Nobody's Fool (North Bath Trilogy)

Richard Russo’s Nobody’s Fool has been widely praised as a richly humane, sharply observed portrait of small‑town American life, anchored by unforgettable characters and superb dialogue. As a reader, I found myself in the paradoxical position of eagerly turning pages to see how these lives would unfold, even as I was reluctant to leave their company when the story drew to a close. Russo transforms the seemingly ordinary rhythms of North Bath into something quietly luminous, funny, and emotionally resonant. Though the novel is long and populated with numerous subplots, that expansiveness deepens the texture and richness of Russo’s world‑building. Equally impressive is the book’s exploration of responsibility, community, and forgiveness, coupled with a disciplined refusal to lapse into sentimentality or rustic cliché."Nobody’s Fool" is an exceptionally rewarding novel, the kind of book that justifies its every page by the depth of its attention to flawed, thoroughly recognizable human beings. Russo’s portrait of North Bath is unsparing yet compassionate, revealing how habit, disappointment, and stubborn hope shape a community as convincingly as any grand historical force. At the center stands Donald “Sully” Sullivan, whose sardonic humor and chronic misjudgments would invite caricature in lesser hands; here, he becomes a study in moral complexity and hard‑won, late‑life grace. The dialogue is a particular pleasure—apparently casual, even throwaway, yet consistently precise in its psychological insight and often quietly hilarious.What distinguishes this novel is not plot pyrotechnics but the intelligence with which it renders ordinary lives; Russo understands that small decisions, neglected obligations, and unexpected acts of kindness constitute genuine drama. Without ever tipping into sentimentality, the book affirms the possibility of reconciliation—between generations, lovers, friends, and with oneself—while acknowledging the losses that cannot be undone. It is rare to encounter a work at once so entertaining and so attentive to the subtleties of character.

This is a long, well-written novel about a small town in upstate New York. Like all of Richard Russo's novels, the book features an interesting cast of quirky characters and a wonderful sense of place. By the time you finish the book, you feel like you've been to North Bath, New York and know the people who live there.The lead character is a 60 year old jack of all trades known as Sully, and, in telling Sully's story, Russo offers some interesting and worthwhile observations on the human condition. The novel sags a bit in the middle--like living in a small town, you get a little tired of the same people doing the same thing--but then the story gains momentum toward the end. The book is funny in some places, sad in others and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys well written literary fiction.

I love Richard Russo and I have read everything he has ever written - except this. Why I put this off I don't know. When my book club picked this I was only too happy to finally give it a go.I am happy to say that it may be my favorite one of all, comparable to Empire Falls.Brief summary and review, no spoilers:This story takes place in upstate New York in the small village of North Bath. The place has become one of those small towns where commerce has passed it by and the town is hoping to get an amusement park built nearby in order to bring people back.Donald "Sully" Sullivan is the main character in this novel and he is 60 years old and is the upstairs tenant of his 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Beryl. Her son, often referred to as "the Bank", is jealous of Sullly and is one of those trying to get the amusement park built.Sully is about as down and out on luck as is the town, but he gets by his wits and by hard work. He works doing construction work for a philandering boss named Carl who is married to the town beauty. Sully's best friend (or at least the man who hangs around him the most) is the simple-minded yet sweet character nicknamed Rub.Things start to change when Sully becomes involved with his son Peter and his grandson Will who have returned to North Bath and when Sully starts to have more and more problems with his ailing knee. What happens to Sully and his friends and family? What characters will end up staying with each other? Will the amusement park happen?And as with any Russo novel, we have an assorted group of eccentric and wonderful characters who provide us with banter and humor mixed in with some truly poignant and memorable moments. We also learn about each characters past, and in particular about Sully's abuseive father, and how that affected Sully and made him the person he is today.I flat out loved this book. It was made into a move in the early 1990's with Paul Newman as Sully and it was wonderful picturing him in the role as I read the book.Highly recommended. The sequel Everybody's Fool was just released recently and I plan on reading that soon.

It's a beautiful story, perfectly written that requires time, patience, and quietude to be fully appreciated. It's not a book to be read at the crowded beach or claustrophobic plane.The book is very long, summary at the back cover was not very inviting so it was the last book to be picked up from my big pile of newly purchased books. I was so wrong because it turned out that was one of the best books I have ever read.This story does not have a complicated plot and lots of twists and turns. Often just opposite is the case. A reader can predict that whatever the main character Sully decides to do it will be the thing that will get him more trouble than he already had.Sully is stuborn, irresponsible, unambitious and doesn't have a goal in his life. He is not interested in achieving "American dream"; he had never wanted a steady job, loving family and a nice house. There were times in his life when he came to close to having all this things but he quickly walked away from each and every opportunity that "normal" people would immediately embrace. Because all of that comes with strings attached, with expectations other people have from him that he can not fulfill. So he runs away.But Sully is also generous, witty, nonjudgmental and very, very likable despite of his flaws. He attracts people even when they know having him around can be dangerous; he will not fulfill their needs, meet their expectations and whatever he has to give them will not be the thing they need.Sully is mocking and teasing his friend Rob but he adores him; his landlady is in danger of having her house burnt, to have maniacs shooting at her house because of him but she can't let him go; his employer Carl can't expect to have tasks done that he entrusted Sully with but he gives him more tasks anyway; Ruth had stayed his lover for two decades in spite of knowing that he will never change but she couldn't stay away from him anyway; his son Peter came to work with Sully although he had all the reasons to hate his father for neglecting him; his lawyer Wirf is defending him although most of the time he doesn't get paid and Sully is ignoring his advices...The beauty of this novel is in the way Russo makes us like Sully and the other characters in spite of their flaws, to feel for them, laugh with them, understand them, sympathize with them even when we don't agree with them.The book is very long because Russo is taking his time revealing his characters, layer after layer until they are bare in front of us, mostly figuratively but even in literally sense (after that poker game near the end of the book). And it's never boring.That is also why this book can't be explained through a review; a reader has to pick up his own copy and just start reading it.

I highly enjoy Russo's books. His characters are engaging, and his plots enthralling. The characters' foibles are realistic and endearing while also sometimes frustrating.I generally only have time to read while I am using the elliptical machine, and I measure the quality of a book by noticing how often I check to see how quickly my 65 minutes on the elliptical machine are passing. With this text, I found myself rarely checking to see if my time was almost over, and I found myself saddened when my time on the machine ran out.When I finished this text, I immediately bought another Russo text. Serious readers will want to venture into Russo's worlds. The books all have similar characters with similar character flaws and challenges, and they all live in similar towns, but so far, the plots of the Russo texts whichI have read have been unique.I would compare Russo to John Irving, except for that Russo's plots do not have as many plot details that are interwoven as time passes within the novel. Irving is a more sophisticated writer, but Russo's writing has similar characters. I find Russo's books to be similar to Irving's Last Night in Twisted River.

Overall an enjoyable read. I admire Richard Russo's writing style and use of language. His character development is beyond compare. I chose to read Nobody's Fool prior to reading his new novel Everybody's Fool. I found Nobody's Fool to be a bit dated, but that could be because it was written some time ago. It provides a good look back into the 80's, and brought back some happy memories. My only criticism has to do with the depiction of the women in the book. Though all the characters, male or female, have emotional or mental disorders, the main female characters seem to be "over the top." Even the most stable female character carries on conversations with a framed photograph of her dead husband.I recommend this book for it's story, filled with colorful characters and touches of humor.

NOBODY'S FOOL by Richard RussoNOBODY'S FOOL was my introduction to the writing of Richard Russo, who won the Pulitzer prize for his book, EMPIRE FALLS. In NOBODY'S FOOL, we find ourselves immersed in the small town life of Bath, located in the Northeastern corner of the United States. Sully (Donald Sullivan) and all the other quirky characters that fill this novel made it the most interesting read I've had this year so far.Sully's life has no purpose. He drifts through life, doing what he feels at that point in time. He lives in a very modest apartment that is barely furnished, and spends most of his time either at Hattie's restaurant, the bar, or betting on the race tracks. He gets the odd job here and there, mostly doing physical type of labor such as helping someone build a house. This may sound mundane, but it's not. Not when Sully is behind it. He can make the simplest task an outrageous event. If there is some news in town that sounds almost too weird to be true, Sully is often behind it.Sully's sidekick is a simpleton named Rub. He's short, and is the joke of the town. But for some reason Sully likes having him around, especially when he feels like making fun of someone. Rub sticks to Sully like white on rice, and it also appears that Rub is in love with Sully, but not in THAT way of course, as anyone could tell you. Just a lot of idol worship, that's what seems to be emanating out of Rub.Sully's life is intertwined with his landlady, Miss Beryl, who was once one of his grade school teachers. Now, they are both in their golden years. Their history is complicated. A lot of Sully is wrapped up in Miss Beryl's family, a complex series of relationships and events that caused her son Clive Jr. to hate Sully with a passion. A rivalry that Sully is not even aware of exists between the two men, and it stems from a childhood that both Clive and Sully shared.Miss Beryl's days are spent talking to her dead husband Clive Sr. and a mask she calls Drivers Ed, which is another quirky story that fits the theme of this book. All the characters in NOBODY'S FOOL are not quite normal. Or maybe they are, but they seem to have little quirks that the average person would think rather unusual. The charm of this novel is not the story, but the odd people that reside in this small town of Bath. I found myself chuckling quite often, and at the same time I found the person that was Sully a fascinating character study. His life story is told in bits and pieces, from his childhood and dysfunctional relationship with his father, to his first marriage and his neglect for his own son Peter.As one reads this book, it may be difficult to find the point of the story. But there is a point. There are various points to NOBODY'S FOOL, but I felt the most important moral to this story was acceptance, and the courage to move on. A lot goes on in NOBODY'S FOOL, and it may take some patience to get through the book. But I found it easy reading, although slow, because it's not a beach read, but it is a book in which one will remember the characters for a very long time. NOBODY'S FOOL will most likely appear on my top 20 books of 2003.

Richard Russo is a great writer and this is a great book. It's my first exposure to Russo, and I'm definitely going to be reading more of his work. One reviewer made a great statement about this book. Most books have a beginning, a middle, and an ending, all built around a plot. This book has an abundance of "middle", essentially no beginning, and not much of an ending. Those are not critical statements. It is more of a narrative, centering on the character of Donald Sullivan, or "Sully" as he's called by both his friends and enemies. Sully is - literally - limping through life. He is 60 years old, has a bum knee that causes him great pain, which he often alleviates with pain pills and alcohol, yet still manages to get enough odd jobs around the town of Bath, New York to keep himself in a rented room, meals at the local diner, weekly off-track horse racing bets, and evenings at the local bar. Sully is interesting. He's funny, but often to the point of getting on everybody's nerves. He likes to make jokes at others expense, but most often in such a good humor that the town's populace puts up with him. In a larger context, his story is a Greek tragedy. Berated by a now dead father he hated as a child, estranged from a mother who allowed his father to beat her and mistreat their children, divorced from his wife, and having an off-and-on affair with a local married woman...well, it doesn't get much bleaker than that. But somehow, in spite of all that, Sully keeps a positive attitude, is acquainted with just about everybody and, as the book's title indicates, is viewed as "nobody's fool." Russo fleshes out his characters well. You get to know them. It's a long book, but as you read it you don't mind. It gives the author a chance for you to really get acquainted with the citizens of Bath, NY and to know them as if they were neighbors, especially if you've experienced small town life. It's a book you will truly enjoy. Towards the end there is some sense of a denouement, in which some character elements that have been mildly percolating throughout the book come to fruition in ways both good and bad. No big revelations, but just bringing some sense of closure to the story. Russo certainly has a gift for both character description and dialogue, and his phrasing resonates well. I highly recommend this book. You will enjoy it, and you will experience the trials, travails, and characters of small town life in a most interesting way.

This is vintage Russo at his best in describing small town America. The main character in the novel is Donald Sullivan a 60 year old man doing odd jobs in Bath, New York. It is through "Sully" as he is called by his friends that Russo builds his powerful portrait of an assortment of characters in a town that is in decline.To people who are looking for a plot in a novel this is going to be a disappointment, but Russo makes it up in the intimate sketches of people as they go through their familiar routines. In fact the whole story happens in a single winter season.Sully who comes from a troubled family is somebody who has decided that regrets and self-introspection are not going to define his life. The portrayal of Sully is so powerful that i found his easy going, carefree swagger contagious. If you are an anxious person then this is surely a book for you to read, you will find it therapeutic. Absolutely lovable book.

Other reviews will have given you a summary of the plot so I won't do that. I will just say that the superb writing and the wholly believable characters have made this one of my favourite books.

So enjoyable. Told by a true tale teller. A master of the art. Characters who get under your skin. And a wonderful portrayal of small town life: its frustrations and sadnesses and the unspoken warmth between one character and another.

主役のサリー役にポール・ニューマン、ブルース・ウイルスが脇役カールの同名映画が面白く、カールの妻がサリーをからかうのにセーターを捲り豊かな胸を見せる場面が印象に残っており、再度映画を見たかったが見つからず、本原作を読む。メイン州の田舎町の感謝祭とクリスマスの一週間の生活が描かれているがストーリが無く、飲んだくれのサリーの悪態ばかりのセリフの繰り返し。知人同士の誤魔化し合いと喧嘩、二股三股をかけた不倫、無断借用（盗み）、警察への不信感等が日常の田舎町の日々。どこかで読んだ気がしたと思ったら、そうバンス副大統領の「ヒルビリー・エレジー」の世界と全く同じ。ただ一つの違いはボストンに近いので知性・教育を尊重する気風ですか？親トランプ派の心情を知るには最適な小説ですが、あまりにも冗長なのでお勧めは出来ません。　見たかった映画がYouTubeに有りました。原作でへきへきした冗長性が無く、無駄な脇枝がきれいにカットされ、東海岸の冬景色が美しく描かれてます。初老のポール・ニューマンは絵になるし、売り出し中のブルース・ウイルスは覇気とガッツが顔から飛び出してます。豊かな胸を見せるシーンも有りました！田舎町に住む人々の哀愁が見事に描かれてます。

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