"Cause for celebration . . . writing that reflects [Russo's] deep affection for the quotidian and for the best and worst that's found in every human heart." --Sally Bissell,
Library Journal
"Buoyantly unsentimental . . . You hold his books to your heart." --Jan Stuart,
The Boston Globe
"Elegiac but never sentimental. . . . Russo's compassionate heart is open to the sorrows, and yes, the foolishness of this lonely world, but also the humor, friendship and love that abide." --Paul Wilner,
San Francisco Chronicle
"[A] sweeping comic novel . . . Whether you loved
Nobody's Fool or never heard of it, reasons about to read its sequel." --Betty J. Cotter,
The Providence Journal "Hard-bitten, hard-drinking, hardscrabble comedy [whose] timing is impeccable: Russo understands more about the 'plight of the working class' than any so-called pundit attempting to decipher this election." --Yvonne Zipp,
The Christian Science Monitor
"Russo [renders] with uncommon grace the dashed expectations and wistful regrets of his working-class hero, Sully." --
O Magazine
"Rollicking and heartfelt." --Jeff Baker,
The Seattle Times
"For fans who've missed Sully and the gang,
Everybody's Fool is like hopping on the last empty barstool surrounded by old friends." --Jeff Labreque,
Entertainment Weekly
"A writer of great comedy and warmth, Russo's living proof that a book can be profound and wise without aiming straight into darkness. [His] voice can play in any register, any key, any style [in this] portrait of an entire community, in all its romance and all its grit." --Eliot Schrefer,
USA Today
"Russo brings wit and warmth to this slapstick tale . . . Once again his characters are marvelous creatures, endearing in spite of themselves." --
People
"A delightful return . . . to a town where dishonesty abounds, everyone misapprehends everyone else and half the citizens are half-crazy. It's a great place for a reader to visit, and it seems to be Russo's spiritual home." --Janet Maslin,
The New York Times
"How could twenty-three years have slipped by since
Nobody's Fool? . . . Russo is probably the best writer of physical comedy that we have [but] even the zaniest elements of the story are interspersed with episodes of wincing cruelty. . . . The abiding wonder [is that] Russo's novel bears down on two calamitous days and exploits the action in every single minute . . . mudslides, grave robbery, collapsing buildings, poisonous snakes, drug deals, arson, lightning strikes and toxic goo. North Bath is a sleepy little town that never sleeps [and] no tangent ever feels tangential." --Ron Charles,
The Washington Post
"Everybody should read
Everybody's Fool. Almost nobody in Richard Russo's novel is sure of anything, but I'm sure of that. . . . [He] has given readers all they should want." --Brian O'Neill,
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The
Fool books represent an enormous achievement, creating a world as richly detailed as the one we step into each day of our lives. . . . Sully in particular emerges as one of the most credible and engaging heroes in recent American fiction. . . . Bath is real, Sully is real, and so is Hattie's and the White Horse Tavern and Miss Peoples's house on Main, and I can only hope we haven't seen the last of them. I'd love to see what Sully's going to be up to at 80." --T. Coraghessan Boyle,
The New York Times Book Review "I was holding my breath for fear
Everybody's Fool wouldn't live up to its predecessor, but I shouldn't have worried. As good as Russo was in 1993, he's even better now. And
Everybody's Fool is a delight [with] enough bizarre events, startling revelations, unlikely heroes and touching moments to supply a dozen small towns . . . He is also a master of plotting, from cliffhangers to twists that deftly link apparently unrelated threads. This book's tone is largely comic, but Russo writes with uncommon insight about love, families and friendship." --Collette Bancroft,
Tampa Bay Times "A madcap romp, weaving mystery, suspense and comedy in a race to the final pages." --Jennifer Maloney,
The Wall Street Journal "Triumphant. . . Russo's reunion with these beloved characters is genius: silly slapstick and sardonic humor play out in a rambling, rambunctious story that poignantly emphasizes that particular brand of loyalty and acceptance that is synonymous with small-town living." --Carol Haggas,
Booklist (starred)
"Russo hits his trademark trifecta: satisfying, hilarious, and painlessly profound." --
Kirkus Reviews (starred)