"not so great....."
Very tedious. Was hard to keep interested - I got through this audio one book back and could not remember a thing about the book???? Not a good sign....
"Nobody's Fool"
I've never laughed so hard. The charactors are so incredibly believable. I feel as though I know them all
"Not a gripping novel"
Having read Empire Falls, I had high expectations for Nobody's Fool, an earlier novel by Russo. This novel about smalltown life in upstate New York focuses on Donald Sullivan (Sully), a wisecracking, sarcastic, ne'er-do-well, but benevolent handyman who (at age 60) still has a tendency to drink too much and get into fights. Russo's writing is clever, and a few of the other characters in the book are nicely developed. Overall, however, I found this book to be plodding. Too little happened, both in terms of plot and in terms of any change in Sully's character. I did finish the book, but I sometimes wondered whether it was worth it. The narration, incidentally, was excellent.
"Not that great..."
I have to admit I didn't finish this. I gave up after about 4 hours, none of which I enjoyed. While Empire Falls was really great, this book just plodded along, I wasn't interested in any of the characters and not much was happening. I wouldn't recommend it. The narrator though was excellent
"Very enjoyable"
Try it, you'll like it. It's entertaining. You can laugh at the characters and the story, or you can put yourself in their shoes and laugh (or cry) with them. Very well done.
S. Marie
"Ponderous & depressing"
Like other reviewers, I loved Empire Falls so entered this one with high hopes. I was able to finish it, but it was not an enjoyable experience. The writing was excellent, but the story is a meandering stream headed nowhere.
"Only a fool"
Ugh, I can't believe the hours I spent reading this horrible book. I listened although the language and characters were vulgar, thinking there must be some point, some redeeming value to this piece of work. But, to no avail. This book was a complete waste of my time, and my money. Oh well, no one twisted my arm to buy it, but I urge you not to make the same mistake. I yearned for the ending, and when it came, it was so anticlimactic that I didn't know it had arrived.