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Nobody's Fool

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About this listen

 From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls, this slyly funny, moving novel about a blue-collar town in upstate New York—and about Sully, one of its unluckiest citizens, who has been doing the wrong thing triumphantly for fifty years—is a classic American story.

"Remarkable.... A revelation of the human heart." —The Washington Post

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 Griffith.

Look for Everybody’s Fool, available now, and Somebody’s Fool, coming soon. © 1993 Richard Russo; (P) 2003 Random House, Inc. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural Witty Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"Remarkable.... A revelation of the human heart." —The Washington Post

"Russo is a master craftsman....Nobody's Fool is a big, rambunctious novel with endless riffs and unstoppable human hopefulness." —The Boston Globe

"Simple as family love, yet nearly as complicated, Richard Russo's confident, assured novel sweeps the reader up in the daily life of its characters." —San Francisco Chronicle
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I downloaded this one with trepidation, as the description was so far removed from what I would normally buy. But I decided - take a chance, it's really long, so excellent value! I am SO pleased I did. The story does not have a plot per se, but the characterisation and dialogue are just wonderful. I feel like I know the protagonist and his circle of acquaintances intimately, and they are all beautifully drawn. Thoroughly recommended.

A wonderful, charming, book..

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Fantastic book from the first page. The depth of character is the defining feature of Russo's art.

Beautifully observed story telling.

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I am feeling slightly bereft because I have just finished listening to one of the best books I have ever come across. Read about the book on Amazon and Goodreads and you will find similar rave reviews. Richard Russo appears to be the best author most people have never heard of. Whilst raving about this book to my friends, many people have asked me what it is about. But if I told them it concerned a few days in the life of a 60 year old misery-guts with a bad leg and that there wasn't a great deal of action then I wouldn't be selling it very well. But this would be missing out that the book also is both highly entertaining and staggeringly good at portraying life, ageing, family dynamics, community, the clumsiness of men, friendship, lust and love.

The writing is so deftly simple but wise - it is a joy to read and every few lines you come across a wry observation or profound reflection. You get to know a large cast of small town characters and although they are all flawed and quirky, you get to like them all and care about what happens to them. It is deeply compassionate and brilliantly funny. I found myself exploding with uncontrollable belly-laughs on a number of occasions. I also felt quite tearful at times. It's a huge book - over 24 hours long in audio format. My only regret is that it wasn't twice as long. Now I don't know what to do with myself because I am afraid that the next few books I read will inevitably be disappointing. My only antidote to this may be to read another Russo book!!

A Great American Novel

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drove through Europe in a camper van. felt like we were driving through Maine! loved it.

great story, great characters, great narration.

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I came across this book accidentally while looking for something new and a bit different. Took me a little while to get into it but once I was there the seemingly rambling take held my attention all the way. The narration was tremendous and the characters beautifully developed.

Wonderful storytelling.

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