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Reading this book is like slipping on your favorite pair of jeans- the ones you never wash to keep them perfect softly and loose, donning a beloved sweatshirt and thinking "I wish I lived the sort of life that I could wear these clothes every day..." Meaning that (if you like Russo, of course) these characters, this setting, the storyline are so comforting and familiar- it's like coming home.Which isn't to say that there aren't surprises, that it isn't fresh, nuanced and captivating. It's a been...
When I finished reading Richard Russo's wonderful novel Empire Falls (for which he won the Pulitzer), I wondered - how will this novelist do this again? Turns out, he just keeps getting better. One thing I've always admired about Russo is his ability to write about small towns in a way that honors the provincial nature of small town life while exploring all of its intricacies and nuances, its complexity and heartache - the way a person can live a wide life in the smallest of ponds. Perhaps this
This book was not what I was expecting at all. I confess that I picked it up in the library because of the name, because I am going to Venice in a few months' time. It is not set in Venice, but rather it is set in the small town of Thomaston, New York.This little town has residents which love it, despite the fact the river runs red and causes cancer. One such resident, Lou C. Lynch (Lucy), is the main character of this book, a man who idolises the town and his father, choosing to see the most po...
First the bad news: Russo, as one of the Great Male Narcissists (a term coined by D.F. Wallace who did not include Russo in his assessment)has probably been accused of both racism and misogyny and these allegations do have some merit.I have read all of Richard Russo's books and I have greatly enjoyed them all. But I am troubled by the fact that often, if a female character isn't chasing you with a rolling pin, she's got your dick in her mouth. Crazed harridans and insatiable sluts make up the ma...
A rambling messy novel of almost 800 pages crying out for a rigorous editor which has probably scuppered my chances of meeting my reading challenge this year. I could have read three 250 page novels in the time it took me to finish this leviathan monster. There were times when I was impressed by Russo's storytelling abilities; others when I felt he had serious blindspots about what constitutes engaging storytelling and what's self-indulgently off-point and, at times, plain boring. It's a novel t...
With over 500 pages, and multidimensional profiles covering school days through to later years, a great writer like Russo can give you plenty to chew on. What I appreciated most was the rich contrast in character attitudes. Is it better to be an optimist offering the benefit of the doubt even if naively, or a pessimist giving the detriment of the doubt even if unfairly?Two of the main characters were artists. This gave Russo the chance to use their works to help interpret the story. It also brou...
Oh my STARS!!!!!!!! I am finally done -- thank GOD. This is the longest book in the history of mankind. It was good, but not good enough to read every single word. No one REALLY cares about EVERY SINGLE thought and EVERY SINGLE memory of EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER. OH MY GOD. I honestly skimmed the last 30 pages; I couldn't take it anymore. I AM SO GLAD IT IS OVER.
