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Elsewhere: A memoir Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,918 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
After eight commanding works of fiction, the Pulitzer Prize winner now turns to memoir in a hilarious, moving, and always surprising account of his life, his parents, and the upstate New York town they all struggled variously to escape. Anyone familiar with Richard Russo's acclaimed novels will recognize Gloversville once famous for producing that eponymous product and anything else made of leather. This is where the author grew up, the only son of an aspirant mother and a charming, feckless father who were born into this close-knit community. But by the time of his childhood in the 1950s, prosperity was inexorably being replaced by poverty and illness (often tannery-related), with everyone barely scraping by under a very low horizon. A world elsewhere was the dream his mother instilled in Rick, and strived for herself, and their subsequent adventures and tribulations in achieving that goal—beautifully recounted here—were to prove lifelong, as would Gloversville's fearsome grasp on them both. Fraught with the timeless dynamic of going home again, encompassing hopes and fears and the relentless tides of familial and individual complications, this story is arresting, comic, heartbreaking, and truly beautiful, an immediate classic.
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"I loved this book, but perhaps because it tells the story of the town where I was born, the life in the glove factories that dominated my childhood, and the close relationship between Russo and his mother. Russo and I were born in the same year and grew up in neighboring towns in Fulton County, NY. His memoir focuses on his and his mother's escape from Gloversville and his constant caring for his mother who suffered from mental illness. Russo is a very gifted writer. I will be interested to read reviews of this book by those less familiar with the setting and the sense of needing to escape."
— Jsarno49 (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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Selected for the November 2012 Indie Next List
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A Kirkus Reviews “New and Notable Title”, November 2012
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A 2012 Washington Post Notable Book for Nonfiction
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A 2012 NPR Best Book for Nonfiction
Elsewhere Listener Reviews
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" Great memoir. Lots to think abut in here. Glad the mom turns out be crazier than I am -- I was alittle afraid when I read the overview.... "
— Deandrea, 2/11/2014 -
" The maxim holds: the truth is stranger -- and often sadder -- than fiction. I am a fan of Richard Russo's novels, which often feature very flawed men letting down the women in their lives. His stories include some sorrow, a great deal humor, and always a flame of hope. Russo's own story is one of a more serious struggle with a mother who was always feeling more than just let down -- betrayed, really -- by the primary man in her life, Russo. The story of how they spent a lifetime together is frustrating and fascinating. Readers never learn the "why" of Russo's patient machinations -- and later those of his wife and children -- to find a suitable spot in life for his mother. It can be frustrating to watch the true insanity of people doing the same things over and over and over again with the same result. And yet, it's a testament to Russo's skills as a storyteller that the reader just sticks with it. Either we're sharing Russo's maddening hope that this will make her happy. Or we're watching in anticipation and a little horror for the impending trainwreck. (BTW: I listened to the audiobook version, which is narrated by Russo, which adds to overall memoir experience, IMHO) "
— Henderhouse, 2/8/2014 -
" I enjoy Russo's fiction which is clearly based on his life but his memoirs lacks. "
— Susan, 2/8/2014 -
" Interesting look into living with someone with mental illness. I've never read anything by Russo before (didn't read this either, rather listened to it on CD), but I am now looking forward to reading his fictional works. "
— Staci, 2/8/2014 -
" Having been a big Russo fan, I had originally expected to see more character development of his mom. However, this isn't a novel and no one can know what is completely going on in another person's mind. This could be a very depressing story, but Russo's tongue in cheek humor lightens the story and makes it seem more real. I enjoyed reading about growing up in Gloversville- it has certainly set the tone of many of Russo's books. "
— Laura, 1/29/2014 -
" I love Richard Russo, but I did not like this book. It was basically a long therapy session about his mother. I thought the book would be more of a memoir and instead it was completely about his relationship with his mom. Very odd and disappointing. "
— Nora, 1/29/2014 -
" Excellent writing. Story got soooo repetitive. Russo could teach a class on how to be completely in denial and codependent. "
— Clewis53, 1/22/2014 -
" One more time Richard Russo through the story of his mother helps me to understand my mother better. "
— Debby, 1/18/2014 -
" Sad, but Russo does a very good job self-analyzing his relationship with his mother, and his mother's psyche. "
— Amy, 1/15/2014 -
" I've never read a novel by Russo, but found this memoir about his mother riveting. "
— Nancy, 12/31/2013 -
" Interesting and entertaining book by a favorite author of mine. "
— Susan, 10/14/2013 -
" I do enjoy Richard Russo's writing, and not only because he's more upstate NY than I was. This is a memoir about his identity as a writer, as well as an homage to his mom, and his struggles and responsibility, real and imagined for her and her well being. "
— Alison, 10/10/2013 -
" looking back from a current perspective at Gloversville, Tucson, Phoenix, and other places (and people, too) "
— Odoublegood, 8/23/2013 -
" Insightful and painful. "
— James, 8/10/2013 -
" Think you have a demanding mother? Well, read this memoir then re-evaluate. Suffice it to say that the author's mom was breathtakingly difficult. This book is an outstanding, hilarious, can't-believe-it, and quick account of Russo's life with her. "
— David, 5/14/2013 -
" I am a great fan of Richard Russo but I must admit a life his fiction better than this memoir. "
— Mary, 4/6/2013 -
" Interesting, but a bit of a slog. This memoir is really more a memoir of Russo's mother and his relationship with her. "
— Dana, 4/2/2013 -
" Richard Russo is one of my favourite authors. I really enjoyed his surprising account of his lifelong stuggle to care for his "off the wall" mother who thought of the two of them as one entity. Well written and quite funny. "
— Phemie, 4/1/2013 -
" how can I not love something about a guy from my hometown succeeding even if the road was not perfect. . "
— Missy, 2/26/2013
About Richard Russo
Richard Russo is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, two collections of stories, and the memoir Elsewhere. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls, which, like Nobody’s Fool, won multiple awards for its screen adaptation, and in 2023 his novel Straight Man was adapted into the television series Lucky Hank. In 2017, he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine.