Richard Russo's slyly funny and moving novel follows the unexpected workings of grace in a deadbeat town in upstate New York - and in the life of one of its unluckiest citizens, Sully, who has been doing the wrong thing triumphantly for fifty years. Divorced from his own wife and carrying on halfheartedly with another man's, saddled with a bum knee and friends who make enemies redundant, Sully now has one new problem to cope with: a long-estranged son who is in imminent danger of following in his father's footsteps. With ...
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Richard Russo's slyly funny and moving novel follows the unexpected workings of grace in a deadbeat town in upstate New York - and in the life of one of its unluckiest citizens, Sully, who has been doing the wrong thing triumphantly for fifty years. Divorced from his own wife and carrying on halfheartedly with another man's, saddled with a bum knee and friends who make enemies redundant, Sully now has one new problem to cope with: a long-estranged son who is in imminent danger of following in his father's footsteps. With its sly and uproarious humour and a heart that embraces humanity's follies as well as its triumphs, Nobody's Fool is storytelling at its most generous.
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Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $1.27, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
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Fair. Ex Library with stickers and markings Item is water damaged. May have heavy wear and markings. May not include digital download codes. Stock photo may be different from actual cover.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $1.27, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
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Seller's Description:
Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $1.77, fair condition, Sold by Books For Life rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Laurel, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
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Fair. Book is in acceptable condition. May have shelf wear edge wear and spine wear but a very readable copy. May not come with supplemental materials if applicable. Does not include original dustcover jacket. Possibly Ex Library Copy.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $2.26, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $2.26, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $2.26, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $2.26, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $2.26, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Nobody's Fool to cart. $2.26, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Vintage.
Next to my childhood home was a rental home. This two-flat had a menagerie of tenets over the course of the twenty years I lived there ? all colorful, all interesting ? some quite scary. My favorite tenants moved in when I was five years old ? their names were Herb and Bones. I loved these guys. They were biker hippies ? living the single life in 1974 ? plenty of woman, ?herbs?, parties and visitors.
I knew nothing of there lifestyle. This is what I knew ? on a near daily basis I would knock on their door ? one of them would answer (probably hung over ? or worse!) ? see me, smile and say, ?Hey, little Fizz, what?s happening?? (Side note ? my father?s nickname, in this very small town, was Fizz ? making my brother Fizz Jr. and me little Fizz). To this I would hold up a Frisbee and ask if they wanted to play ? they always said ?yes!? What a picture ? little fizz playing Frisbee in the middle of the street with a couple of longhaired bikers. This is one of my best childhood memories.
I don?t know what happened to Bones, but Herb is still around. I see him occasionally and he always makes me smile. He has lived a life much like Sully ? the main character in Nobody?s Fool ? a life filled with selfish and courageous choices that were always fueled by an unquenchable desire to be free. Herb lives on the edge ? few entanglements, always free to leave ? today ? if the urge should strike.
There is so much about Sully (Herb) that I absolutely don?t agree with ? a world full of these guys and the civilized world would be in shambles. But Sully (Herb) is the guy who will give his boss the finger (like we wish we could), he says the things, does the things and goes places many of us privately wish we could, but never will. The last three times I saw Herb, he:
? Sold his Harley and gave all the money to his brother in an effort to help him save his farm.
? Sold everything he owned, bought a large tent, hitch hiked out west and became a sheepherder.
? Moved into a shed behind the main gas station in town ? room for a bed and his Harley ? lived on microwaved burritos from the gas station ? no TV, no fridge, and no pantry.
Sully (Herb) has no bank account. No 401K. No medical benefits. He lives a simple life in which he deals with what is in front of him ? today. He is fascinating in what he reveals about what matters in life ? because he is not impressed with pretention ? he sees through you ? sees your heart. Sully is a real man ? I?ve known him all my life ? his name is Herb. Funny thing is ? when I think about growing up in a small town ? I can think of many more Sully?s ? some I?m even related to. I love those guys.
If you grew up in a small town ? read this book - you will know this man intimately. If you did not grow up in a small town ? read this book ? this is a treasured slice of America that has been lost through the sterilization of our minds and culture resulting from suburbanization, mass everything and an insane desire to look and live like ?everyone else.? Nobody?s Fool is a piece if genius.
geo101
Nov 22, 2008
right amount
Richard Russo has an amazing ability to bring in enough humor, true to life, character analysis to keep things moving and always interesting. This book is no exception. There is a lot of disfunctional events going on but wrapped up believably in the end....
