Richard Russo Criticism
Richard Russo, an acclaimed American novelist, screenwriter, and short story writer, is celebrated for his poignant portrayals of blue-collar life in declining Northeastern towns. His narratives often explore the intricate dynamics between emotionally scarred sons and their absent or flawed fathers. Russo's debut novel, Mohawk, set in upstate New York, introduces his recurring theme of small-town decay. This theme persists in The Risk Pool and Nobody's Fool, where complex family relationships are depicted with a mix of humor and empathy.
Notably, Russo's work in Empire Falls, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize, is admired for its rich characterization and exploration of multigenerational themes within a dying mill town in Maine. As noted by critics like Ron Charles, the novel is considered one of his most ambitious works, offering a profound narrative on human resilience and community life.
His academic satire Straight Man showcases Russo’s foray into comedic territory, reflecting the chaotic world of academia with sharp wit. As Thomas Curwen describes it, the novel is a masterful satire of American life. Russo's screenplay work includes Twilight, indicating his versatility in both literary and cinematic storytelling.
Critics have consistently praised Russo's ability to craft vivid portraits of ordinary individuals facing life's adversities, often comparing his narrative style to that of 19th-century novelists like Dickens and Twain. Despite occasional critiques of his works' length and melodramatic elements, as noted in Fightin' an' Feudin', his novels remain engaging and rich in character development. Russo's collection, The Whore's Child and Other Stories, also received acclaim for its detail and wit, further cementing his place as a distinguished storyteller in American literature.
Contents
- Principal Works
-
Essays
-
Fightin' an' Feudin'
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Montrose praises Russo's structure and characterization in Mohawk, but faults the novel for elements of melodrama and excessive length.
-
Sticking around with Dad
(summary)
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.”
-
Richard Russo's Tale of a Reckless Father and a Sensitive Son
(summary)
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 female characters.
-
Life with Father and Son
(summary)
In the following review, McConkey argues that the “great triumph” of The Risk Pool lies in the novel's complex father-son relationship.
-
Quarterly Fiction Review
(summary)
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 Pool is another American work that has crossed the Atlantic with every chance of success. Russo achieved fame first with his book entitled Mohawk, a moving love story set in an imaginary New York town. In The Risk Pool Richard Russo returns to Mohawk to unfold the further tale of thirty years in the hell-raising life of Sam Hall. Hall returns from World War II, only to abandon his wife Jenny and their baby Ned. Several years later, he returns in search of his son, thus causing Ned to spend the next twenty years shuttling both physically and emotionally between his estranged parents, trying hard to gain acceptance from his father as earnestly as the father is trying to win the respect and affection of the son he left too early for reconciliation to be achieved without a bitter struggle.
-
Talk of the Town
(summary)
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.
-
What It Takes to Endure the Lost, Stubborn Citizens of Richard Russo's Upstate New York
(summary)
In the following review, Proulx lauds Russo's comedic prose in Nobody's Fool, noting Russo's recurring examination of child-parent relationships.
-
The Strife of Bath
(summary)
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 funny scenes I've encountered in any recent fiction.”
-
Richard Russo: The Novelist Again Explores the Crucial Impact of Place on Individual Destinies
(summary)
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 Last Resort
(summary)
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.
-
Bonds Men
(summary)
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 stereotypical characterizations.
-
Review of Nobody's Fool
(summary)
In the following review, Brzezinski commends the ambitious scope of the narrative in Nobody's Fool, describing it as an ambitious look at class and small-town America, populated with extraordinarily well-drawn characters and chronicling their mistakes in a comic yet compassionate narrative.
-
The Brains behind Nobody's Fool
(summary)
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.
-
Department Wars
(summary)
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, is a professor of creative writing, hiding out in the below-par English Department of West Central Pennsylvania University, and he doesn't think he belongs anywhere better. About to turn fifty, he hasn't written a book in the twenty years since he received tenure, and he has been elected Department Chair solely because he is the sort of “militant procedural incompetent” who doesn't threaten to get anything done. In a department of losers, nobody wants to be left behind by somebody else's accomplishments. And, in an era of increasingly stringent budget cuts, accomplishing nothing is starting to look easier and easier.
-
A Novelist Finds Humor in Academic Woes
(summary)
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.
-
Just Joking
(summary)
In the following review, Curwen praises Straight Man as “a thoroughly irreverent, masterful satire of American life, circa 1997.”
-
Review of Straight Man
(summary)
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 publication of Straight Man.
-
Pillorying Pretentious Professors
(summary)
In the following review, Charles lauds Russo's insight and wit in Straight Man, noting that the novel's satire “never slides into artifice.”
-
Love Later On
(summary)
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 “laboriously smart.”
-
Review of Straight Man
(summary)
In the following review, Saari praises the rich comic narrative of Straight Man, highlighting the humor in the chaotic university setting and the protagonist's antics as he navigates faculty cutbacks and personal challenges.
-
Benton in Clover, Coens in Bilge
(summary)
In the following review, Simon compliments Twilight as a “rare crime story that makes sense.”
-
Review of Straight Man
(summary)
In the following review, Jacobs commends the “complex” and “witty” protagonist of Straight Man, highlighting the novel's charm as it reflects the experiences of an English professor and the diversity of characters in academia.
-
Grease Spots on the American Dream
(summary)
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 the 20th century.”
-
Through the Mill
(summary)
In the following review, Cryer notes Russo's skillful characterization of Miles Roby and his small-town community in Empire Falls.
-
Review of Empire Falls
(summary)
In the following review, Marcus praises Empire Falls as Russo's “most ambitious work to date,” but notes that the novel feels overlong.
-
Expecting Failure, Finding Faith
(summary)
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.
-
Run-of-the-Mill? Not Empire Falls.
(summary)
In the following review, Prager offers a positive assessment of Empire Falls, lauding Russo's “entirely natural portrayal of small-town life.”
-
Review of Empire Falls
(summary)
In the following review, McCleese compliments Russo's balancing of comedic and tragic elements in Empire Falls.
-
Down Home Folk
(summary)
In the following review of Empire Falls, Broun approves of Russo's ambitious scope but finds the narrative to be overly nostalgic and bland.
-
Love, Loss, and Small-Town Economics
(summary)
In the following review, Allen praises Russo's complex characterizations and effective interweaving of multiple plot threads in Empire Falls.
-
Small-Town Dreams: Disappointment Haunts the Characters in Richard Russo's Depiction of Life in a Hapless Maine Backwater Town
(summary)
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 characters.”
-
Surfing the Novel
(summary)
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 Falls.
-
Review of Empire Falls
(summary)
In the following review of Empire Falls, Jacobs praises Russo's characterizations and prose but faults the novel for excessive length and abrupt resolution.
-
Pulsating with Real Life
(summary)
In the following review, Case praises the life and vitality of the stories in The Whore's Child and Other Stories.
-
You Still Can't Get There from Here
(summary)
In the following review, Heinegg compliments Russo's deadpan comedic timing in The Whore's Child and Other Stories.
-
Good Liars
(summary)
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 storytelling.”
-
Fightin' an' Feudin'
(summary)
- Further Reading