Scan barcode
sarahetc's review against another edition
2.0
I laughed out loud in a few places, but in the end, this was its own brand of literary fiction navel gazing. The characters were just barely well-drawn enough that it was its own book, but otherwise, it's every other novel about middle-aged intellectuals who just decide not to cope and, in so doing, bestow great wisdom on others, maybe. Except there's no great wisdom. They had to put a goose on the cover because the fate of the goose (or geese, really), was pretty much the only reason I finished the book.
Spoiler alert: the geese make it. Duh.
Spoiler alert: the geese make it. Duh.
pattytwin1's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
krisbell's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books that is truly funny! Loved it.
ccrankshaw's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lorikleininak's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My first Richard Russo, and one that made me laugh to boot. Straight Man follows William Henry (Hank) Devereaux, Jr. through the course of an an academic semester at his small, public liberal arts college in the East. He's temporary chair of his department. There are rumors of budget cuts. There are rumors his estranged father may be moving back to town. His daughter may or may not be leaving her husband. His wife may or may not be having an affair. One thing Hank knows for sure: he needs to pass a kidney stone. And under all this pressure, he makes a threat that topples his life into pure chaos for one week.
Alternately laugh out loud funny and tedious with the musings of an academic having a mid-life crisis, I overall liked Straight Man. I can't believe I've never read Richard Russo before, and I look forward to reading more of his work.
Alternately laugh out loud funny and tedious with the musings of an academic having a mid-life crisis, I overall liked Straight Man. I can't believe I've never read Richard Russo before, and I look forward to reading more of his work.
aladon66's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Book Review Straight Man by Richard Russo
I really like Russo’s other books Nobody’s Fool, Somebody’s Fool, and Everybody’s Fool. This book has a similar vibe and writing style as the other ones so I enjoyed it! His books are character driven, not plot driven, unless a mid life crisis and fighting to ensure he is nothing like his father is plot driven.
Lucky Hank is the interim Chair of the English Department in a small university. Whether he wants to be a chair is unclear but he certainly likes his increased ability to stir the pot on a larger scale. I have no idea if the acrimonious cast of characters typifies an English Department but they are weird, quirky and a little MESSY. I think the one who calls him regularly drunk to chew him out but doesn’t remember calling him is my favourite. Although his nemesis is a close second.
Hank’s father was also an accomplished academic with much published work and acclaim. Hank never feels he lives up to this acclaim. He abandoned the family when Hank was young and they have had a strained and limited relationship. Hank strives to be nothing like his father. However, like this things we strive against he is more like him than he wants to admit.
Hank is unapologetically a sh*& disturber and can be a jerk. However, he is likeable and funny and has an odd quality of seeing the humor in everything, even when he really shouldn’t. Throughout the novel he is subconsciously struggling to determine if he wants to move up the ladder of academia, whether he can write another novel, and the meaning of his life. In the midst of this the University is faced with rumours of significant budget cuts and potential job losses. His running inner monologue about what he thinks he can get away with and his plight is so humorous.
This is a funny, fast read and great for those who love quirky, character driven, dialogue rich books.
reillykid7's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jolly_joshy's review against another edition
2.0
This book was one of those books where almost every time I picked up reading it, I thought about how I didn't want to read it anymore. It just wasn't for me.
I chose to read this book because one of my professors said this was his favorite book. So... I dove right in. And I can definitely see why he likes it, because the story is about a professor who feels like everything around him is going wrong, and he has a wife, and he has a bunch of personal issues that he complains about in the book, and then at the end of the book, he comes to terms with all those issues.
Cool.
I guess...
But I mean it wasn't a book that I took much away from, and it wasn't a book that kept me on the edge of my seat, or wanting to return and finish it.
Nonetheless, very interesting style and good writing (I still don't know if the author was just writing an autobiography, or about one of his friends, or actually a totally fictional character).
I chose to read this book because one of my professors said this was his favorite book. So... I dove right in. And I can definitely see why he likes it, because the story is about a professor who feels like everything around him is going wrong, and he has a wife, and he has a bunch of personal issues that he complains about in the book, and then at the end of the book, he comes to terms with all those issues.
Cool.
I guess...
But I mean it wasn't a book that I took much away from, and it wasn't a book that kept me on the edge of my seat, or wanting to return and finish it.
Nonetheless, very interesting style and good writing (I still don't know if the author was just writing an autobiography, or about one of his friends, or actually a totally fictional character).
saxifrage_seldon's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book more than I thought I would, as well as for reasons I didn't consider when choosing it. The book is narrated by Hank Devereaux Jr., chair of the English department of a fictional university in Western Pennsylvania experiencing budget cuts. On the one hand, the book is a window into inter-departmental politics in higher education during crises. While this was amusing to read, I loved the book because of Russo’s development of Hank as a character. While Hank presents himself as flippant throughout the book, even going so far as threatening the life of a duck a day until the college releases the budget to a television crew while wearing Groucho Marx glasses and a mustache, this demeanor begins to unravel as the narrative unfolds and we see the complexities of Hanks life coming to bear further down on him. Hank is presented at one time as hilarious, detestable, and sympathetic. These perspectives continuously shift as Hank deals not only with issues regarding the university but the state of his marriage, his daughter’s marriage, his health problems, and the impending return of his father, who is a sort of celebrity academic, to name a few. This is my first Richard Russo book, and this book has made me a fan. I look forward to reading more of his work.
devindevindevin's review against another edition
4.0
I tend not to read literary fiction. If it doesn't have monsters or pictures or detectives, I don't pick it up, and If I do, I get bored and quit (see Dodgers, see And then we came to and end). Maybe it's a character flaw in me. I don't know.
This book was recommended to me by an old professor of mine though, and I'm glad I give it a shot. Russo has humor that's pure joy to read. And, unlike other literary fiction I've tried, this has a plot. A causes B causes C. Even if that wasn't the case, if it was just about WHD JR walking around and living his life without consequence like he thought he could, I'd still have enjoyed the ride because the characterization and wit in it.
What I enjoyed most about the book is that the prose isn't trying to conceal a lack of plot. It doesn't read like some MFA thesis turned novel where each sentence is crafted perfection, made by committee, concealing meaning behind some flowery noun/verb combination. It's the thoughts that matter most in this book, and those ideas are clearly communicated. Which sounds like the definition of a book, but it seems like most books ignore that. Not this one though! I got more Russo lined up now. I've been seeing Empire Falls on bookshelves my entire life, and that's next.
This book was recommended to me by an old professor of mine though, and I'm glad I give it a shot. Russo has humor that's pure joy to read. And, unlike other literary fiction I've tried, this has a plot. A causes B causes C. Even if that wasn't the case, if it was just about WHD JR walking around and living his life without consequence like he thought he could, I'd still have enjoyed the ride because the characterization and wit in it.
What I enjoyed most about the book is that the prose isn't trying to conceal a lack of plot. It doesn't read like some MFA thesis turned novel where each sentence is crafted perfection, made by committee, concealing meaning behind some flowery noun/verb combination. It's the thoughts that matter most in this book, and those ideas are clearly communicated. Which sounds like the definition of a book, but it seems like most books ignore that. Not this one though! I got more Russo lined up now. I've been seeing Empire Falls on bookshelves my entire life, and that's next.