• Nobody's Fool

  • By: Richard Russo
  • Narrated by: Ron McLarty
  • Length: 24 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (2,023 ratings)

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Nobody's Fool  By  cover art

Nobody's Fool

By: Richard Russo
Narrated by: Ron McLarty
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Publisher's summary

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.

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

What listeners say about Nobody's Fool

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,171
  • 4 Stars
    515
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    53
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Performance
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    1,125
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    95
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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    34

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Reminds me of home

I'm from a midwest town that had a population of 651 during my growing-up years. Even though the book was written about a small town in the eastern US, I feel like I know some of the characters in this book. My parents still live in my small town and are the age of some of the major characters in this book. I can picture them having some of the same conversations as people in this book. This is my first Richard Russo book and I'm looking forward to listening to another by him.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story telling

A very enjoyable story. Colorful character creations. Loved the reader and how he gave each character a special personality.
A study of humanity.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Charachters Brought to Life

An absolutely amazing performance makes this story full of fascinating characters come to life. I finished this a month ago and I still can hear the readers voice saying the characters lines. The ending was flat but it not really matter. A Great Listen--Than you to Ron McClarty for an Amazing performance.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Men Behaving V erythromycin Badly!

Need I say more! I guess I'm past finding this life style funny. And...why are parents even there if they don't parent. The book is outdated! However, I did find the parts of self reflection interesting.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Slow story development, good if you stay with it

Starred so slow that I almost gave up several times. Good character details and storytelling with time. Author obviously paid very close attention to details of each character.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the characters

Makes me nostalgic for the characters with whom you have a love/hate relationship when you are forced to be with people whether in a small town or at work. So much happens electronically these days is nice to be reminded that time spent with others isn't always fun but it is oh so rich.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

Everything about this production was wonderful. So sad it ended. Look forward to listening again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Flawed characters that you love to follow

Some of the best fictional characters I’ve ever read. I feel like I’ve known them as real persons in my own life. Great journey of everyday people. Russo is the master and McClartys narration was perfect

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A truly great book!

This is one of the finest books I've read in many years. After reading Empire Falls, I picked up all of Russo's books, and Nobody's Fool is by far the most accomplished. The portrayals of both the main character, a 60-something guy whose life has passed him by, and the minor characters, are brilliant. Nothing much happens in this book, whose story covers just a few days, but it is a heart-warming, humanist story.

Listening to this audiobook version brought back all the subtleties in Russo's writing. While it took me a while to get used to the reader, in the end I feel he has the perfect voice for this story. This book is long, and slow, and you just want it to continue for a longer time. But it's about real life, and life doesn't last forever.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Sully Won Me Over!

This book with it's flawed main character has it's ups and downs but overall it is a story of the dysfunction and redemption in all of us human beings. Our ability to love and hate is played out in this book beautifully.. But this book is so much more. It reminded me a bit of Stephen Kings folksy tone and even though at times for me it got bogged down, I finished this book feeling sad it ended. And I must give the narrator kudos, what an amazing job, Ron McLarty!!!

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7 people found this helpful