Fiction

Somebody's Fool

Somebody's Fool

  • Downloads：9309
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-10-27 07:21:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-15
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Richard Russo
  • ISBN：1038651689
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Summary

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls returns to North Bath， in upstate New York， and to the characters that captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of readers in his beloved best sellers Nobody’s Fool and Everybody’s Fool。

Ten years after the death of the magnetic Donald “Sully” Sullivan， the town of North Bath is going through a major transition as it is annexed by its much wealthier neighbor， Schuyler Springs。 Peter， Sully’s son， is still grappling with his father’s tremendous legacy as well as his relationship to his own son， Thomas， wondering if he has been all that different a father than Sully was to him。 Meanwhile， the towns’ newly consolidated police department falls into the hands of Charice Bond， after the resignation of Doug Raymer， the former North Bath police chief and Charice’s ex-lover。 When a decomposing body turns up in the abandoned hotel situated between the two towns， Charice and Raymer are drawn together again and forced to address their complicated attraction to one another。 Across town， Ruth， Sully’s married ex-lover， and her daughter Janey struggle to understand Janey’s daughter， Tina， and her growing obsession with Peter’s other son， Will。 Amidst the turmoil， the town’s residents speculate on the identity of the unidentified body， and wonder who among their number could have disappeared unnoticed。

Infused with all the wry humor and shrewd observations that Russo is known for， Somebody's Fool is another classic from a modern master。

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Reviews

Linda ，

It’s been a long time since I stayed up most of the night to finish a novel but this one was worth the effort。 The last in a trilogy by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo， this book continues the story of blue collar folks who live in a dying town in upstate NY and the effect one man， Sully has on each of their lives even after he is dead。 Brilliant in his character development， Russo enables these characters to live on in your memory， long after you have turned the last page。

Bayneeta ，

Audio read by Mark Bramhall。 He also also narrated book 2 in this trilogy， Everybody's Fool。 Wonderful to reconnect with characters and storylines from the earlier books。 Only complaint for me: I felt everything wrapped up a bit too neatly。 Nevertheless， it was a real pleasure。 Audio read by Mark Bramhall。 He also also narrated book 2 in this trilogy， Everybody's Fool。 Wonderful to reconnect with characters and storylines from the earlier books。 Only complaint for me: I felt everything wrapped up a bit too neatly。 Nevertheless， it was a real pleasure。 。。。more

Kurt ，

Round up to 4。5Another fine character study by Russo。 He does amazing work at capturing the people and their environs of seen better days upper ny and ne small towns。 It is a very fine finale to this trilogy。

Rod ，

Thoroughly enjoyed this journey back into "Fool" territory and the many tangled webs of relationships that populate this small town。 I was reminded often of a quotation from St。 John of the Cross: God has so ordained things that we grow in faith only through the frail instrumentality of each other。There was much frailty on display here， as well as a whole lot of faith。 Thoroughly enjoyed this journey back into "Fool" territory and the many tangled webs of relationships that populate this small town。 I was reminded often of a quotation from St。 John of the Cross: God has so ordained things that we grow in faith only through the frail instrumentality of each other。There was much frailty on display here， as well as a whole lot of faith。 。。。more

kevin moore ，

There's just so little that is either new or adds depth of character development。 Thin on dialogue and heavy on repetitive back stories and inner thoughts。 This series ran out of steam。 There's just so little that is either new or adds depth of character development。 Thin on dialogue and heavy on repetitive back stories and inner thoughts。 This series ran out of steam。 。。。more

Kym ，

I loved Nobody’s Fool。 And I liked Everybody’s Fool just fine。 But Mr。 Russo？ You should’ve stopped there。 Because Somebody’s Fool 。 。 。 is just a tired， boring re-hash of the same old storylines， and the same old characters doing the same old things （although sometimes it is the descendents of those same old characters - but they’re still doing the same old things）。This one just didn’t work。 Turns out 。 。 。 the series didn’t actually need to be a trilogy。2 stars

Nancy ，

Loved revisiting this place of two other books by Russo。 By the ending， I’m wondering if he is planning a 4th installment

Jane ，

so wonderful Russo’s North Bath books are so generous of spirit that they provide a powerful life lesson。 The most flawed people deserve happiness， and people can change。 Beautifully written， they bring the reader into the world of a small town and the lives of its inhabitants。 Read this last book in the series very slowly， knowing that it would be the last visit with these vividly written characters。

Cyndy ，

Another gem from Richard Russo！ I was so excited to see another "fool" book coming but worried without Sully it wouldn't be the same。 I should have known not to worry。 Great characters and story telling with some Sully sprinkled in with flashbacks and memories shared。 As with all of his books， I found myself immersed in the storyline and felt like I was there in North Bath。 Highly recommend！ Another gem from Richard Russo！ I was so excited to see another "fool" book coming but worried without Sully it wouldn't be the same。 I should have known not to worry。 Great characters and story telling with some Sully sprinkled in with flashbacks and memories shared。 As with all of his books， I found myself immersed in the storyline and felt like I was there in North Bath。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more

Holly ，

This is a not-quite-four star rating。 I miss Sully。 He was crabby and seemed like a ne'er-do-well， but， for all his flaws， I loved his sense of humor and how deeply he cared about the people in his life。 I wondered how this story would pick up after his passing。 I feel like this story just picks up with some of the secondary characters and， surprisingly， shows how despite Sully's worries and the lists he gave asking them to look out for each other， they actually do OK。 I did not see it before bu This is a not-quite-four star rating。 I miss Sully。 He was crabby and seemed like a ne'er-do-well， but， for all his flaws， I loved his sense of humor and how deeply he cared about the people in his life。 I wondered how this story would pick up after his passing。 I feel like this story just picks up with some of the secondary characters and， surprisingly， shows how despite Sully's worries and the lists he gave asking them to look out for each other， they actually do OK。 I did not see it before but Russo's series reminds me a bit of Wendell Berry's Port William novels。 If you started with the series， you should finish it off with this one （although， I wonder if there will be -- and there could be another）。 If not， go back and start at the beginning。 PS。 I never saw the movie so I don't see Paul Newman as Sully or Philip Seymour Hoffman as Raymer， but I might watch them now that I am done。 。。。more

Kathleen ，

Another master work : readable， relatable， solid story of the complicated lives of ordinary people in these United States。 Mr。 Russo never disappoints me。 His strong storytelling and his moral backbone are irresistible。 This is the third book about the same twin， with continuing and expanded characters。 My time was well spent with all of them as well as other books written by this American writer。

Karen ，

I loved this book！ Can't say enough good things about it。。。made me laugh， made me cry。。。difficult to put down。 I loved this book！ Can't say enough good things about it。。。made me laugh， made me cry。。。difficult to put down。 。。。more

Paula Yerke ，

It is such a pleasure to read a Russo book。 Enjoyed the trip back to North Bath！

Michael Paquette ，

An extraordinary character study told by an array of characters whose own story is revealed over three days。 A suicide turns up in an abandoned hotel that propels the protaganist to uncover the mystery and reveals the other local characters in the process。 Hopeful， heartfelt and filled with warmth， humor and candid insight this is truly one of the finest works of our master craftsman of small town lives。

So ，

Silly’s son Peter has to face his past when one of the two sons he didn’t rescue shows up in Bath and gets beaten up by a bad cop。 Jeanie sort of comes to term with her moms lifetime affair with Sully and Mary have found a good guy。 Cha rice and Raymet work on their relationship and Jerome is better with a job assisting the new Schuyler PD chief， Raymer。 10/2023

Sheryl ，

The only thing more exciting than seeing a new Richard Russo book release， is seeing a Russo return to North Bath， NY and our friends in the orbit of Donald “Sully” Sullivan， a ne’er do well that everyone loves despite his many faults。 This third book takes place in a posthumous Sully world， and stars Sully’s son Peter， but Sully is never very far from any of the characters。 The plot is a good one， with lots of drama， twists and turns， and good pacing。 But what makes a Russo story sing is not th The only thing more exciting than seeing a new Richard Russo book release， is seeing a Russo return to North Bath， NY and our friends in the orbit of Donald “Sully” Sullivan， a ne’er do well that everyone loves despite his many faults。 This third book takes place in a posthumous Sully world， and stars Sully’s son Peter， but Sully is never very far from any of the characters。 The plot is a good one， with lots of drama， twists and turns， and good pacing。 But what makes a Russo story sing is not the plot; it’s all about the deeply human characters。 No one is an angel， （and only one is truly the devil）， but they are also basically good， decent people， trying — and often failing — to do the right thing， feeling lots of conflicting emotions about their own actions。 In other words， exactly like all of us do every day。 Spending time with these people is a lesson in humanity， and deeply satisfying as we experience their inner turmoil。 Making this book even more special is Russo’s deeply nuanced portrait of 2023 America。 Without ever calling attention to it， he has laid out some of our deepest cultural divides， and placed people on all ends of the cultural spectrum， examining some of our biggest hot-button issues through the lens of individual humans who believe their way is the best way。 North Bath， and it’s upscale neighbor Schuyler Springs， who has annexed the struggling North Bath， showcase a union that is a deeply truthful portrait of America: a culturally， politically， and financially divided group of people who just want to live their best lives — make a good living， be loved， and take care of their families。 So … read it for the great plot， read it for the truly outstanding characters， or read it for the nuanced look at our country， but absolutely read it。 （And if you haven’t read Everybody’s Fool and Nobody’s Fool， read those too。） 。。。more

Charlotte ，

His others were better。 Felt a bit disconnected

Mary Beth ，

I'm a big fan of Richard Russo's books and this was another good one。 I read the other two in this series a while ago， so I didn't remember all the characters or previous plots。 Still， I enjoyed these characters: Peter， Raymer， Charice， Rub， Ruth and their struggles in North Bath。 I thought this book had more suspense and surprise story lines than the more character-driven first books in the series and I enjoyed it。 I'm a big fan of Richard Russo's books and this was another good one。 I read the other two in this series a while ago， so I didn't remember all the characters or previous plots。 Still， I enjoyed these characters: Peter， Raymer， Charice， Rub， Ruth and their struggles in North Bath。 I thought this book had more suspense and surprise story lines than the more character-driven first books in the series and I enjoyed it。 。。。more

Jami ，

Richard Russo spins such a deliciously engaging yarn about these Empire Falls peeps; they’re relatable & entertaining。 His writing is always on-point & a great flip after watching “Empire Falls” for the 483rd time。 Pick it up， y’all - you can thank me later。

Lori Lilly ，

Made me think！！The writer made me think about the differences between the haves and the have nots。 And， the fact that people， old or young， can change， if they want to。

Jennifer ，

I read all 3 of these books in a row。 I grew to really like the characters in this small town。 Sully is the main character and he’s always up to something trying to get money。 His son moved away ages ago and comes back into his life with his grandson。 Overall good books with a little mystery and romance thrown in。

Kim Hollstein ，

Another amazing book with fascinating characters。 Started this on Friday so I could read it all day long on Saturday， but the Hamas attack on Israel began， so I have had very little time to read， compared to my usual immersion。 I’m so grateful I had this book to escape to these last few days。 Can’t wait to read more Russo。

Dave Rhody ，

Known as the North Bath trilogy， Richard Russo refers to it as his ‘Fool series。’ His latest， Somebody’s Fool （2023） follows Everybody’s Fool （2016） and Nobody’s Fool （1993）。So much has happened in the little upstate New York town of North Bath that Russo has his work cut out for him bringing us up-to-speed。 Instead of the colorful characters immediately resuming their tragicomic drama， Russo uses the first sixty pages of Somebody’s Fool to reset the stage。 No worries。 When he hits his stride， R Known as the North Bath trilogy， Richard Russo refers to it as his ‘Fool series。’ His latest， Somebody’s Fool （2023） follows Everybody’s Fool （2016） and Nobody’s Fool （1993）。So much has happened in the little upstate New York town of North Bath that Russo has his work cut out for him bringing us up-to-speed。 Instead of the colorful characters immediately resuming their tragicomic drama， Russo uses the first sixty pages of Somebody’s Fool to reset the stage。 No worries。 When he hits his stride， Russo’s literary genius shines once again， getting inside his characters’ heads， delivering life lessons and expanding our world view。Sully （think Paul Newman） remains central to the story。 Despite the fact that he’s been dead for several years， his ghost continues to inform the lives of everybody he left behind in North Bath。 Especially his son， Peter。 “As she studied Peter， who continued to be engrossed in the national news， ignoring both her and the coffee she’d just set in front of him， if occurred to Birdie， and not for the first time， that while the man might be more like his deceased father than he cared to admit， there were also several significant， character-defining differences as well。”But I’m getting ahead of myself。 I see why Russo needed to re-set the stage。 Fundamental to the plot， North Bath is on its way to becoming the town that was。 It’s being annexed by its more affluent neighbor， Shuyler Springs。 Bath’s longtime police chief Doug Raymer plans on taking early retirement now that his police department is no longer needed。 While taking a break from his live-in relationship with her， he recommends Charice as the new Shuyler Springs police chief。 The town’s mayor thinks that hiring the first female black police chief in upstate New York will help promote the town’s progressive image。 Enter Lieutenant Delgado。 Racist， cocky and pissed off that he was passed over for the job， he has no intention of letting the new chief stop him from being the nasty cop he’s always been。Russo’s new protagonist enters the story at the expense of Janey whom you may recall as the daughter of Ruth， Sully’s lover。 Janey thought she was over abusive men when her husband died。 She knows Delgado is trouble but admits that she likes to wake up in the morning with a man in her bed。 She further justifies her choice by the drudgery of her work life。 Her mom gave her Hattie’s， the café that Sully stumbled into every morning。Russo’s genius is in moving the plot forward through the eyes of people who populate the story。 Like Janey， self-doubt is the main theme of their introspection。Ruth doesn’t regret taking a beating that was meant for Janey， but she is surprised that she misses Sully as much as she does。 Often frustrated with him when he was alive， when she looks back she sees that he was her main source of happiness in an otherwise disappointing life。 She wonders， now that Sully’s gone， if her life has anything left to offer。 Wondering why his dad left him such a long list of people he was supposed to check-up on， including Ruth， Janey and Rub， Peter’s beginning to appreciate Sully’s ways more every day。 Still， he wishes his dad were there to help him figure out what to do with Thomas， his wayward son。 Sully helped raise his oldest son Will， but Peter had left Thomas and his little brother to be raised by his ex-wife。 When an old Cadillac with West Virginia license plates shows up in his driveway， he knows Thomas sought him out for a reason but he has no clue what that is。 Only after Thomas has a brutal run-in with Delgado， does Peter find out about Thomas’s troubled history with the law。From the moment he saw him， Rub wishes Thomas hadn’t shown up。 He’d locked himself away in his house for months after Sully died。 It was only with Peter’s prodding that he’s able to function again。 When he begins to realize that Peter has already gotten him to a place where he might be OK without Sully， he encounters his final stumbling block。 He’s not sure Sully would be OK with him moving on with his life。Sully didn’t tease him as much as he did Rub， but he took his shots at Chief Doug Raymer， never letting forget the campaign posters he’d misprinted with the slogan: “We’re not happy until you’re unhappy。” Sully or no Sully， Raymer is happy to leave the North Bath PD behind。 His chief focus now is how to get Charice back。When Charice asks him if her twin brother Jerome can live with him for a while， Raymer sees it as a path that might lead to her moving back in with him。 Jerome had fallen apart after Raymer’s wife died。 She’d been planning to run away with Jerome when she tripped and fell down the stairs。 What follows is classic Russo。He elevates a soap opera narrative to literature。 Whether it’s OCD or bipolar or both， Jerome had slipped into a somewhat dysfunctional version of his former self， letting his fashion finesse and mental acuity slip。 He’s still fastidious but has settled into mute despondence， speaking few words and only to his sister。After warming up to his new living arrangement with Raymer， Jerome starts to challenge him， not forcefully but in gentle， insightful reprimands。 Over their morning breakfast at Hattie’s， Jerome talks about the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s， mentioning people like Langston Hughes， Paul Robeson， Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday。 Raymer sits across from him slowly shaking his head。“’What do you want from me？’ Raymer said， ‘I’m sorry I don’t know the same things you know。’”“That’s the point， Dawg。 The point is that it’s part of your privilege to not know who these Black folks are。 I， on the other hand， am supposed to know who Dickens is。 You get to skate on Langston Hughes and nobody busts your balls。”At dinner the night before， Raymer had tried to get Jerome to see that “over time， things have a way of working out。”“Time，” Jerome scoffed， “That’s another difference between white folks and Black folks。 Y’all operate on white time。 Clarice and me？ We’re on Black time。”He used his fork and knife to tap out the metronome-like tick-tock of white time on his water glass。 He switched it up to a syncopated jazz beat when he talked about Black time。“Laugh all you want，” Jerome continued， “First tick in Black time is slavery and all the other ticks and tocks return to that。”With a mild spoiler alert， I can say that Sully’s ghost-like influence on the citizens of North Bath builds on the quintessential Sully we came to know and love in Russo’s two previous ‘Fool’ novels。 Like the Sully we’ve known for years， everyone takes a wavering step forward。 We even learn the underpinnings of Jerome’s Black lessons with Raymer。 。。。more

Ray Cerrone ，

Great TrilogyRusso knows how to write with style。 This book was hard to put down。 I loved the trilogy。 Sooty that there won’t be a fourth installment。

Cynthia King ，

Nobody writes everyday conversation like Richard Russo does！

Kathy Rossman ，

Didn’t anyone think this book was hard to follow ？

Diane Felci ，

Interesting story of some of the residents of a town

Emily Miller ，

You have to like Richard Russo to really love this book。 The pacing is a bit slow and you sort of feel like you’re plodding along at a snail’s pace through the days in the lives of people in this small town。 And that’s because you are。 Life is full of seemingly small moments that alter our lives forever， sometimes in ways that aren’t clear until much later。 Richard Russo tells these kinds of stories better than most—a more flashy Anne Tyler。

Kathy kennedy ，

this is the third Sully story。 Takes place 10 years after his death when Sully's ghost still haunts the small upstate Ny town。 Sully is a loveable curmudgeon His son and grand sons as well as other towns people still remember him fondly。 A bit long， but a good read。 It took too long to identify the dead body found in the abandoned hotel。 this is the third Sully story。 Takes place 10 years after his death when Sully's ghost still haunts the small upstate Ny town。 Sully is a loveable curmudgeon His son and grand sons as well as other towns people still remember him fondly。 A bit long， but a good read。 It took too long to identify the dead body found in the abandoned hotel。 。。。more

Katt ，

Great read！ It’s a page turner with interesting characters

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Reference

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