The Risk Pool

By: Richard Russo

Narrated by: Sean Mangan

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Russo's skillful use of dialogue perfectly suits the audio medium.

A wonderfully fun and perceptive novel in the traditions of Thornton Wilder and Anne Tyler, The Risk Pool is set in Mohawk, New York, where Ned Hall is doing his best to grow up, even though neither of his estranged parents can properly be called an adult. Richard Russo gives us a book that overflows with outsized characters and outlandish predicaments and whose vision of family is at once irreverent and unexpectedly moving.

©1986 Richard Russo (P)2005 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd.

Critic reviews

"Russo proves himself a master at evoking the sights, feelings, and smells of a town ... [ The Risk Pool is] superbly original and maliciously funny." ( The New York Times Book Review)"Russo writes with genuine passion and authority; his ear for dialogue is so acute that one can almost hear the characters speaking." ( Chicago Tribune)

Kind of a Huck Finn tale

Takes me home to the back roads in the south west Kootenays . When you could pay $70. for an '67 Pontiac , put a battery in it, stick a permit in the back window, and just drive.

A delightful journey

Thoroughly engaging story full of well-portrayed, fascinating characters and lots of gentle humour. Sean Mangan's narration suited this story perfectly. I enjoyed every minute of it.