Straight Man

hilarious

This is one of my all time favorite books. It is dry, witty, and extremely well-written. I found myself laughing uncontrollably at its artful humor. You cannot help but love each character - as is the case in most of Russo's books.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Read

I thought this book was better than Empire Falls. I found myself laughing out loud several times, and I couldn't put it down. I was sorry to have it end!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Exceeded recommendations

With all due respect to the Pulitzer people, I think this is better even than Empire Falls -- and I loved EF immensely. Straight Man is hysterical, warm, gripping and intelligent from the first page to the last. The constant wit and sarcastic edge make "Hank" Russo's best lead character ever. Anyone who has ever taught, or has aspirations to write a book, will not be able to put this book down until they are done with it. This book hasn't gotten the hype of others, but I would call it my best read of the year, by far.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Laugh out loud funny

You don't have to be in academia to appreciate this sly take on life at a mediocre liberal arts college. The unexpected twists and turns and the outrageous and crisp dialogue make this book so funny I was literally laughing out loud while reading it, whether alone on my couch or on a crowded bus. Highly recommended.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best Russo yet

Great humor and well written.

Good storytelling ... and yet ...

... what is the point of bookending the story with dog killings, the final one really gratuitous? None of the main characters feel the losses deeply, nor do any of them have any kind of compassionate reaction to the hanging of a beautiful bird in the middle of a college campus.

And, yes, it would have been good to have fewer silly pee incidents and a lot more character revelations, notably for dear old Dad, Gracie, and Lily.

Seriously impaired

I am apparently among the "seriously impaired" to which Publishers Weekly refers in their review. I found the characters in the book more pathetic than funny. I will give Russo credit for his ability to write, but this book was not worth the time it took to read. I not only did not "laugh uproariously" but rarely chuckled throughout. The situations and characters were more slapstick than realistic. I persevered in reading out of affection for my daughter-in-law who recommended it, but I found myself wanting to put the book down very frequently and only picked it up again out of the vain hope that it would finally redeem itself. It did not.

Funny yet Serious - and Seriously Funny

Russo's "Straight Man" is clearly written by a man who can write. The reading itself was a pleasure. The story was amusing, if at times slow, and was a wonderful combination of funny and serious. There was nothing silly, over the top, or shocking about the humor in Russo's work. The main character is endearing and honest and the supporting characters are equally entertaining - and for the most served only in appropriately sized portions; the most over-the-top characters make brief appearances, so it's nice to see them again later, rather than repetitive or irritating.

A great read for anyone who has had zany professors (as many of them are), enjoys reading, and can handle a long read - the length is my only criticism, but I only felt that the book was too long for about 5 chapters in the middle. Once the story picked up again, I was glad to have more to read ahead.

Delightful Humor

This book is hands down one the best reads of my post-high school career. It is my opinon that Richard Russo is a quick-witted, sarcastic, and dry author, wich makes makes for a great book that is exceptionally hilarious. After a while i found myself rooting for the antagonist in story becasue i couldn't help but to fall in love with ALL characters. Its seems that Russo used some personal expeirence in his writing wich helped me connect to the characters to better understand their point of view. In other words, this book was real, as in the personalities put into the characters & structure of this story.

Too Real To Be True

With hard economic times on hitting higher education, this book was almost too real to be true. Each character could be on any given campus across the nation. The personal and professional story line for the main character was so likeable and believeable. Great book for any liberal arts department personnel.

funny

ALl I can say is this is one of the funniest books I've EVER read.

Russo's best!

One of my favorite books! I work in academia - this had me laughing in acknowledgement and recognition. Well done!

Classic character

i have a good sense of humor, i like it all, raunchy stuff stupid stuff and this book has it all

Pathos & Comedy

This book had me laughing out loud...with its combination of characters and Hank's thoughts and fantasies. A book about relationships in our jobs and families well worth the read.

funny and well written

The writing is so crisp and believable I recognized all the characters. I laughed out loud a number of times reading this on a 12 hour plane ride. I am not a professor and am not a literature student, but the book author brought me into that world. Alternating between introspective and simply hilarious it was a great story. I am reading Empire Falls starting today.

Fun to read

Fun book with interesting characters that touch on the problems of academia but don't get into the heart of the problems facing modern universities but funny in its satire of college life

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PROFESSOR

Funny,great characters,observant and just fun to read.....if you ever been to college or a life in academia an interesting look into life at a university.

erudite but boring

I asked myself throughout the book 'Why am I reading this?' Is it uplifting? Is it humorous? Is it informative? I found the characters uninteresting and the humour was too cynical for my taste. And it didn't teach me anything about life or the world. I'm part of a reading group and we all had similar problems with it. Just another book about dysfunctional university life. Tone reminded me of 'Emperor of Ocean Park'

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

disappointing book from an intelligent writer

Russo knows how to write, but this book is mostly episodic, and lacks the complexity (in both characters and story), depth, and dramatic arc that make a really good, enduring novel. It's also not as funny as I'd expected it to be -- granted, some of the humor is very good, but at other times it's just stale. (A middle-aged man having trouble peeing has been done to death...) It also seems that he had either an incompetent editor or no editor at all -- tiny flaws and fissures appear throughout the book that any good editor should have caught (unnecessary repetition and overexplanations being the main ones), and that mar the writing. Finally, the use of present tense is not successful -- present tense works in a short story, but it's awfully difficult to sustain it and keep it interesting in a novel, and in this case the author doesn't pull it off. Too bad, because I do think Russo is a good writer. But I kept wanting to put this book down -- and, having read it, I'm now less than enthusiastic about reading _Empire Falls_. For really good academic satire, read David Lodge's _Small World_.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Ducks & Ducts

One of the funniest books I've read! A college professor, bogged down in administrative trivia, trying to teach a class of students who aren't that interested! Don't have to be a college professor to enjoy this one; the laughs are long and frequent as you turn the pages. Russo nails his characters to perfection.