
Straight Man
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Sam Freed
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By:
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Richard Russo
William Henry Devereaux, Jr., spiritually suited to playing left field but forced by a bad hamstring to try first base, is the unlikely chairman of the English department at West Central Pennsylvania University. Over the course of a single convoluted week, he threatens to execute a duck, has his nose slashed by a feminist poet, discovers that his secretary writes better fiction than he does, suspects his wife of having an affair with his dean, and finally confronts his philandering elderly father, the one-time king of American Literary Theory, at an abandoned amusement park.
Such is the canvas of Richard Russo's Straight Man, a novel of surpassing wit, poignancy, and insight. As he established in his previous books—Mohawk, The Risk Pool, and Nobody's Fool—Russo is unique among contemporary authors for his ability to flawlessly capture the soul of the wise guy and the heart of a difficult parent. In Hank Devereaux, Russo has created a hero whose humor and identification with the absurd are mitigated only by his love for his family, friends, and, ultimately, knowledge itself.
Unforgettable, compassionate, and laugh-out-loud funny, Straight Man cements Richard Russo's reputation as one of the master storytellers of our time.
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Critic reviews
"The funniest serious novel I have read since—well, maybe since Portnoy's Complaint." —The New York Times Book Review
"[Russo] skewers academic pretensions and infighting with mad abandon...in a clear and muscular prose that is a pleasaure to read....I had to stop often to guffaw, gasp, wheeze, and wipe away my tears." —Chicago Sun-Times
"Bursting with humor and insight." —USA Today
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In some ways I enjoyed this book more than the other Russo books I have had the pleasure to listen to. This book was funnier. And I could not help but wonder how much of the protagonist, Hank Devereaux, was really Richard Russo himself as an irreverant wise-cracking head of a college English department.
Devereaux's own mother criticized her son telling him "you've become a clever man." To understand how this is considered a fault, you really have to listen to this book.
One hundred percent enjoyable!
Russo Rocks!
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Great fun--give this a try!
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TEDIOUS
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Love the shenanigans and sarcasm
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Every sentence is masterfully created
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This is Russo at his very best - cutting through the dark and scary passage through middle age and beyond, with an incredible sarcastic wit that makes everything seem less dire.
Sam Freed is PERFECTLY suited for this work’s tone and pace, and you’re left wishing he’d hurry up and take his time! 2023 sees a third book in Russo’s North Bath series - I would LOVE to see him revisit Lucky Hank (as the tv series adaptation comes in 2023 as well). And please have Sam Freed return as well.
Absolute brilliance
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Fun, witty, real and entertaining.
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One of the best novels I've read/heard in years
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Witty as Hell...Love it
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Very funny, sweet and beautifully written
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