A review by gabe_reads
Straight Man by Richard Russo
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I found this incredibly funny, and ended up liking the plot a lot more than I thought I would. I liked how mundane and petty it all was, and how everyone (perhaps except his wife) was mediocre to kinda shitty.
I enjoyed his first person perspective, with the inside thoughts and comedy that it brought to everything. It was also good work creating a main character who is likable to the reader and the other characters but is also such an infuriating prat.
I thought the main character (and particularly his humour) felt like a caricature/extreme version of quite a few people I know, probably including myself. A lot of the things he says for the bit are things that we wish we'd have the balls to say. The way he constantly stirs the pot and prods at people. And the way he bumbles through life is in a way quite admirable. Don't get me wrong, he's a deeply unpleasant person, who I would not want to be like and could certainly not be friends with. But in the setting of the story I think he's class.
I thought the setting of the university was well made. With people who are largely washed up and past their prime; who hate their jobs and those around them; and have generally unsatisfactory, crummy lives.
His antics towards the conclusion did slightly take me out of the realism of the whole thing.
I enjoyed his first person perspective, with the inside thoughts and comedy that it brought to everything. It was also good work creating a main character who is likable to the reader and the other characters but is also such an infuriating prat.
I thought the main character (and particularly his humour) felt like a caricature/extreme version of quite a few people I know, probably including myself. A lot of the things he says for the bit are things that we wish we'd have the balls to say. The way he constantly stirs the pot and prods at people. And the way he bumbles through life is in a way quite admirable. Don't get me wrong, he's a deeply unpleasant person, who I would not want to be like and could certainly not be friends with. But in the setting of the story I think he's class.
I thought the setting of the university was well made. With people who are largely washed up and past their prime; who hate their jobs and those around them; and have generally unsatisfactory, crummy lives.
His antics towards the conclusion did slightly take me out of the realism of the whole thing.