Nobody's Fool

By: Richard Russo

Narrated by: Ron McLarty

Length: 24 hrs and 53 mins

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

Ron McClarty makes everything better

I'm not sure I'd have loved this book as much, read by anyone else. It's a marriage made in heaven, Russo's stories of people in small, New England towns and Ron McClarty's down to earth interpretation of them. I wish Russo would give an ending to his stories but even without that, loved Nobody's Fool. If you like it too, I highly recommend "Memory of Running". Again, a story of a New England life, it's one of the best listens I've enjoyed out of hundreds.

Funny, tragic, heart warming and life-affirming

This is a coming of age story for a 60 year old man. Full of small town foibles and abrasive, yet tender friendships. You get to know all of the characters in this story and you will probably end up caring about all of them, even the most difficult.
Wonderful writing, matched with a fine performance that does it justice.

Entertaining, though not Russo's best

I'll start with why I didn't give this book five stars: in two different moments in this book, one of the main characters, a pseudo-villain of sorts, makes profoundly racist comments that made me want to stop reading and not give Russo any more of my time (and I am a huge Russo fan, after reading Empire Falls and Straight Man). I kept reading, giving Russo the benefit of the doubt. The racist language was impossible to ignore, and when it was uttered, if Russo felt it was problematic, you would expect the main character, Sully, to be offended or for other characters to talk about the comments. This never happens. I would like to think that Russo--who rarely makes minority characters anything but peripheral in his books--just hasn't been made aware of how offensive his language is. I give the book four stars because I want to paint an honest picture of this book for other readers thinking of buying it. It is a great read, and although it is slow in the beginning, the quirkiness of the characters, and especially the female characters, really drives the book. I plan on writing to Russo about the racism, because I feel I need to understand what in the world he was thinking before I pay for any of his other books.

Very engaging book

This book was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. The characters are written with great sensitivity and skill. This is a long book, but well worth it!

Excellent summer read

This book is about nothing in particular.
But it's fantastic! I took it on Alaskan cruise. It's very touching and a great story that anyone will find a long list character from their past in it. Also very long when you include sequel.

Deeply perceptive and engaging; golden dialogue

Would you listen to Nobody's Fool again? Why?

Absolutely--though I may not have time, because I'll be listening to other Russo books, as fast as they're added to the Audible library.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Nobody's Fool?

As others have noted (or complained), this is literary fiction, not a Patterson or Cussler pot-boiler. There's no "arc" or cliffhangers or precipices. A "memorable moment" would be more a "memorable relationship," and Sully's affectionate interactions with his landlady (who was decades earlier his 8th grade teacher) is a primary indicator of who we're dealing with here. You have to love the repeated, retaliatory thefts of the snowblower, too, if you're needing to specify a "moment." Also, the scene in which the "escaped" Hattie is, in her dementia, walking down the middle of the road in robe and slippers, talking to herself, is especially poignant.

Which character – as performed by Ron McLarty – was your favorite?

The dialogue given to Sully created his character so insightfully and enjoyably crafted that I couldn't wait to hear what he'd say next. The cascade of man-to-man insults between characters mirrored the same kinds of banter I've heard in a lifetime of working around guys like this. More than any other character, Sully's next move was what I was most acutely tuned in to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I started the book on a long road trip, and had two hours left when I got back home. I was very tempted--though I was pulling a heavily loaded trailer--to just drive on another hour and then return home, so that I could finish the book. Yes, of course, I could just iPod the balance, but my point is, I didn't want to interrupt the experience.

Absolutely LOVE this book and the narrator!

I'm not even finished listening to this book and I am writing a review and have just ordered the sequel "Everybody's Fool". I've recommended it to many--it's FABULOUS!! Totally laugh out loud funny. The narrator is fantastic, that is my only concern about the sequel, I hope it's as good with a different narrator because Ron McLarty has become Sully for me--I can't imagine why the author did not use him again. Anyway-I'll withhold that judgement for my review of the next book. Meanwhile--you MUST order this now!!

A Working Man's Character Study slightly Outdated

I was a huge fan of Empire Falls and generally enjoy Russo's dialogue and relatable characters. Perhaps it's the time, perhaps it's just that I have changed and matured, perhaps it's that Russo's dialogue here was not quite as relatable as it was in Empire Falls and his newer contributions. I enjoyed this book thoroughly but found myself not quite buying all the way in to a couple of the main characters. Of course the novel is dated and use of racist and mysoginistic tropes didn't help.
This is a very good book, but not Russo's best work, and not for the reader who needs constant action or really much of any action. Nobody's Fool is a slow paced, character study of a small Northeastern town and it's residents. It relies on dialogue and self-talk and relatable themes to keep the reader engaged, and I give it 4 stars for doing a good job of that despite it's shortcomings.

I loved the characters of this story

Great performance that brought the characters to life. I didn't want it to end.

100% Great

If you want in depth characters with a good small town story, get this book. This is not a page turner in the usual sense, but meanders pleasantly to the end, where you wish it wasn't over. Nothing negative to say, great book.