[RFQ]≡ Libro Gratis Risk Pool Richard Russo 9780099276494 Books

Risk Pool Richard Russo 9780099276494 Books

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Risk Pool Richard Russo 9780099276494 Books

This is a beautiful story about the struggles of a young man, trying to raise himself in the midst of two parents who are incapable of doing it themselves. The characters in this book are rendered in full – we are given glimpses into the good, the bad and the ugly about their lives. In so many instances in our lives, we are quick to judge – we condemn the choices, actions, appearance, behavior and opinions of others. In a world lived through the TV lens – we are seldom introduced to people outside the mainstream. TV provides a two dimensional perspective of the world – everyone is rich, everyone is beautiful, everyone is young, everyone has fake boobs, everyone has plastic surgery and everyone has a great life.

Except on reality TV, where they show us the “real” lives of the truly dysfunctional. The sad truth is that these shows are not real. They are scripted, produced, manipulated and directed to be entertaining – they encourage outrageous behavior, audacious personalities and shocking actions. These become the two primary perspectives we have of people – via TV – they are either great looking and successful or they are highly dysfunctional.

TV news shows us a third group – these are the lost souls that are interviewed whenever there is a shooting in the inner city or a plane crash in Oklahoma. These are the fractured remnants of the “lower class” – often looking very different, speaking very different and acting different than we are accustomed.

Real people don’t exist on TV. Real people only exist in the real world. Richard Russo provides a crystal clear picture of the people who inhabit the world outside the TV lens. These are the people who didn’t go to college, live in the town they were born in, are focused on surviving today not planning for their retirement in Florida – they shop (and work) at Wal-Mart and live a much different life that the suburban/urban TV producers and viewers.

The Risk Pool is a stellar, multi-dimensional perspective of characters that live on the fringe. No one is all good or all bad. We often make decisions about people based on how they talk, look, act or live – we are suspect of those who don’t “do it all” the way we do. Suburbanization has caused homogenization – we all want to cluster with others who are just like us. As time goes buy, we insulate ourselves further and further in pools of “likeness.” We judge, condemn and classify all others.

All men go through the same experiences, fears, challenges, doubts and struggles. Regardless of demographics, our pains are shared. The Risk Pool will open your eyes to men who live hard, love deeply, screw up regularly, violate normal behavior – but in so doing, reveal their hearts – and yours. Step outside yourself and give it a tumble – you won’t regret it.


Tags : Risk Pool [Richard Russo] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Risk Pool is a thirty-year journey through the lives of Sam Hall, a small-town gambling hellraiser,Richard Russo,Risk Pool,Trafalgar Square,0099276496,General & Literary Fiction

Risk Pool Richard Russo 9780099276494 Books Reviews

Richard Russo is my favorite contemporary fiction author. I was delighted to discover that I had not yet read this as I thought I had read everything by Russo. It is a poignant saga of time (the Baby Boomer era), place (a disintegrating manufacturing town in upstate New York), and characters challenged by a various degrees of mental illness, hopelessness, and boredom. This novel is somewhat autobiographical. The protagonist, Ned Hall, manages to escape the fate of most of the men in his hometown, mainly self-destructive behaviors of alcoholism and gambling, through his exposure to the books in his local library. He remains somewhat tethered to his childhood environment of gin mills, pool halls, and odd friendships by his unconditional love of his mother and father who were divorced and forced him to bounce back and forth between them during his childhood and adolescence. Russo's prose is always down to earth with a unique cadence of great storytelling.
There is a trick to understanding this novel be from the working class or below, or be able to imagine you are. What we have here in the main character, the father, is a true working class hero—a man who manages, at great cost to himself and considerable cost to those around him, to retain a modicum of freedom of action even though he must work hard to live. If you know any such person, or come from a family of them, you will love the book. If not, it may seem inexplicable or even irritating to you.

Luckily, I come from such people, so I loved this very well-written, intensely emotional novel.
Richard Russo is my favorite modern writer. He never disappoints.

Sam Hall rebelled against anything that hampered his living life as he saw fit. He admitted to doing only one thing right in his life--his son, Ned. Ned turned out all right in spite of his father, whom he loved unreasonably. Ned's temperamental, nerves-shot mother spent two years in an institution, leaving him to the ham fisted, rough-but-caring influences of his father. But thanks to living his early years with his mother, Ned was able to limit -- somewhat--how much he emulated his father over his growing-up years.

Russo's tight use of the language and his ability to activate all five senses with mere words is awe-inspiring. The reader is left feeling the same unexplainable affection for Sam Hall that most of the folks in their small town felt. Throughout the book, Russo presented all the reasons in the world why Sam Hall shouldn't be loved. But he also showed you many reasons why folks did. Life is complicated.
I am a huge Russo fan and have read most of his other books. "The Risk Pool" is of nowhere near the same quality as "Empire Falls", "Nobody's Fool", "Everybody's Fool" or "The Bridge of Sighs." Having recently finished both "Fool" books, it was interesting to note the similarities between the characters SamHall/Don Sullivan and Eileen/Ruth and the towns of North Bath/Mohawk. It was almost as though "The Risk Pool" was a first draft of the later novels. All 3 books feature a dysfunctional, alcoholic, ne'er-do-well major character, but he is so much more likable in the later 2 iterations.So, if you have limited time or patience and want to read one book about a dysfunctional, alcoholic, ne'er-do-well in a dying upstate New York town, read "Nobody's Fool." It's fabulous, funny and endearing, while "The Risk Pool" is slow, depressing and boring.
This is a beautiful story about the struggles of a young man, trying to raise himself in the midst of two parents who are incapable of doing it themselves. The characters in this book are rendered in full – we are given glimpses into the good, the bad and the ugly about their lives. In so many instances in our lives, we are quick to judge – we condemn the choices, actions, appearance, behavior and opinions of others. In a world lived through the TV lens – we are seldom introduced to people outside the mainstream. TV provides a two dimensional perspective of the world – everyone is rich, everyone is beautiful, everyone is young, everyone has fake boobs, everyone has plastic surgery and everyone has a great life.

Except on reality TV, where they show us the “real” lives of the truly dysfunctional. The sad truth is that these shows are not real. They are scripted, produced, manipulated and directed to be entertaining – they encourage outrageous behavior, audacious personalities and shocking actions. These become the two primary perspectives we have of people – via TV – they are either great looking and successful or they are highly dysfunctional.

TV news shows us a third group – these are the lost souls that are interviewed whenever there is a shooting in the inner city or a plane crash in Oklahoma. These are the fractured remnants of the “lower class” – often looking very different, speaking very different and acting different than we are accustomed.

Real people don’t exist on TV. Real people only exist in the real world. Richard Russo provides a crystal clear picture of the people who inhabit the world outside the TV lens. These are the people who didn’t go to college, live in the town they were born in, are focused on surviving today not planning for their retirement in Florida – they shop (and work) at Wal-Mart and live a much different life that the suburban/urban TV producers and viewers.

The Risk Pool is a stellar, multi-dimensional perspective of characters that live on the fringe. No one is all good or all bad. We often make decisions about people based on how they talk, look, act or live – we are suspect of those who don’t “do it all” the way we do. Suburbanization has caused homogenization – we all want to cluster with others who are just like us. As time goes buy, we insulate ourselves further and further in pools of “likeness.” We judge, condemn and classify all others.

All men go through the same experiences, fears, challenges, doubts and struggles. Regardless of demographics, our pains are shared. The Risk Pool will open your eyes to men who live hard, love deeply, screw up regularly, violate normal behavior – but in so doing, reveal their hearts – and yours. Step outside yourself and give it a tumble – you won’t regret it.