Overview

In this “admirable…wry, idiosyncratic, vulnerably bighearted” collection (The New York Times Book Review), the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls powerfully considers the unexpected turns of the creative life and reveals the inner workings of one of America’s most beloved authors. “I’ve written a lot about destiny in my fiction,” admits Richard Russo, “not because I understand it, but because I’d like to.” In the first of these eleven remarkable essays, Russo shares the story of his onetime fiction workshop classmate who, of the two of them, was considered the class star, bound for literary glory. Yet it was Russo who emerged as a major writer. How, he wonders, did he manage to steal his classmate’s destiny? What twists of talent and fate determine a would-be writer’s path? In each of the pieces collected here, Russo considers the unexpected turns of the creative life. From his grandfather’s years cutting gloves to his own teenage dreams of rock stardom; from his first college teaching jobs to his dazzling reads of Dickens and Twain; from the roots of his famous novels to his journey accompanying a dear friend—the writer Jennifer Finney Boylan—as she pursued gender reassignment surgery, The Destiny Thief powerfully reveals the inner workings of one of America’s most beloved authors. Look for Richard Russo's new book, Somebody's Fool, coming soon.

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9780525435334

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Reviews

“Admirable. . . . [Russo is] wry, idiosyncratic, vulnerably bighearted, a craftsman.” —The New York Times Book Review “As much fun to read as his best-selling novels. . . . At times funny, always touching. . . . If you want to be a writer this is a must book to read.” —Albany Times Union “Witty and wise. . . . Thoughtful, funny, endearing—and surprising.” —The Portland Press Herald “Captivating. . . . Generous-hearted. . . . Fully display[s] Russo's trademark warmth and wit. . . . Puzzles with the mysteries of what good writing is and what good living is.” —BookPage “A heartfelt exploration of [Russo’s] life as a writer.” —PopSugar “More than a few wise reflections on the craft of writing.” —Southern Living “Masterful. . . . Wonderfully candid.” —Tulsa Book Review “A remarkable and insightful exploration into the mind of a wonderful writer.” —Book Reporter “All-encompassing. . . . Anyone in search of an eye-opening series of essays by a distinguished writer about writing and the writing life need look no further.” —The National Book Review “Certain to please anyone familiar with his short fiction and novels. . . . Readers seeking a deeply insightful record of the creative process and the life guiding it will find resonance here.” —Library Journal (starred review) “[A] splendid collection. . . . These are wise, personal pieces, and readers get to know the author as a comforting, funny, and welcoming guy.” —Kirkus Reviews “Brilliant. . . . Scholarly yet accessible. . . . Russo lets his readers behind the curtain to divulge the myriad sources of his profound wisdom and boundless generosity as both writer and teacher.” —Booklist “Dazzling and moving. . . . Reveal[s] glimpses of forces that drive a bestselling fiction writer.” —Publishers Weekly

Admirable. . . . [Russo is] wry, idiosyncratic, vulnerably bighearted, a craftsman. -The New York Times Book Review As much fun to read as his best-selling novels. . . . At times funny, always touching. . . . If you want to be a writer this is a must book to read. -Albany Times Union Witty and wise. . . . Thoughtful, funny, endearing-and surprising. -The Portland Press Herald Captivating. . . . Generous-hearted. . . . Fully display[s] Russo's trademark warmth and wit. . . . Puzzles with the mysteries of what good writing is and what good living is. -BookPage A heartfelt exploration of [Russo's] life as a writer. -PopSugar More than a few wise reflections on the craft of writing. -Southern Living Masterful. . . . Wonderfully candid. -Tulsa Book Review A remarkable and insightful exploration into the mind of a wonderful writer. -Book Reporter All-encompassing. . . . Anyone in search of an eye-opening series of essays by a distinguished writer about writing and the writing life need look no further. -The National Book Review Certain to please anyone familiar with his short fiction and novels. . . . Readers seeking a deeply insightful record of the creative process and the life guiding it will find resonance here. -Library Journal (starred review) [A] splendid collection. . . . These are wise, personal pieces, and readers get to know the author as a comforting, funny, and welcoming guy. -Kirkus Reviews Brilliant. . . . Scholarly yet accessible. . . . Russo lets his readers behind the curtain to divulge the myriad sources of his profound wisdom and boundless generosity as both writer and teacher. -Booklist Dazzling and moving. . . . Reveal[s] glimpses of forces that drive a bestselling fiction writer. -Publishers Weekly

As a whole, the book is a quest to understand nothing less than why life turns out the way it does . . . He weaves scenes from [his] destiny-swapping years--the gut-punching failures; the life of teaching that enabled the life of writing--with literary long takes, illuminating a winding road trip . . . Perhaps what's most admirable about these essays is their genial and searching tone. In this know-it-all age Russo places his faith in the ideals of art--ambiguity, paradox, heresy, the sublime--over the black-and-white ideologies or our current politics. --Jay Fielden, New York Times Book Review A heartfelt exploration of [Russo's] life as a writer. --Chelsea Adelaine Hassler, POPSUGAR 20 Best New Books to Read in May Readers who come to this book in search of the storyteller they know from Russo's fiction will be well-rewarded. . . . [He] proves to be a familiar presence--thoughtful, funny, endearing--and surprising, as well. . . . Russo delivers the cozy intelligence and comic savvy that readers have come to admire. --Joan Silverman, Portland Press Herald A remarkable and insightful exploration into the mind of a wonderful writer. --Stuart Shiffman, Book Reporter All-encompassing. . . . Anyone in search of an eye-opening series of essays by a distinguished writer about writing and the writing life need look no further. --Robert Allen Papinchak, The National Book Review Captivating . . . generous-hearted essays on writing and life [that] fully display Russo's trademark warmth and wit, and are marked by a fair dose of unpretentious wisdom and a genuineness that sometimes borders on self-effacement. . . . The Destiny Thief puzzles with the mysteries of what good writing is and what good living is. --Robert Weibezahl, BookPage Splendid. . . . These are wise, personal pieces, and readers get to know the author as a comforting, funny, and welcoming guy. --Kirkus Certain to please anyone familiar with his short fiction and novels. . . . The unselfconscious voice threading through these nine explorations of writing, writers, and everyday life is a welcome alternative to the all-too-common introspection and fraught 'literariness' found in many recent memoir and essay collections from prominent authors. Readers seeking a deeply insightful record of the creative process and the life guiding it will find resonance here. --Library Journal (starred) For aspiring writers, Russo's musings on the art and craft of the novel are a trove of knowledge and guidance. For adoring readers, they are a window into the imagination and inspiration for Russo's beloved novels, screenplays, and short stories. . . . Few authors seem as approachable in print and, one suspects, in person as acclaimed novelist Russo. --Booklist Russo's colorful book offers his novel's fans more of his dazzling and moving writing, often revealing glimpses of forces that drive a bestselling fiction writer. --Publishers Weekly

Author Information

RICHARD RUSSO is the author of nine novels, most recently Chances Are..., Everybody’s Fool and That Old Cape Magic; two collections of stories; and the memoir Elsewhere. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls, which, like Nobody’s Fool, was adapted into a multiple-award-winning miniseries; in 2017, he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. He lives in Port­land, Maine.

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