Nobody's Fool is a character study. Translation: The focus of the book is on development of the characters, and not the plot.
The character in question is Don Sullivan, better known as Sully to his friends and enemies (sometimes it's hard to tell the difference) and the entire northeastern small town of North Bath. By the time this book is over, the reader knows Sully backwards and forwards and inside and out - and will know most of the other characters pretty well also. On the surface, Sully seems to be a simple man. But in reality, Sully is a complex character, and it truly takes the full 500+ pages for the reader to get to know him. He's sixty, divorced and single, but has been in a relationship with a married woman off and on for over twenty years. He lives in a flat in the house that he shares with his landlady, the unforgettable Miss Beryl. He's very caring and charming, but every other sentence out of his mouth is an insult - although usually meant well. He's a natural leader, but avoids responsibility. He's hardworking and intelligent, but stubborn as can be. And he is frequently his own worst enemy as he is subject to what he calls "stupid streaks", when he just can't help doing stupid things.
My one complaint is that this book is long (550 pages) and dense. There were maybe eight chapter divisions, with a small font and very little white space in the book. I found the book far too easy to put down, primarily because I'm used to plot driven novels. It's the plot that usually keeps me reading. But the important thing here is that I DID keep reading, because I came to really care about Sully and the other characters. In fact, I had to return the book to the library once and put myself back on the waitlist for it in order to finish it. That says a lot about the book also. It was written in 1995, and is STILL consistently waitlisted at our library.
I'm now eager to see the movie that was made from the book. I understand it stars Paul Newman, and I can totally picture him in the role of Sully.
The character in question is Don Sullivan, better known as Sully to his friends and enemies (sometimes it's hard to tell the difference) and the entire northeastern small town of North Bath. By the time this book is over, the reader knows Sully backwards and forwards and inside and out - and will know most of the other characters pretty well also. On the surface, Sully seems to be a simple man. But in reality, Sully is a complex character, and it truly takes the full 500+ pages for the reader to get to know him. He's sixty, divorced and single, but has been in a relationship with a married woman off and on for over twenty years. He lives in a flat in the house that he shares with his landlady, the unforgettable Miss Beryl. He's very caring and charming, but every other sentence out of his mouth is an insult - although usually meant well. He's a natural leader, but avoids responsibility. He's hardworking and intelligent, but stubborn as can be. And he is frequently his own worst enemy as he is subject to what he calls "stupid streaks", when he just can't help doing stupid things.
My one complaint is that this book is long (550 pages) and dense. There were maybe eight chapter divisions, with a small font and very little white space in the book. I found the book far too easy to put down, primarily because I'm used to plot driven novels. It's the plot that usually keeps me reading. But the important thing here is that I DID keep reading, because I came to really care about Sully and the other characters. In fact, I had to return the book to the library once and put myself back on the waitlist for it in order to finish it. That says a lot about the book also. It was written in 1995, and is STILL consistently waitlisted at our library.
I'm now eager to see the movie that was made from the book. I understand it stars Paul Newman, and I can totally picture him in the role of Sully.
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