# Nobody's Fool

By Richard Russo · North Bath Trilogy, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/nobody-s-fool-804b1cbd/

Sixty-year-old handyman Donald “Sully” Sullivan is short of money and nursing a bad knee in North Bath, a New York town with troubles of its own. His estranged son comes home with a failing marriage. Sully has trouble helping himself, let alone keeping the next generation from repeating his mistakes.

## What makes it funny?

Sully and his friends communicate through teasing insults, with a wisecrack ready whenever a conversation gets too close. The opening gives his former teacher Miss Beryl the same dry precision: watching an expert taste her diseased elm, she wonders whether he expected strawberry shortcake. Book-group readers single out Sully as a lovable loser.

### The comedy at work

Sully’s jokes help him keep people at a distance, even when he needs them. His stubbornness also contributes to his bad luck, giving the people around him plenty to answer back to.

### Try this if…

Much of the pleasure lies in spending time with a combative small-town cast. Readers who enjoy sharp dialogue and flawed people may appreciate the leisurely approach to plot; some book-group readers found that pace frustrating or disliked the characters.

### Good to know

Family damage matters alongside the jokes, including an abusive father, estrangement and adultery. This is the starting point for the North Bath trilogy, followed by Everybody’s Fool and Somebody’s Fool.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- Kind of humor: Banter · Dry wit
- Format: Novel
- Length: 560 pages
- Audiobook: 24 hr 52 min
- Published: 1993

## A few distinguishing details

- A broke handyman whose wisecracks complicate intimacy
- Affection expressed through friendly insults

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Apple Books lists Nobody's Fool (Unabridged) by Richard Russo, narrated by Ron McLarty, with runtime 24:52 and publisher Random House Audio.](https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/nobodys-fool-unabridged/id1434024500)
- Publisher: [Penguin Random House lists Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo as a 560-page paperback, ISBN 9780679753339. Its page lists a 24-hour-52-minute audiobook download but does not label it unabridged.](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/159152/nobodys-fool-by-richard-russo/paperback)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://facebook.com/groups/bookrecommendations/permalink/9927273177347406)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780394577784)
- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/richard-russo/nobodys-fool)
- Library catalog: [Bibliographic record](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3351628W/Nobody%27s_Fool)
- Publisher: [Publisher and excerpt](https://www.penguinrandomhouseretail.com/book?isbn=9780679753339)