In the following excerpt, Montrose praises Russo's structure and characterization in Mohawk, but faults the novel for elements of melodrama and excessive length.
Small-town USA (North-easter...
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In the following review of Nobody's Fool, Caldwell praises Russo's narrative skill and literary vision but finds the novel excessively lengthy and repetitious.
With his infinite winte...
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In the following review, Kaveney commends Russo's “ear for social ritual and the comedy that goes with it” in Nobody's Fool but laments the novel's occasionally ster...
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In the following review, Brzezinski commends the ambitious scope of the narrative in Nobody's Fool.
Russo's third novel [Nobody's Fool] is an ambitious look at two topics curre...
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In the following essay, Montgomery provides an overview of Russo's life, career, and literary concerns and discusses Russo's work on the film adaptation of Nobody's Fool.
Richa...
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In the following review, Bradfield judges Straight Man to be a humorous but flawed novel.
Hank Devereaux, the protagonist of Richard Russo's funny and clever novel, [Straight Man,] is a prof...
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In the following essay, Ingalls discusses the publication of Straight Man and Russo's use of his own experiences in the academic world as fictional material.
Richard Russo says his first att...
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In the following review, Curwen praises Straight Man as “a thoroughly irreverent, masterful satire of American life, circa 1997.”
Just shy of his 50th birthday, William Henry Devereau...
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In the following review, Lee asserts that Russo joins the ranks of several modern authors who satirize academia—Kingsley Amis, John Barth, and Jane Smiley, among others—with the publicat...
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In the following review, Charles lauds Russo's insight and wit in Straight Man, noting that the novel's satire “never slides into artifice.”
University life has served a...
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In the following excerpt, Kauffmann argues that Twilight is an ineffective attempt to counter youth-driven Hollywood movies, characterizing Robert Benton and Russo's dialogue as “laborio...
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In the following review, Eder comments that, despite the novel's “impeccable” realism, the weak protagonist in The Risk Pool ultimately makes the novel a “bore.”
...
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In the following review, Saari praises the rich comic narrative of Straight Man.
The running joke here is that the university is a three-ring circus of clowns and buffoons who provide an unending s...
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In the following review, Simon compliments Twilight as a “rare crime story that makes sense.”
Some years ago Robert Benton, Richard Russo, and Paul Newman came up with a winner, Nobod...
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In the following review, Jacobs commends the “complex” and “witty” protagonist of Straight Man.
There is no denying the voyeuristic allure of a novel set in your own bac...
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In the following review, Charles lauds the literary accomplishment of Empire Falls, arguing that the “history of American literature may show that Richard Russo wrote the last great novel of th...
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In the following review, Cryer notes Russo's skillful characterization of Miles Roby and his small-town community in Empire Falls.
Stay with Miles Roby long enough and you can't miss ...
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In the following review, Marcus praises Empire Falls as Russo's “most ambitious work to date,” but notes that the novel feels overlong.
Richard Russo first made his reputation ...
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In the following review of Empire Falls, Max commends the novel for its appealing style and humor but faults the work for its heavy-handed symbolism.
Richard Russo has focused on fading Middle Amer...
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In the following review, Prager offers a positive assessment of Empire Falls, lauding Russo's “entirely natural portrayal of small-town life.”
In the Empire Falls of Richard Ru...
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In the following review, McCleese compliments Russo's balancing of comedic and tragic elements in Empire Falls.
Writer Tom Wolfe once charged that “the American novel is dying, not of...
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In the following review of Empire Falls, Broun approves of Russo's ambitious scope but finds the narrative to be overly nostalgic and bland.
Empire Falls, the latest novel from Richard Russo...
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In the following review, Wolitzer compliments Russo's “remarkable fix on blue-collar life in small-town America” in The Risk Pool but criticizes the novel for underdeveloped femal...
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In the following review, Allen praises Russo's complex characterizations and effective interweaving of multiple plot threads in Empire Falls.
If you're seeking the perfect summertime ...
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In the following review, Hower notes that Russo strikes a good balance between reality and morality in Empire Falls, arguing that the novel's “main strength is its skillfully developed c...
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In the following excerpt, Epstein laments the difficulty of identifying new literary talent and, singling out Jonathan Franzen and Russo as notable exceptions, provides a favorable review of Empire Fa...
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In the following review of Empire Falls, Jacobs praises Russo's characterizations and prose but faults the novel for excessive length and abrupt resolution.
First, I have to admit I am an un...
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In the following review, Case praises the life and vitality of the stories in The Whore's Child and Other Stories.
The short story's rise to prominence in American letters must be at ...
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In the following review, Heinegg compliments Russo's deadpan comedic timing in The Whore's Child and Other Stories.
Right beneath the title, the jacket of The Whore's Child dis...
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In the following review, Deignan presents a critical reading of the stories in The Whore's Child and Other Stories, commending Russo's emphasis on examining the “act of storytelli...
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In the following review, McConkey argues that the “great triumph” of The Risk Pool lies in the novel's complex father-son relationship.
Richard Russo's second novel retu...
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In the following excerpt, Abel offers a positive assessment of The Risk Pool, calling Russo's prose “witty, easy and nostalgic in tone.”
Richard Russo's novel The Risk P...
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In the following review, Clute asserts that Russo's themes in The Risk Pool are ultimately rewarding though the narrative can be meandering and overlong.
Those who finish The Risk Pool will ...
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In the following review, Proulx lauds Russo's comedic prose in Nobody's Fool, noting Russo's recurring examination of child-parent relationships.
If ever time travel is invente...
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In the following review, Mosher praises Russo's deft portrayal of small-town American life in Nobody's Fool, arguing that the novel contains “some of the most darkly yet genuinely...
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In the following essay, Smith provides an overview of Russo's fiction, publishing history, and literary concerns, including Russo's own comments on his career and work.
The Old Port s...
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Barnes & Noble.com is getting a new look. Starting Monday, the online site for the superstore chain will have a thoroughly revised home page, including a running scroll of featured releases, an...
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Today is Easter Sunday, April 8, the 98th day of 2007. There are 267 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home ...
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Should Christopher Hitchens win a National Book Award, you can be sure he won't thank any higher powers.The author, columnist and commentator was nominated for "God Is Not Great," a polemic with a ...
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WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERSFICTION1. "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham (Doubleday)2. "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)3. "You've Been Warned" by James Patterson, How...
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There were books advocating the public role of Christianity and the soundness of the free market, an attack on the liberal "elite" by Laura Ingraham and a memoir by Lynne Cheney, wife of the vice p...
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On a recent rainy Tuesday evening at an empty screening room in Times Square, writer and director Robert Benton arrived without fanfareâgood-naturedly waving away all talk of a car...
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WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERSFICTION1. "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham (Doubleday)2. "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)3. "Dark of the Moon" by John Sandford (Putnam ...
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Breaking up is hard to do, but this summer Brill Building popster Neil Sedaka did just that when he walled off a part of his apartment at 480 Park Avenue and sold it for $2.9 million.
“Pleas...
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The cultural critic Lee Siegel is known as something of a terror for his slashing, razor-sharp essays and reviews. His savage eloquence has ticked off a lot of folk, and his not entirely deserved r...
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The cultural critic Lee Siegel is known as something of a terror for his slashing, razor-sharp essays and reviews. His savage eloquence has ticked off a lot of folk, and his not entirely deserved r...
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