The Destiny Thief

Essays on Writing, Writers and Life

By: Richard Russo

Narrated by: Richard Russo

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

"It turns out that Russo the nonfiction writer is a lot like Russo the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. He is affably disagreeable, wry, idiosyncratic, vulnerably bighearted, a craftsman of lubricated sentences." (Jay Fielden, New York Times Book Review)

A master of the novel, short story, and memoir, the best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Everybody's Fool now gives us his very first collection of personal essays, ranging throughout writing and reading and living.

In these nine essays, Richard Russo provides insight into his life as a writer, teacher, friend, and reader. From a commencement speech he gave at Colby College, to the story of how an oddly placed toilet made him reevaluate the purpose of humor in art and life, to a comprehensive analysis of Mark Twain's value, to his harrowing journey accompanying a dear friend as she pursued gender-reassignment surgery, The Destiny Thief reflects the broad interests and experiences of one of America's most beloved authors. Warm, funny, wise, and poignant, the essays included here traverse Russo's writing life, expanding our understanding of who he is and how his singular, incredibly generous mind works. An utter joy to listen to, they give deep insight into the creative process from the prospective of one of our greatest writers.

©2018 Richard Russo (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Russo's timing, wit, and delivery animate this memoir.... Fans and emerging writers will find much to appreciate in his perspectives." (AudioFile)

"Readers who come to this book in search of the storyteller they know from Russo's fiction will be well-rewarded.... [He] proves to be a familiar presence - thoughtful, funny, endearing - and surprising, as well.... Russo delivers the cozy intelligence and comic savvy that readers have come to admire." (Joan Silverman, Portland Press Herald)

"Captivating...generous-hearted essays on writing and life [that] fully display Russo's trademark warmth and wit, and are marked by a fair dose of unpretentious wisdom and a genuineness that sometimes borders on self-effacement.... The Destiny Thief puzzles with the mysteries of what good writing is and what good living is." (Robert Weibezahl, BookPage)

Required (reading), listening!

Being a life long frustrated storyteller I constantly search how to find my voice. The Destiny Thief is a wonderful picture window into the stories of the author. Richard Russo explains the reason he voiced his characters in the way he chose. In addition he talks about who influenced him as a writer. All In all a wonderful book I’m sure I’ll read again.

Could Be A Primer For Readers

Though this is a memoir of writing and the writer, it is an excellent study for readers.
If I write, it is private and for me. Even so, writing well is hard work. Instead of going into things like active vs passive voice, Russo talks about what the writer is trying to say. That, in and of itself is often a mystery that only gets revealed in failure and re-starting. His effort reveals insight that wasn’t there at the beginning of his work.
He uses Dickens as an illustration of a writer becoming an author. There is, to my thinking m, a huge chasm between the two. This book looks into that chasm without staring into the abyss.

As good as his novels, highly recommend!

I was blown away by how much these essays moved me. I only began reading Richard Russo’s books a few weeks ago but I have been binge listening since I started listening to Nobody’s Fool last week. This series of essays really nailed it for me, and read in his own voice it’s even more touching. I highly recommend these for all readers, and even would be writers. Very insightful and very moving to be let inside his own life and motivations so generously.

The Destiny Thief

I couldn't get enough. At the end I broke down and sobbed, too. Not in Bulgaria but in Portland, Maine. When you read the words of Springsteen my mind floated on a visual of our country today. Our beautiful country enduring the eroding of a vile president. Once when visiting in Austin, Tex. I went to a Congregational Church and heard the song Finlandia. I am reminded of that right now as I finished reading this book. Achingly sad. Our country being split by ego and evil. Okay. I get it. Anyone reading my review right now might ask what this has to do with the book. Russo, you write constructively and helpfully and with personal passion. I burst out laughing at parts. I contemplated deeply at others. Most of all, the book inspired. I'll leave it at that.

Richard Russo cannot write a bad book

Richard Russo is incapable of writing a bad book. I have read all of his.... the risk pool and nobody's fool being my favorites. It turns out he does non-fiction just as well as he does fiction. he's an excellent narrator too.

Russo's realm

A very compelling collection of memoirs about a variety of topics - most important of which are the "simple" truths about being human. Wonderful auto-biographical bits added to my comfort with his words, stories, humor, and straight-forward observations, humility and humanity. As with his novels, I finished feeling that I wanted more.

HE MADE THE RIGHT MOVE

Richard Russo was right to leave NYPD BLUE when he did even if his movie career flopped. He is clearly a better writer than he ever was an actor.

I read and loved EMPIRE FALLS and Everybody's Fool but had no idea this was the same Richard Russo. Although I am not generally a fan of authors reading their own work, I have to say Mr. Russo's acting chops came into play here as his narration was superb. He sounded as if he was reading someone elses work, not his own.

Fans of CSI MIAMI will appreciate how little Mr. Russo mentions that show or NYPD BLUE. It shows his confidence as a writer has peaked. He does not have to dig up his past acting credits to stir the listener. He relies, instead, on his writing talent to share his insights on a craft he has so tightly honed on his days away from the acting spotlight.

Bravo, Mr. Russo. Bravo!