Elsewhere

A Memoir

By: Richard Russo

Narrated by: Richard Russo

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

After eight commanding works of fiction, the Pulitzer Prize winner now turns to memoir in a hilarious, moving, and always surprising account of his life, his parents, and the upstate New York town they all struggled variously to escape.

Anyone familiar with Richard Russo's acclaimed novels will recognize Gloversville, once famous for producing that eponymous product and anything else made of leather. This is where the author grew up, the only son of an aspirant mother and a charming, feckless father who were born into this close-knit community. But by the time of his childhood in the 1950s, prosperity was inexorably being replaced by poverty and illness (often tannery-related), with everyone barely scraping by under a very low horizon.

A world elsewhere was the dream his mother instilled in Rick, and strived for herself, and their subsequent adventures and tribulations in achieving that goal - beautifully recounted here - were to prove lifelong, as would Gloversville's fearsome grasp on them both. Fraught with the timeless dynamic of going home again, encompassing hopes and fears and the relentless tides of familial and individual complications, this story is arresting, comic, heartbreaking, and truly beautiful: an immediate classic.

©2012 Richard Russo (P)2012 Random House Audio

Illuminating and compassionate memoir

I tremendously enjoyed this memoir which was very well read by the author himself (I’m not always a big fan of authors reading but when they do it well it’s great). I’m shocked by some of the other reviews and wonder why they are so put off by what I find a truly compassionate rendering of life with mental illness. The author clearly was devoted to his mother and seemed to be working through the ramifications of his daughter’s OCD diagnosis and what that meant for his mother’s life. So many of us from earlier less psychologically sophisticated generations grew up with parents whose ‘quirks’ impacted our lives in ways we didn’t understand. I found the book interesting also in reflecting on many of the maternal characters in his fiction. In any case I highly recommend this memoir and found the audiobook version very engaging.

Affecting memoir

Would you listen to Elsewhere again? Why?

I probably would not listen again because I tend not to re-listen. But I would definitely reread some of the passages. The preface is a lyrical tribute to a town and the craftsman that were dependent on a dying industry. The author also has beautifully captured what it is like to have a difficult parent.

What other book might you compare Elsewhere to and why?

Philip Roth's Patrimony or Mary Karr's memoirs. These are all memoirs of living with a difficult parent--yet in the way that all sad families are different, the stories are very different. All of these authors write very well.

Any additional comments?

I have not liked Russo's fiction but will now try again. I found his fiction contrived but this memoir demonstrates that truth is stranger than fiction and the human heart contains multitudes. Russo's loving tribute to his difficult mother is a rare & beautiful book.

Elsewhere---but not far enough

I like Russo's fiction. Period. So, I thought I'd give his nonfiction a try. I chose the wrong one. Something about his mother, fine. What's a memoir without mom? But half-way into the book I realized this wasn't as much a memoir as it was a biography of Russo's mother and it wasn't going to change. Russo's mom is--well, tiresome and she stays in character till the bitter end. I felt sorry for Russo but writing this painful non-memoir was probably therapeutic. Also, I generally avoid books read out loud by the author. A good writer doesn't (often) make for a good reader. It seems counterintuitive but my worst listeniing experiences have been with authors as readers. Oh well...back to Russo's fiction, which I highly recommend!

For anyone who took responsibility for a parent...

Mothers generally hold such a place of primacy that giving any description of who they are becomes a description of who we are unless you're very, very careful. Richard Russo created a clear and engaging memoir full of love, frustration, anger, commitment that will ring true to anyone who has found themselves in the position parenting their parent. A very enjoyable read.

Interesting in many ways

This book helped me realize that my favorite type of audio book is memoirs read by the author. Russo's book is a forthright, well written/told journey of his life as influenced by his mother, his roots in upstate NY, and in the background, the support and stability of life with his wife and daughters. As happens with individuals who are troubled, his mother's life seems to circle round and round the same issues, but that is reality. I recommend to anyone who has enjoyed Russo's books, heard him speak, is interested in his life.

Got bored

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Hardcore Russo fans.

Has Elsewhere turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I started finding him cranky and tiresome.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The first several chapters are terrific. There just isn't enough of a story to last to the end.

No. No No no

Ugh! I am a Richard Russo fan but this was awful. Listening to him read it was interesting on some level, but the book was one long, self-indulgent whine. It was in massive need of editing, as well as some more interesting insights as opposed to a literal recounting of every phase of his and his mother’s life. The litany of moves and repeats was incredibly exhausting to listen to mostly because there was nothing nuanced or interesting about it. I hope Russo sticks to fiction in the future.