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myra_c's review against another edition
3.0
I usually love Russo, but this one lagged a bit for me. I wanted to like the characters more. They weren't as compelling as I wanted them to be.
thealadislaw's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
michelareads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Richard Russo's Nobody's Fool is the first book of the North Bath trilogy, and it's a funny, witty and moving novel that follows the adventures of an unlucky man in his 60s who has been doing the wrong thing for most of his life. Nobody likes him but... they all love him.
If you enjoy reading about small town life and main characters who don't know when to shup up and behave, then you have to read this book.
I admit I knew little to nothing about this book or this author, but both really surprised me and exceeded my expectations. Russo's writing style is so... relaxing! It made me feel at home, and it was a pleasure to read about all his characters (even though some of them deserve a punch in the face lol).
I'm very glad to have randomly picked up Nobody's Fool and I can't wait to get back to North Bath and Sully in Everybody's Fool.
If you enjoy reading about small town life and main characters who don't know when to shup up and behave, then you have to read this book.
I admit I knew little to nothing about this book or this author, but both really surprised me and exceeded my expectations. Russo's writing style is so... relaxing! It made me feel at home, and it was a pleasure to read about all his characters (even though some of them deserve a punch in the face lol).
I'm very glad to have randomly picked up Nobody's Fool and I can't wait to get back to North Bath and Sully in Everybody's Fool.
knitter22's review against another edition
4.0
Nobody's Fool felt familiar to me as I read it. We've got the "aging clapboard Victorians and sprawling Greek Revivals that would have been worth some money if they were across the border in Vermont." I did see the movie with Paul Newman as Sully, but I'm fairly sure I also know some of these same people in the small town where I live. I lived next door to a character just like Miss Beryl for 20 years, and this town is still waiting for its luck to change, just like North Bath, NY. Richard Russo tells us the story of Donald Sullivan (Sully) along with his father, his son, his ex-wife, his mistress, and other citizens of the town. In another author's hands, this might read like a sad soap opera, but Richard Russo gives us the humor and stark realities of living in a small town (even if some of the stark realities are due to your own "stupid streaks".) 3.5 stars rounded up.
"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 his son, devoid of self-knowledge, badly crippled and virtually unemployable -- all of which he stubbornly confused with independence."
kategci's review against another edition
5.0
This was a reread for me and I first read it when it was published. It was a favorite then and remains a favorite. I so enjoyed the 10 days I spent with Sully and friends (and enemies) in the fictional town of North Bath. Richard Russo writes beautifully about small town life and its issues. Sully is a partially abled 60 year old, stubborn and sometimes mean, who lives with his series of questionable choices. He has a strong personal moral code which at times confounds his friends with how difficult it seems to be to follow and how it complicates his life. He is the "nobody's fool" of the title and one of my favorite characters in literature.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
Russo can really weave the lives of his characters together. Here we get a glimpse of Bath and its many occupants, but, mainly, Donald Sullivan. He is in his sixties and doesn't seem to have much luck, but has a good sense of humor through it all.
Even though we are dipping into the lives of the characters here for a brief period in time, Russo paints a broad canvas of life in Bath. Great characters and solid writing.
Even though we are dipping into the lives of the characters here for a brief period in time, Russo paints a broad canvas of life in Bath. Great characters and solid writing.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
“Hell, at twenty, he’d been ready to junk everything and start over too. But now, at sixty, he was less willing to throw things away that could be patched together and kept running for a few more months. He wanted to keep going forward, not stop and turn around and analyze the validity of decisions made and courses charted long ago.”
Sully is, in my opinion, one of Russo’s best creations. He is not everyman – no such character exists – but he is a character that many readers can be empathetic towards. He has problems that many people have. He has managed to keep his head above water in spite of messing up a marriage, child-rearing, many jobs, friendship and his love relationship with his girlfriend. He seems loveable, as long as you don’t have to deal with him on a day to day basis. I am glad I finally got around to reading this novel and therefore to meeting Sully.
I didn’t know that Russo’s new book Everybody’s Fool is also about Sully. I should have realized this – Russo would not repeat a word in his titles if it wasn’t important. I am looking forward to seeing what is going on with Sully more than twenty years later.
Sully is, in my opinion, one of Russo’s best creations. He is not everyman – no such character exists – but he is a character that many readers can be empathetic towards. He has problems that many people have. He has managed to keep his head above water in spite of messing up a marriage, child-rearing, many jobs, friendship and his love relationship with his girlfriend. He seems loveable, as long as you don’t have to deal with him on a day to day basis. I am glad I finally got around to reading this novel and therefore to meeting Sully.
I didn’t know that Russo’s new book Everybody’s Fool is also about Sully. I should have realized this – Russo would not repeat a word in his titles if it wasn’t important. I am looking forward to seeing what is going on with Sully more than twenty years later.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
5.0
This is small town life in a nutshell, especially one of those small towns the rest of the world has not only passed by, but left in its dust. I really enjoyed the characters in the book, I felt completely immersed. Especially with Sully. He is a character among characters here. Sully is a stubborn man who will change for no one, even to his detriment. He's a man of his own principles, even if they don't make an ounce of sense, and I love that. I could have read 1000 more pages on his exploits and wanderings, they were truly memorable and entertaining.
As for the author, I really enjoyed the length and pacing of his prose. I'll need to read more from him.
As for the author, I really enjoyed the length and pacing of his prose. I'll need to read more from him.
emjay2021's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book took forever to read, but for some reason I didn't mind the meandering. I think it's because the characters are so well drawn and appealing despite their flaws. Sully and Beryl, the two main characters, were so well written that I almost felt like I was reading about real people. I even sort of missed them when I finished the book.
Sully is a feckless but likeable 60 year old who has to keep working manual labour jobs despite a bad knee, because the state won't grant him disability support. He lives on the top floor of his landlady Beryl's house. Beryl is a sharp witted 80 year old who is coping with her own physical decline. Despite their differences, Sully and Beryl are genuinely fond of each other. There's a whole cast of other characters who are a part of their lives in this small town and they are an important part of the fabric of the story.
I liked the depiction of a strong community where people look out for one other even though they might be exasperated with each other. And because they're so flawed, there's plenty to be exasperated about.
This is just as good as Straight Man, the other Richard Russo book I've read. Actually, I think I liked Nobody's Fool just a tiny bit more.
Sully is a feckless but likeable 60 year old who has to keep working manual labour jobs despite a bad knee, because the state won't grant him disability support. He lives on the top floor of his landlady Beryl's house. Beryl is a sharp witted 80 year old who is coping with her own physical decline. Despite their differences, Sully and Beryl are genuinely fond of each other. There's a whole cast of other characters who are a part of their lives in this small town and they are an important part of the fabric of the story.
I liked the depiction of a strong community where people look out for one other even though they might be exasperated with each other. And because they're so flawed, there's plenty to be exasperated about.
This is just as good as Straight Man, the other Richard Russo book I've read. Actually, I think I liked Nobody's Fool just a tiny bit more.