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.

NOBODY'S FOOL by Richard Russo NOBODY'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.

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.

Great story, wonderful writing and unique characters. I defy anyone not to love Sully. This was my first Richard Russo and I'm looking forward to reading more.

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.

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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