t know for sure, of course, but it just made fatalistic sense the truck would die today. Yesterday he’d had a job offer that was contingent upon having a truck, which meant the truck had to die.” (page 227)
And this is the enigma that is Sully - a good man with a good heart who mostly seems to make bad decisions and has trouble connecting with other people on anything but a superficial level (Ralph is his ex-wife's husband and Peter is his son):
“'People like Sully,' he said. 'I do myself. He’s…' Ralph tried to think what Sully was.
'Right,' Peter said. 'He sure is.'” (page 386)
There is not a huge moment of redemption in this novel, where the sun suddenly shines on Sully and all becomes clear. But he does seem to begin to come to have a sense of his impact on people and to care what that impact is. His former carelessness becomes unacceptable in the face of the growing affection between him and his grandson. He remains implacable in some things though, including his hatred of his deceased father who was a mean and bullying drunk who abused his wife and sons.
“But Sully could only surrender so much, and he understood that if he and Ruth married, she’d eventually have him visiting Big Jim’s grave with fresh flowers. She’d go with him and make sure he left them. And where was the justice in that? It would mean that in the end Big Jim had fooled them all and beat the rap, walked out of court on some flimsy Christian loophole called forgiveness. No. Fuck him. Eternally.” (page 543)
Harsh, yes, but I feel the same way about certain people and circumstances in my life, so again, the bell rang clear and true for me.
And a final quote, which I just loved, because it perfectly describes the complexity and mystery of love and what ties us to other people:
“For fairness and loyalty, however important to the head, were issues that could seldom be squared in the human heart, at the deepest depths of which lay the mystery of affection, of love, which you either felt or you didn’t, pure as instinct, which seized you, not the other way around, making a mockery of words like ‘should’ and ‘ought’. The human heart, where compromise could not be struck, not ever.” (page 545)
Highly, highly recommended, if you can tolerate a book in which not much seems to happen. Still waters run deep.
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LibraryThing member lit_chick
"Throughout his life a case study underachiever, Sully – people still remarked - was nobody's fool, a phrase that Sully no doubt appreciated without ever sensing its literal application – that at 60, he was divorced from his own wife, carrying on halfheartedly with another man's, estranged from
I remember that while I was reading Empire Falls, there was a one-line accolade on the back of the book that stuck with me: Nobody does small town like Richard Russo. And surely that was the case with that particular novel. There is a great deal of that is in evidence here, too, in North Bath, a fictional, blue-collar town in upstate New York. But Nobody’s Fool is essentially Sully’s story – a n’er-do-well who, at sixty years old, remains one of the town’s unluckiest citizens, who has been doing the wrong thing triumphantly for fifty years. Sully rents a suite from Miss Beryl, his widowed and long since retired eighth grade teacher – she alone has genuine affection for Sully. Outside of Miss Beryl, Russo entertains readers with a host of secondary characters with whom Sully has at best dysfunctional relationships: his paramour Ruth, who is a married woman; his estranged son Peter; his persnickety, self-centered ex-wife Vera; his arrogant sometime employer Carl Roebuck; his mentally challenged, clingy friend Rub … and more.
A humourous, sometimes raucous, and always moving story, Nobody’s Fool embraces our human follies and triumphs. And while, truthfully, I tired of Sully’s childish, delinquent behaviour at 549 pages long, it’s impossible not to recommend Russo.
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his son, devoid of self-knowledge, badly crippled and virtually unemployable – all of which he stubbornly confused with Independence." (24)I remember that while I was reading Empire Falls, there was a one-line accolade on the back of the book that stuck with me: Nobody does small town like Richard Russo. And surely that was the case with that particular novel. There is a great deal of that is in evidence here, too, in North Bath, a fictional, blue-collar town in upstate New York. But Nobody’s Fool is essentially Sully’s story – a n’er-do-well who, at sixty years old, remains one of the town’s unluckiest citizens, who has been doing the wrong thing triumphantly for fifty years. Sully rents a suite from Miss Beryl, his widowed and long since retired eighth grade teacher – she alone has genuine affection for Sully. Outside of Miss Beryl, Russo entertains readers with a host of secondary characters with whom Sully has at best dysfunctional relationships: his paramour Ruth, who is a married woman; his estranged son Peter; his persnickety, self-centered ex-wife Vera; his arrogant sometime employer Carl Roebuck; his mentally challenged, clingy friend Rub … and more.
A humourous, sometimes raucous, and always moving story, Nobody’s Fool embraces our human follies and triumphs. And while, truthfully, I tired of Sully’s childish, delinquent behaviour at 549 pages long, it’s impossible not to recommend Russo.
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LibraryThing member riofriotex
This book was...OK. Not much plot - everything in the book's 560 pages takes place between the day before Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve in 1984, in a small, declining resort town in upstate New York. It’s more of a character study - they are realistic and interesting, but sometimes I had a
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tough time staying awake when reading this at night. Show Less
LibraryThing member Crazymamie
"For fairness and loyalty, however important to the head, were issues that could seldom be squared in the human heart, at the deepest depths of which lay the mystery of affection, of love, which you either felt or you didn’t, pure as instinct, which seized you, not the other way around, making a
This is just my second book by Richard Russo, but already I can mark him as a favorite author. His writing speaks to me - I like how he tells a story where basically nothing much happens but the characters are so real that you feel you know them personally. That's how life happens - not so much in the big moments but in the small forgotten ones that help to define who we are.
This is mostly the story of Sully and the lives that intersect his, and what I love about Sully is that he knows how to be kind. And he doesn't take any shit. At first glance, Sully seems like a failure - he seems reckless and thoughtless in his decision making. But Sully is actually very thoughtful - he thinks things through and then goes ahead and does things his way even when he knows that it is not "the smartest thing". Is it better to be smart or to be genuine?
Sully lives with Miss Beryl (renting out her upstairs), mother of the selfish and greedy Clive Jr., widow of Clive Sr. Miss Beryl used to teach eight grade and she has taught and remembers most everyone in town. Miss Beryl is another very interesting and deeply conflicted character - she loves Sully better than her own son, who has an agenda that does not meet with Miss Beryl's approval. Miss Beryl knows that she cannot trust her own son, but she feels guilty about this knowledge.
I loved the thoughtful progression through Miss Beryl's and Sully's thoughts and actions as they navigate the course of their journey. Miss Beryl understands that Sully is a product of his abusive father's violent behavior. She understands his stubbornness even when she doesn't condone it, and she definitely understands that forgiveness is not always an option or even necessary for redemption. Why do people always want us to forgive what should never be forgiven? And why do they think we cannot have closure without it? Acceptance and forgiveness are not the same thing. I wanted to applaud Sully for refusing to forgive his father, who, after all, never even asked for forgiveness. I didn't think Sully should have to relinquish his anger or his hurt.
“To Ruth’s way of thinking, Sully’s unwillingness to forgive as the source of his own stubborn failures, and in the past she’d been capable of being very persuasive on this subject, would in fact have persuaded about anyone but Sully. Her failure to convince him was probably the best single explanation for why things never worked out between them. She made it clear he could not have them both - herself and his stubborn, fixed determination. For a while he’s allowed her to undermine it in subtle ways. Once they’d even visited Big Jim in his nursing home. But Sully could only surrender so much, and he understood that if he and Ruth married, she’d eventually have him visiting Big Jim’s grave with fresh flowers. She’d go with him and make sure he left them. And where was the justice in that? It would mean that in the end Big Jim had fooled them all and beat the rap, walked out of court on some flimsy Christian loophole called forgiveness. No. Fuck him. Eternally."
This book is such a wonderful character study. Quiet and unassuming, it is packed full of humor and wit. Of charm and ugliness and truth. It spoke to me. Highly recommended and one I know I will reread. Thank you, Katie, for recommending this one.
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mockery of words like ‘should’ and ‘ought.’ The human heart, where compromise could not be struck, not ever. Where transgressions exacted a terrible price. Where tangled black limbs fell. Where the boom got lowered.”This is just my second book by Richard Russo, but already I can mark him as a favorite author. His writing speaks to me - I like how he tells a story where basically nothing much happens but the characters are so real that you feel you know them personally. That's how life happens - not so much in the big moments but in the small forgotten ones that help to define who we are.
This is mostly the story of Sully and the lives that intersect his, and what I love about Sully is that he knows how to be kind. And he doesn't take any shit. At first glance, Sully seems like a failure - he seems reckless and thoughtless in his decision making. But Sully is actually very thoughtful - he thinks things through and then goes ahead and does things his way even when he knows that it is not "the smartest thing". Is it better to be smart or to be genuine?
Sully lives with Miss Beryl (renting out her upstairs), mother of the selfish and greedy Clive Jr., widow of Clive Sr. Miss Beryl used to teach eight grade and she has taught and remembers most everyone in town. Miss Beryl is another very interesting and deeply conflicted character - she loves Sully better than her own son, who has an agenda that does not meet with Miss Beryl's approval. Miss Beryl knows that she cannot trust her own son, but she feels guilty about this knowledge.
I loved the thoughtful progression through Miss Beryl's and Sully's thoughts and actions as they navigate the course of their journey. Miss Beryl understands that Sully is a product of his abusive father's violent behavior. She understands his stubbornness even when she doesn't condone it, and she definitely understands that forgiveness is not always an option or even necessary for redemption. Why do people always want us to forgive what should never be forgiven? And why do they think we cannot have closure without it? Acceptance and forgiveness are not the same thing. I wanted to applaud Sully for refusing to forgive his father, who, after all, never even asked for forgiveness. I didn't think Sully should have to relinquish his anger or his hurt.
“To Ruth’s way of thinking, Sully’s unwillingness to forgive as the source of his own stubborn failures, and in the past she’d been capable of being very persuasive on this subject, would in fact have persuaded about anyone but Sully. Her failure to convince him was probably the best single explanation for why things never worked out between them. She made it clear he could not have them both - herself and his stubborn, fixed determination. For a while he’s allowed her to undermine it in subtle ways. Once they’d even visited Big Jim in his nursing home. But Sully could only surrender so much, and he understood that if he and Ruth married, she’d eventually have him visiting Big Jim’s grave with fresh flowers. She’d go with him and make sure he left them. And where was the justice in that? It would mean that in the end Big Jim had fooled them all and beat the rap, walked out of court on some flimsy Christian loophole called forgiveness. No. Fuck him. Eternally."
This book is such a wonderful character study. Quiet and unassuming, it is packed full of humor and wit. Of charm and ugliness and truth. It spoke to me. Highly recommended and one I know I will reread. Thank you, Katie, for recommending this one.
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LibraryThing member browner56
I grew up in a bustling suburb in Southern California, which is about as far away from the world that Russo writes about as you can get. “Nobody’s Fool,” like most of his other books, takes place in a small town in the northeastern part of the United States that, for various reasons, has
While the contrast between the life he describes and my own was interesting enough, the real reason I love Russo is the complex, witty, and compassionate way he draws his characters. Although nothing much happens in this novel from a plot standpoint, I became so attached to the various personalities—particularly Sully, who is very much his own fool if nobody else’s—that I found myself more than a little sad to see it end. (Shouldn’t that be one way of defining great fiction?) This guy really is a wonderful writer.
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become disenfranchised from the mainstream American Dream. The people that call North Bath, NY home tackle life’s pressing issues as best they can, which means with a mild sense of resignation and usually on a day-to-day basis. While the contrast between the life he describes and my own was interesting enough, the real reason I love Russo is the complex, witty, and compassionate way he draws his characters. Although nothing much happens in this novel from a plot standpoint, I became so attached to the various personalities—particularly Sully, who is very much his own fool if nobody else’s—that I found myself more than a little sad to see it end. (Shouldn’t that be one way of defining great fiction?) This guy really is a wonderful writer.
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LibraryThing member gmmartz
I never thought I'd see the day when I'd bail on a Richard Russo book. I love his writing and his slice of life in small town stories are great. However, this novel is slow to develop- maybe that's intentional, since upstate New York doesn't sound very 'happening'.
The main character in Nobody's
Anyway, it's probably just me but Nobody's Fool didn't cut it.
The main character in Nobody's
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Fool, Sully, is a likable ne'er-do-well and the rest of the characters are interesting. I think that's the crux of my problem with this book, and I freely admit it may just be specific to me...... Jim Harrison wrote a collection of novellas and novels about a character called Brown Dog, a pseudo-Indian from Michigan's Upper Peninsula who is pretty much the same guy as Sully, only an order of magnitude funnier and more interesting. As I told my wife, I chuckled several times while reading about Sully, but Brown Dog will make a reader laugh out loud. That's hard to do with the written word..... I just couldn't get past the comparisons.Anyway, it's probably just me but Nobody's Fool didn't cut it.
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LibraryThing member Jean_Roberts
Read this after seeing the movie which was shot in Beacon and Fishkill NY. I love Richard Russo's work. The sequel, Everybody's Fool, is an excellent read as well.
LibraryThing member kettle666
This is almost a definition of a perfect 'good read'. It's like listening to a warm hearted teller of stories, someone you would be addicted to as a guest, especially around a dinner table. Inconsequential things go on in all our lives, and Russo seems to know all about us. He reminds me a bit of
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Garrison Keillor. But not really, because he's emphatically his own voice. A charming and beguiling writer. Show Less
LibraryThing member EllenCam
I love all Richard Russo's books, but to me this is his best, Well developed characters, so funny. The characters are memorable even now, many years after reading it.
LibraryThing member cat-ballou
One of my favorite bits of this book was the repeated use of the phrase, "star of my firmament."
LibraryThing member cat-ballou
One of my favorite bits of this book was the repeated use of the phrase, "star of my firmament."
LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
How did I ever get to the age of 64 without encountering the novels of Richard Russo? I'd seen them on the bookshelves, but there's LOTS of books on the shelves.
NOBODY'S FOOL seems to be a typical Russo novel. Incredibly vivid characters whom the reader comes to more deeply appreciate as the pages
Highly recommended for all ages.
NOBODY'S FOOL seems to be a typical Russo novel. Incredibly vivid characters whom the reader comes to more deeply appreciate as the pages
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turn. And the occasional absolutely hilarious incident.Highly recommended for all ages.
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LibraryThing member tercat
Richard Russo has such a fluid style, and his characters are so believable (to me, anyway). I like how Russo takes what could be "type" characters and makes them multi-dimensional. Nobody's Fool doesn't have a complicated plot--it doesn't knock your socks off the way Empire Falls does, but it's a
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good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member franoscar
OK, no reason to blame the circumstances on the book. This is a well-written book with characters that you care about. There are a few glitches in the writing but it mostly is really good. It is sad. Sad as life is sad, mostly. I don't know what it would have been like reading it with a man who has
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a son named Peter with whom he must have a challenging relationship, a man who is near the same age as Sully and probably feeling some of the same emotions...at least maybe about physical slowing down. Anyway, it has a lot right about a small town & the ways that people protect each other, and get used to the different ways that they live together. I see one of the categories is "black humor" but really it is only funny as life is funny. Show Less
LibraryThing member figre
This is one of those books where I am torn about my final appraisal. On the one hand, it is a very good book written in the style that Russo does so well - detailed descriptions and stories from people's lives that make them very real. Even some of the relatively minor characters are given
This is the story, told primarily over Thanksgiving and Christmas, of a small town and the strange characters that inhabit it. The primary focus is on Sully, a hard-luck character that knows he has made his own bad times as well as good. He is fooling around with another man's wife (it seems everyone is fooling around with someone), he is trying to get disability while continuing to work odd jobs, and he has an ex-wife and an adult son– the former of which wishes to forget him and the latter who can't figure out how he feels about him. There is the promise of major development in the town that will help everyone. There is also the old lady who is Sully's landlady who seems to care more for Sully than her own son (the "rich" banker). There is the developer who fools around with everyone even though he is with the most beautiful woman in town. And there are even more characters.
You notice how my description of the story is more about the people than a story? That is because there really isn't a major story driving this narrative. That is not a bad thing. The multiple small, intertwined stories more than make up for the lack of big narrative.
And, yes they are interesting people, but I wonder. Are they real? Do people really act this way? Is this a part of what it is to grow up in a small town? I do not know. But, in spite of the reality Russo brings to the story, I still feel that reality is stretched – stretched enough that I am not completely immersed in the believability of the story.
As I say. This is a good book. The stories of the people propel the reader forward. But somehow the cumulative effect of all those small stories does not a big story make.
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sufficient back story to keep them from being cliché. On the other hand, after spending all this time with the characters (a very enjoyable time), I felt there wasn't a whole lot that brought the story to an end. Sure, some of the story lines were wrapped up (but not all –and that is appropriate.) And there was a conclusion of sorts. But it ended with a whimper and, while I don't need a bang (as occurred in Russo's Empire Falls), I do need at least some pop.This is the story, told primarily over Thanksgiving and Christmas, of a small town and the strange characters that inhabit it. The primary focus is on Sully, a hard-luck character that knows he has made his own bad times as well as good. He is fooling around with another man's wife (it seems everyone is fooling around with someone), he is trying to get disability while continuing to work odd jobs, and he has an ex-wife and an adult son– the former of which wishes to forget him and the latter who can't figure out how he feels about him. There is the promise of major development in the town that will help everyone. There is also the old lady who is Sully's landlady who seems to care more for Sully than her own son (the "rich" banker). There is the developer who fools around with everyone even though he is with the most beautiful woman in town. And there are even more characters.
You notice how my description of the story is more about the people than a story? That is because there really isn't a major story driving this narrative. That is not a bad thing. The multiple small, intertwined stories more than make up for the lack of big narrative.
And, yes they are interesting people, but I wonder. Are they real? Do people really act this way? Is this a part of what it is to grow up in a small town? I do not know. But, in spite of the reality Russo brings to the story, I still feel that reality is stretched – stretched enough that I am not completely immersed in the believability of the story.
As I say. This is a good book. The stories of the people propel the reader forward. But somehow the cumulative effect of all those small stories does not a big story make.
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LibraryThing member Hanesworth
I had never read this book by Russo. His depiction of human nature is so on the mark without getting maudlin and preachy. I really hated to come to the end of the book.
LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
Donald Sullivan, or Sully, is going back to construction work on a busted knee, endangering his slim chances of full disability, against the advice of friends and his longsuffering lawyer. Admitting to himself his penchant for stubborn ‘stupid streaks’, in which even his best intentions lead to
Russo’s Nobody’s Fool is one of my favourite contemporary American novels, and also a frequent reread of mine, but now that I come to review it, I can’t quite explain why I find it comforting and entertaining enough to keep returning to. Certainly, the dialogue is the companionable, joshing sort that keeps me grinning when I’m not spluttering with laughter, Russo’s description of the small town of Bath is delightful and imbues the place with a fading but unique character, and the characters themselves are as myriad and believable as any I’ve met on a page… but other books have accomplished this and been enjoyable, once only reads. I think the difference is that, with Nobody’s Fool, Russo has a achieved a network of relationships around Sully that keep him surrounded by – and rebounding off - a perfect mixture of affection, irritation, rivalry, negligent friendship, exasperated concern and even love. The plot is a gently meandering chart of Sully’s latest ‘stupid streak’ and how it affects his connections to the people in his life, and though it seems a subtle - almost trivial – limp forward, the end manages to leave the reader with a profound satisfaction.
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catastrophic consequences, he endeavours to keep one limping step ahead of his own downfall. His estranged son joins him in working on a local house, his best friend sulks jealously at the inclusion of this new work mate, his landlady resists the urging of her own son to oust the dangerous, negligent Sully from the flat above hers, and Sully doggedly follows the path of most resistance over an obstacle course of self-made disasters. Russo’s Nobody’s Fool is one of my favourite contemporary American novels, and also a frequent reread of mine, but now that I come to review it, I can’t quite explain why I find it comforting and entertaining enough to keep returning to. Certainly, the dialogue is the companionable, joshing sort that keeps me grinning when I’m not spluttering with laughter, Russo’s description of the small town of Bath is delightful and imbues the place with a fading but unique character, and the characters themselves are as myriad and believable as any I’ve met on a page… but other books have accomplished this and been enjoyable, once only reads. I think the difference is that, with Nobody’s Fool, Russo has a achieved a network of relationships around Sully that keep him surrounded by – and rebounding off - a perfect mixture of affection, irritation, rivalry, negligent friendship, exasperated concern and even love. The plot is a gently meandering chart of Sully’s latest ‘stupid streak’ and how it affects his connections to the people in his life, and though it seems a subtle - almost trivial – limp forward, the end manages to leave the reader with a profound satisfaction.
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LibraryThing member novelcommentary
Sully is one of my favorite all time literary characters.
LibraryThing member CatieN
Donald Sullivan, nickname Sully, is 60 years old and resides in an upper-floor apartment of a house owned by Beryl Peoples. She is in her 80s, a retired 8th-grade English teacher. These are the two main characters of the book, who, even with all their warts, the reader becomes enamored with,
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mostly. I add that qualifier because I did get somewhat frustrated with Sully's poor decisions that continually landed him in hot water. But in the end, he does the right thing and redeems himself. This is a character-driven book where the characters are dealing with the day-to-day struggles of life in a small town with a dying economy. I wouldn't say this is my favorite Russo book, but it is Russo! His books are always worth the time to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member nancenwv
This was one of my favorite movies before I knew it was a book. It was a pleasure to find more characters who were not in the screenplay and more depth and details. Richard Russo write so well of small ailing towns. I had read and enjoyed Empire Falls several years ago. But with this one I don't
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know if I would have understood the warmth and humor as well if I hadn't seen the characters portrayed in the movie. I might have found it kind of depressing. Show Less
LibraryThing member majorbabs
This is one of the few cases where I recommend seeing the movie first, because the casting is perfect and helps you enjoy the book even more. Russo's one of our best American writer and Nobody's Fool is him at the top of his form.
LibraryThing member NCRainstorm
I decided to try this book when I read the synopsis and it mentioned slyly funny. I love a book that can make you laugh even under the saddest circumstances. Richard Russo does just that in Nobody's Fool. Poor Sully, the main character, can't catch a break in life; although, truth be told, he never
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tried very hard. He shuffles along on his bad knee attempting to make a living, deal with family, and solve his love life. Things keep falling apart on him, but through it all, he has a good heart that shines through. Show Less
LibraryThing member knitwit2
What to say about the practically perfect book? If you saw the movie - go read the book it is so much better. I would get lost in the story and start thinking these were people I actually knew. If every writer were like Richard Russo I'd have to quit my job and move into the library!
LibraryThing member debikm
I saw the movie first, and it remains one of my favotites. The book, as always, adds much more detail and depth and is just a funny, in that sad, oh-so-familiar way.
LibraryThing member piefuchs
Small town life a la Russo. Good characters and well written.
Awards
Notable Books List (1994)
Pages
560
ISBN
0679753338 / 9780679753339