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FIC RUS
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Publication
Knopf (2023), 464 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML:The Pulitzer Prize�??winning author of Empire Falls returns to North Bath, in upstate New York, and to the characters that captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of readers in his beloved best sellers Nobody�??s Fool and Everybody�??s Fool. "A wise and witty drama of small-town life...delivering the generous humor, keen ear for dialogue, and deep appreciation for humanity�??s foibles that have endeared the author to his readers for decades.�?� �??Publishers Weekly Ten years after the death of the magnetic Donald �??Sully�?� Sullivan, the town of North Bath is going through a major transition as it is annexed by its much wealthier neighbor, Schuyler Springs. Peter, Sully�??s son, is still grappling with his father�??s tremendous legacy as well as his relationship to his own son, Thomas, wondering if he has been all that different a father than Sully was to him. Meanwhile, the towns�?? newly consolidated police department falls into the hands of Charice Bond, after the resignation of Doug Raymer, the former North Bath police chief and Charice�??s ex-lover. When a decomposing body turns up in the abandoned hotel situated between the two towns, Charice and Raymer are drawn together again and forced to address their complicated attraction to one another. Across town, Ruth, Sully�??s married ex-lover, and her daughter Janey struggle to understand Janey�??s daughter, Tina, and her growing obsession with Peter�??s other son, Will. Amidst the turmoil, the town�??s residents speculate on the identity of the unidentified body, and wonder who among their number could have disappeared unnoticed. Infused with all the wry humor and shrewd observations that Russo is known for, Somebody's F… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bookworm12
I’m on the fence about this one. It’s been about seven years since I read the other two books in the trilogy, so it took me a minute to settle into the quite blue-collar world of North Bath. Sully, the loveable screw up who is central to the first two books has passed away, but there are plenty
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of characters left. His son Peter and Peter’s estranged son, former police chief Doug Raymer, his girlfriend Charice, and her twin Jerome are all dealing with major issues. Add a trio of troubled women, Ruth, her daughter Janey and granddaughter Tina and Rub, Sully’s former sidekick, and you’ve got quite the cast. I feel like this books main theme is “I’m unhappy in life and I’m pretty sure it’s too late to change anything”. After awhile it was frustrating to keep flitting between the disgruntled towns people. There is some character growth, but it also felt a bit like Russo looked up a list of hot button issues at random and tried to plug them into the story (a racist cop, a trans person, etc.). I feel like Russo knows middle-aged white men’s thoughts and struggles well. When he tries to write about a black person experience in upstate New York, it just rings false. I love some of his books, but this one was just ok for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member mzonderm
Donald "Sully" Sullivan may have died in the 2nd book of the North Bath trilogy, but he proves that he was always larger than life by remaining the driving force in the lives of those he left behind. However, his death does allow several characters who were on the sidelines before to take center
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.
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stage, including: Sully's loyal sidekick, Rub; the chief of police, Doug Raymer; Sully's longtime paramour, Ruth, and her daughter and granddaughter; and especially Sully's son, Peter. Russo writes his characters with warmth, bringing to life their struggles and successes as they navigate a changing world and ultimately find hope as they learn to rely on and help each other.FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.
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LibraryThing member sleahey
In this third novel of a trilogy, Russo continues the story of North Bath in upstate New York, and the legacy of Sully for his friends and lovers, and especially his son Peter. Peter is central to the story as he wrestles with what to do with the rest of his life, his relationships with his sons,
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and how to honor his commitment to Sully to care for certain people in the community. Former police chief Raymer is also a focus, as he worries about his relationship with Charice while trying to determine whose body is found hanging in an abandoned hotel. Other characters such as Rub, Jerome, Ruth, and Jane play important roles, impacting each other in both unexpected and inevitable ways. Russo weaves the story together skillfully, with some surprises at the end, and we can have the feeling that all of these characters have landed just where they belong. Show Less
LibraryThing member nancyadair
Ten years after Sully’s death, his son Peter is still in North Bath, looking more like his father every day. He teaches part time at the local college and with his dad’s old partner Rub does construction on the side. His son Will is abroad for college. Peter is wondering if it isn’t time to
North Bath “had been circling the drain” for a long time. People blamed the Democrats for spending too much. Before that, the city’s “unofficial motto” was “No spending. Ever. On anything. For any purpose.” Now, it had been forced to merge with the wealthier Schuyler Springs, closing the police department and even the schools. Property values were plummeting.
Police Chief Doug Raymer was out of a job. He had come a long way over his career. He was “taking a break” in his marriage, his wife Charice assuming the police chief position in Schuyler Springs and moving there. As a woman and an African American, she is facing blow-back from some of the police–particularly the corrupt Delgado, who has a history of violence.
Charice’s twin brother Jerome has returned after the end of a love affair. She convinces Doug to take him in. Jerome has decided to forgo his usual natty look, hoping to alienate white women from falling in love with him.
Peter’s estranged son Thomas–Wacker when a kid–turns up out of the blue. Peter understands how Thomas feels about him, his own father Sully having abandoned him as a child. What Peter doesn’t know is that the life Thomas had with his ex was one of deprivation and instability. Thomas had plans to get back, but instead gets drunk and falls off the bar stool, and ends up on Delgado’s bad side.
As complications arise, all of the North Bath people you know and love from Nobody’s Fool and Everybody’s Fool are forced to reevaluate their decisions.
Sully’s married girlfriend Ruth still misses him although she regrets the damage their affair had on her daughter Janie. Janie has been dating Delgado, watchful for signs of violence. And her daughter Tina still carries a torch for Will Sullivan. Carl Roebuck has fulfilled Sully’s prediction and lost everything and moves in with Peter. His ex Toby is a successful business woman, and a sometimes lover of Peter’s.
The novel can be read without reading the previous novels in the North Bath series–especially if you have seen the movie version of Nobody’s Fool starring Paul Newman as Sully. But if you do, you will want to go back and read the previous novels! You can’t help but fall in love with these flawed, very real characters.
There are laugh-out-loud moments, suspense, and lots of deep dives into the character’s psyches. The question is–Does Russo have one more North Bath novel left in him? We certainly hope so!
Thanks to A. A. Knopf for a free book.
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finally move on.North Bath “had been circling the drain” for a long time. People blamed the Democrats for spending too much. Before that, the city’s “unofficial motto” was “No spending. Ever. On anything. For any purpose.” Now, it had been forced to merge with the wealthier Schuyler Springs, closing the police department and even the schools. Property values were plummeting.
Police Chief Doug Raymer was out of a job. He had come a long way over his career. He was “taking a break” in his marriage, his wife Charice assuming the police chief position in Schuyler Springs and moving there. As a woman and an African American, she is facing blow-back from some of the police–particularly the corrupt Delgado, who has a history of violence.
Charice’s twin brother Jerome has returned after the end of a love affair. She convinces Doug to take him in. Jerome has decided to forgo his usual natty look, hoping to alienate white women from falling in love with him.
Peter’s estranged son Thomas–Wacker when a kid–turns up out of the blue. Peter understands how Thomas feels about him, his own father Sully having abandoned him as a child. What Peter doesn’t know is that the life Thomas had with his ex was one of deprivation and instability. Thomas had plans to get back, but instead gets drunk and falls off the bar stool, and ends up on Delgado’s bad side.
As complications arise, all of the North Bath people you know and love from Nobody’s Fool and Everybody’s Fool are forced to reevaluate their decisions.
Sully’s married girlfriend Ruth still misses him although she regrets the damage their affair had on her daughter Janie. Janie has been dating Delgado, watchful for signs of violence. And her daughter Tina still carries a torch for Will Sullivan. Carl Roebuck has fulfilled Sully’s prediction and lost everything and moves in with Peter. His ex Toby is a successful business woman, and a sometimes lover of Peter’s.
The novel can be read without reading the previous novels in the North Bath series–especially if you have seen the movie version of Nobody’s Fool starring Paul Newman as Sully. But if you do, you will want to go back and read the previous novels! You can’t help but fall in love with these flawed, very real characters.
There are laugh-out-loud moments, suspense, and lots of deep dives into the character’s psyches. The question is–Does Russo have one more North Bath novel left in him? We certainly hope so!
Thanks to A. A. Knopf for a free book.
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LibraryThing member ccayne
Russo's characters and depiction of small town life are quirky and amusing. All of that is on fully display in this outing. I love Jerome. The ending is neat and tidy which would be my only quibble if getting there wasn't so much fun.
LibraryThing member froxgirl
A bit dense at first (especially since it's been 1993 to 2016 to 2023 for what has become the North Bath Trilogy), and with the exception of Sully, still gone and still central to the story, other characters may have melted from your memory as they have from mine. It took me a while to recall
Quote: "His father tended to measure once, incorrectly, and cut a half-dozen times, all the while muttering, "You motherfucker", when the board that had been too long a moment ago was now inexplicably too short."
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Raymer, now former police chief, and Peter, Sully's son, and now the women are mostly old and faded into the background, with one fine exception: Raymer's on-and-off girlfriend Charice. She’s is a Black officer who has become chief in the neighboring town of Schuyler Springs, now in the process of absorbing poorer, decommissioned North Bath. She comes with baggage in the form of her brother Jerome, who’s part “magic Negro” and all OCD and charming. Oddly enough, Raymer had been struck by lightning and survived, but his mind had become co-joined with that of alter ego Dougie, who seems to represent the sum of all his doubts and fears. And then a hanging body is discovered an old, closed resort hotel, and Charice appoints Raymer as chief investigator. In the meantime, Peter's estranged son Thomas, who had been living for many years with his ex-wife in West Virginia, returns with mayhem and revenge on his mind. There are so many voices in this big book, and all share Russo's gentle humor and his patience for somebody and Everybody's foolishness. Time to return to the two earlier books, as there won't be any more North Bath nor North Bath novels.Quote: "His father tended to measure once, incorrectly, and cut a half-dozen times, all the while muttering, "You motherfucker", when the board that had been too long a moment ago was now inexplicably too short."
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LibraryThing member stevesmits
Several of Russo's novels are situated in a small upstate New York town, recreated, no doubt, from his earlier life. I am familiar with these towns, living not far from them along the Mohawk River Valley. They are, like North Bath, decaying mill towns where once flourishing industries have long
"Somebody's Fool" completes a trilogy of "Sully" novels. Sully was widely held mostly affectionally by the towns people as charming, witty, and fairly much dissipated. His marriage had failed, he has disappointed his son, Peter, he has had intermittent affairs with other people's wives, but he is loved or perhaps even venerated by most people he knew.
In this novel, however, Sully is dead. That condition hasn't kept him from continuing his influence on the people of North Bath. Everywhere it seems the novel's characters think or act on what Sully did or would have done. If there was a "ghost at the banquet" in literature, Sully is the ghost of North Bath.
Peter Sullivan has returned to North Bath from time spent as a college professor, his failure to get tenure resulted in dismissal. He tried to make it in New York City with similar poor results. Even though he longs to escape from North Bath, Peter is beginning to look more like Sully, which frightens him. He does stay involved in more upscale affairs by teaching at the local community college and occasionally at "Edison" college (Skidmore). He runs a local weekly on arts and culture matters. Peter, we learn, has an estranged ex-wife and two sons in West Virginia with whom he has had almost no contact. A third son, Will, has grown up with Peter and is himself an academician.
Doug Raymer is the former police chief of North Bath who lost his job when North Bath merged with Schuyler Springs. Raymer's deputy Clarice Boyd, a black women, has taken the chief's position in the merged police department. Raymer's love relationship with Clarice is a major theme of the story. Other characters appear throughout the novel: Rub Squeer, Sully's pathetic, sancho-like sidekick; Birdie who owns a failing tavern; Janey who runs a diner, also failing; Tina, Janey's daughter, autistic-like but who successfully runs her late grandfather's scrap business; Jerome, Clarice's twin brother, an odd man with a ton of hang ups. Most significant is Thomas, Peter's estranged son, who arrives unannounced from West Virginia, with a dark plan related to his father. Thomas gets himself into a great deal of trouble that offers Peter the opportunity to heal the wounds of his abandonment.
The characters are almost picaresque and overwrought. Raymer, for example, is a complete mess over his relationship with Clarice: self-pitying, full of self-doubt and subject to an alter ego "voice" in his head, allegedly the result of being struck by lightening some years back. Jerome with serious OCD, has made himself shabby because he thinks he is otherwise a magnet for white women that will put him in danger of being lynched. Janey, the victim of domestic abuse, is attracted to a similarly violent man. Rub Squeer is indeed a queer fellow, entirely dependent on Sully and now at sea without Sully's guidance.
These characters and their dilemmas would seem a bit too much, but there is one trope, however, that gives coherence to this strangeness. Doug had been given a copy of "Great Expectations" by a junior high teacher who thought he had potential. Doug put it down quickly because the escaped convict scene in the first chapter scared him. Later, while struggling with his anxiety and self-doubt, he finds this book in a second-hand shop. He realizes that that with all the misfortune that befalls Pip, things at the end work out well. The characters in "Somebody's Fool" and the events of their lives seem very Dicken's like as the plot unfolds. In this light the "overdone" depiction of them this makes the unwinding of the plot quite interesting.
Quite a good book and recommended.
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departed; they are visibly down on their luck and prosperity. I especially enjoyed one of his early works: "The Risk Pool". The novels' characters evidently are based on family, friends, and persons he knew from his days in one of these towns (Gloversville? Ilion?, Mohawk?, Johnstown?). The "Schuyler Springs" into which North Bath is to be annexed is plainly Saratoga Springs; his depiction would be satirical if it wasn't so close to the truth."Somebody's Fool" completes a trilogy of "Sully" novels. Sully was widely held mostly affectionally by the towns people as charming, witty, and fairly much dissipated. His marriage had failed, he has disappointed his son, Peter, he has had intermittent affairs with other people's wives, but he is loved or perhaps even venerated by most people he knew.
In this novel, however, Sully is dead. That condition hasn't kept him from continuing his influence on the people of North Bath. Everywhere it seems the novel's characters think or act on what Sully did or would have done. If there was a "ghost at the banquet" in literature, Sully is the ghost of North Bath.
Peter Sullivan has returned to North Bath from time spent as a college professor, his failure to get tenure resulted in dismissal. He tried to make it in New York City with similar poor results. Even though he longs to escape from North Bath, Peter is beginning to look more like Sully, which frightens him. He does stay involved in more upscale affairs by teaching at the local community college and occasionally at "Edison" college (Skidmore). He runs a local weekly on arts and culture matters. Peter, we learn, has an estranged ex-wife and two sons in West Virginia with whom he has had almost no contact. A third son, Will, has grown up with Peter and is himself an academician.
Doug Raymer is the former police chief of North Bath who lost his job when North Bath merged with Schuyler Springs. Raymer's deputy Clarice Boyd, a black women, has taken the chief's position in the merged police department. Raymer's love relationship with Clarice is a major theme of the story. Other characters appear throughout the novel: Rub Squeer, Sully's pathetic, sancho-like sidekick; Birdie who owns a failing tavern; Janey who runs a diner, also failing; Tina, Janey's daughter, autistic-like but who successfully runs her late grandfather's scrap business; Jerome, Clarice's twin brother, an odd man with a ton of hang ups. Most significant is Thomas, Peter's estranged son, who arrives unannounced from West Virginia, with a dark plan related to his father. Thomas gets himself into a great deal of trouble that offers Peter the opportunity to heal the wounds of his abandonment.
The characters are almost picaresque and overwrought. Raymer, for example, is a complete mess over his relationship with Clarice: self-pitying, full of self-doubt and subject to an alter ego "voice" in his head, allegedly the result of being struck by lightening some years back. Jerome with serious OCD, has made himself shabby because he thinks he is otherwise a magnet for white women that will put him in danger of being lynched. Janey, the victim of domestic abuse, is attracted to a similarly violent man. Rub Squeer is indeed a queer fellow, entirely dependent on Sully and now at sea without Sully's guidance.
These characters and their dilemmas would seem a bit too much, but there is one trope, however, that gives coherence to this strangeness. Doug had been given a copy of "Great Expectations" by a junior high teacher who thought he had potential. Doug put it down quickly because the escaped convict scene in the first chapter scared him. Later, while struggling with his anxiety and self-doubt, he finds this book in a second-hand shop. He realizes that that with all the misfortune that befalls Pip, things at the end work out well. The characters in "Somebody's Fool" and the events of their lives seem very Dicken's like as the plot unfolds. In this light the "overdone" depiction of them this makes the unwinding of the plot quite interesting.
Quite a good book and recommended.
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LibraryThing member tangledthread
The third in the trilogy follows the characters from the previous two novels who have aged and changed. Sully is dead, and his son Peter carries on as the main character in the story. The town of North Bath has been subsumed by Schuyler Springs. A dead body is found in an abandoned hotel which is
The depiction of a small town in upstate New York that has fallen on hard times is well done. The characters are lovingly drawn. And there is humor amid the turmoil.
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soon to be developed. And Peter's estranged son from West Virginia appears on the scene.The depiction of a small town in upstate New York that has fallen on hard times is well done. The characters are lovingly drawn. And there is humor amid the turmoil.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Richard Russo’s three North Bath novels are each set 10 years apart. In this installment Sully, the original protagonist, has passed away and the focus moves to his son Peter (now in middle age), and recently retired chief of police Doug Raymer. Peter, a university professor, recently returned to
One Friday afternoon, Raymer assists with the investigation of a body found in an old hotel, and Peter receives a surprise visit from his middle son Thomas. While these two events are unrelated, their impact unfolds over a weekend in which both men must face their own fallibility and seek new paths in their lives. The supporting cast includes some new faces as well as characters from previous books, now in more prominent roles.
Richard Russo brilliantly captures a town in decline and the everyday people just trying to get by while also dealing with contemporary societal issues like race relations and abuse of power by police. The novel ends with some issues resolved, and the beginnings of some new threads which, if we’re lucky, will appear in another novel.
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North Bath, NY to renovate a house inherited from his father. He has a close relationship with his eldest son, Will, and is estranged from his two younger sons. Raymer has happily retired from law enforcement, with his former colleague (and new love interest) Charice Boyd now serving as the town’s first Black chief of police. One Friday afternoon, Raymer assists with the investigation of a body found in an old hotel, and Peter receives a surprise visit from his middle son Thomas. While these two events are unrelated, their impact unfolds over a weekend in which both men must face their own fallibility and seek new paths in their lives. The supporting cast includes some new faces as well as characters from previous books, now in more prominent roles.
Richard Russo brilliantly captures a town in decline and the everyday people just trying to get by while also dealing with contemporary societal issues like race relations and abuse of power by police. The novel ends with some issues resolved, and the beginnings of some new threads which, if we’re lucky, will appear in another novel.
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LibraryThing member Doondeck
Always loved the stories revolving around "Sully". Interesting and unique characters in this story.
LibraryThing member nivramkoorb
Richard Russo is one of my favorite authors. I have read all his previous fiction and have a special affection for his trilogy about North Bath, New York. This is the final book and it is probably the best book that Russo has done. Russo does a great job of depicting small town up state New York
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and New England towns. Though it might help to have read the previous 2 books it is not necessary because the original protagonist Donald "Sully" Sullivan who died in the 2nd book, is constantly introduced throughout the book. The main characters are his son Peter, his ex lover Ruth, her daughter, her granddaughter, Doug Raymer and his lover colleague Charice and many others. Russo sets this novel in 2010 where the recession has impacted North Bath so it is being swallowed up by its wealthy neighbor Schulyer Springs. Doug the police chief loses his job and Charice who is black get the job as the new police chief in the Springs. Russo introduces themes of racism, police abuse, small town poverty, bad parenting and other societal ills in a mix that produces a great story. The writing is excellent with wonderful humor which makes all the characters very real. At 440 pages it is the correct size to incorporate this large sprawling novel. If you have never read Russo then I strongly recommend this book. You might also check out the "Nobody's Fool" movie based on the first book of the trilogy with Paul Newman playing Sully. Also "Lucky Hank" with Bob Odenkirk is a limited series based on a Russo novel which is quite good(streaming on ???). Show Less
LibraryThing member JosephKing6602
Too many ill defined characters; some humor; some good writing. I liked his other books better.
Pages
464
ISBN
0593317890 / 9780593317891