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Summary: A big story in the all the best ways. Loved it.
Review: After the slim tragedy of Mohawk, Richard Russo really exploded with Risk Pool. This is a long, satisfying, involved book covering the length of a relationship between father and son. It's populated by Russo's typical denim-collar roustabouts and academic escapees--a population with whom I doubt I'll ever tire. Personally I'm a huge fan of this kind of large, quasi-Dickensian fiction. It creates a world you can enter and enjoy for longer than just the day or three it takes to read most novels these days. This is more poignant than either Nobody's Fool or Straight Man, but I think it carries its weight/drama very well. And it left my wife in tears, so it's definitely got the power to grip you emotionally. I can't recommend highly enough.
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Summary: The Best ,, From the Best...
Review: Russos' best, no question.. Ive read them all,, I reread this book every year.. Character development without peer.. Small town life depiction.. extraordinary..
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Summary: Great story, hard to put down
Review: Richard Russo's characters are realistic and draw you in to the story immeadiately. Though the story description describes a relationship between a son and his estranged parents, this story is more about a son and his father. I guarantee you'll feel guilty about loving Sam Hall by the end of this novel. What a great story. I cannot recommend it enough!
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Summary: Russo is a magnificent story teller, all his books are great
Review: The way Russo's uses language makes you feel as you were standing next to his characters. The dialogue is alive and the story flows and gets stronger with every line.
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Summary: Speak to my heart
Review: I bought this book on the strength of other's recommendations and I am still reeling by its jolting realism and indifferent homage to, well, what most of us would call a loser. Unfortunately for the alcoholic social circles described in the book, this book has about the most compassionate twist that is possible without spinning out into la la land. Major kudos to Mr. Russo for his style, which is engaging, readable, thoroughly enjoyable, and rigorous. He writes indifference from conviction and it's such a ride. Having the dad with tacit fatherly instincts and not a downright criminal and drug taker helps him a lot, though he didn't choose easy material for himself anyway. Very good book, spoken even from someone who usually dislikes any glorification of people who have small dreams.
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Summary: Unforgettable reading
Review: This one, like some choice Steinbeck, Owen Meany, maybe a few others, lives on long after you've put the book down. Read and re-read this book so many times, I'm embarassed to say. I will not soon forget Jenny Hall blasting hell out of Sam's car or Sam and a trunkful of contraband on the NY Thruway. Funny, moving, enraging - this is the best kind of storytelling.
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Summary: Astonishing and superb
Review: "The Risk Pool" is definitely RIchard Russo's best book. Every character is amazing; the book is filled with hilarious town characters and even those with minor roles, such as Tree, Mrs. Agajanian, and Roy Heinz are well developed and unforgettable. This book accomplished the rare feat of eliciting sympathy for Ned's flawed, irresponsible father along with his psychologically damaged mother. If you enjoyed this book as much as I did, check out "Boy's Life" by Robert McCammon, another excellent tale of adolescence and growing up.
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Summary: Better than Straight Man! Reminiscent of Owen Meany...
Review: Reminiscent might not be the right word since I think this was written before John Irving's best-seller, A Prayer for Owen Meany. However, reading Risk Pool after reading Owen gave me pause to note some strong similarities between the two. Risk Pool is significantly more conscise - which can be a benefit or a drawback depending on how much time you want to commit to one novel. Both were great stories and both extremely well written. I enjoyed Russo's humor and style in Straight Man, but found Risk Pool to be much better written, funnier, and all around more enjoyable. I give it a Strong Buy rating!
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Summary: The Greatest Book I Ever Read!
Review: This is without a doubt the best book about "Life" I have ever read. It is particularly poignant for men who cherish their relationship with their father. Or those men who can identify with the difficult father/son relationship explained so fully in this book.
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Summary: very good, read everything this man has written!
Review: I almost abandoned this book in the early chapters because the father was so shiftless and sorry. I'm glad I stayed with it. By the end of the book I really cared about him even though I can't approve of his lifestyle or child-rearing methods. Russo causes us to have understanding and sympathy for his characters; I never thought I could care about a group of characters who spend most of their time hanging out in bars. This book is very good and worth reading, but I still liked Straight Man much more.
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