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This is probably my favorite Russo book. Granted, I have only read three, but between Empire Falls, That Old Cape Magic, and The Risk Pool, this one really stands out. I live in upstate New York, quite a bit further west than the Mohawk Valley, but its close enough put pictures of Leroy or Olean in my mind when the once flourishing now dilapidated town is described. And although my life was nothing like that of Ned Hall's, I easily identified with the people in his life and the fears that he nur...
Fourth of July, Mohawk Fair, Eat the Bird, and Winter. I was an adult before I realized how cynical my grandfather’s observation was, his summer reduced to a single day; autumn to a third-rate mix of carnival rides, evil-smelling animals, mud and manure; Thanksgiving reduced to an obligatory carnivorous act, a “foul consumption,” he termed it; the rest Winter, capitalized. These became the seasons of my mother’s life ... Richard Russo is the sort of writer who is basically writing the same stor
THE RISK POOL started my love affair with the extraordinary Richard Russo. He is definitely an American master.
It's true that for me a big part of this book's allure is how well I know these characters. I mean, really know them. But whether or not you relate to the characters from the start, by the end you will at least empathize with them. Russo draws each role so clearly with the requisite anecdotal background that brings them into focus. But his true talent is dialogue. Anyone who's spent time in back-woods, homegrown bars will have heard these conversations before - though perhaps not specifically or...
A surprisingly charming eulogy to a complete douchebag. Covers Russo's usual themes and usual places, so a certain fandom helps.
Absolutely haunting, addictive and baffling. I will now describe why, but wonder if it has the same effect on people who don't share my experiences in just such a book's setting.What Russo has encapsulated here is the wordless sense of security and unconscious insularity, which is, miraculously, all at once combined with wordly understanding and maturity in some post-industrial underclass of upstate New York.You are waltzed into a thriving empty tenement and cemented in place, because here in th...
i've decided richard russo is like u2 -- all his stuff sounds pretty much the same, but it's terrific, so i don't care. the usual is all in evidence: - lol-inducing humor - affectionate brutal treatment of small-town folk and life (perfect internal echo: Sam constantly cuffing his son on the head to show how much he loves him)- palpable rage against the socioeconomic forces and big business that slowly destroy his intimately beloved type of biosphere- characters you feel you'd know at a 100 pace...
A brilliant novel, the impact of which is only fully appreciated in the finishing of it. Part coming of age story, part meditation on familial ties and similarities between parents and children, and part documentary about the decay of a small New York town, Russo weaves these disparate threads into a unique tapestry showing the lives of quiet desperation lived by the inhabitants of Mohawk, NY. Ned Hall opens the novel by relating the tale of his parents' courtship and quick marriage just prior t...
I took this with me to Mr. Russo's talk at the Bath Library last night. The talk was fun and interesting and I got his signature on the title page. Cool!So, after two straight less-than-satisfying novel-reading experiences I needed to turn to an old reliable. RR is not exactly a friend, but I have actually spoken with him(see above). And .. I do like his writing - a lot. This is his second book - I think - and is very much based on his own life. His father, like the loser in the book was a rambl...
