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Straight Man: A Novel Audiobook
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(4.00) - 11,699 listener ratings
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William Henry Devereaux, Jr., spiritually suited to playing left field but forced by a bad hamstring to try first base, is the unlikely chairman of the English department at West Central Pennsylvania University. Over the course of a single convoluted week, he threatens to execute a duck, has his nose slashed by a feminist poet, discovers that his secretary writes better fiction than he does, suspects his wife of having an affair with his dean, and finally confronts his philandering elderly father, the one-time king of American Literary Theory, at an abandoned amusement park. Such is the canvas of Richard Russo's Straight Man, a novel of surpassing wit, poignancy, and insight. As he established in his previous books -- Mohawk, The Risk Pool, and Nobody's Fool -- Russo is unique among contemporary authors for his ability to flawlessly capture the soul of the wise guy and the heart of a difficult parent. In Hank Devereaux, Russo has created a hero whose humor and identification with the absurd are mitigated only by his love for his family, friends, and, ultimately, knowledge itself. Unforgettable, compassionate, and laugh-out-loud funny, Straight Man cements Richard Russo's reputation as one of the master storytellers of our time.
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"Almost as good as Empire Falls, and as a novel of academia it surpasses That Old Cape Magic. Made me laugh out loud in several places. An updated, more sarcastic Lucky Jim. The protagonist is even referred to as "Lucky Hank" by those who hate him. Absurd and clever."
— Anna (4 out of 5 stars)
Straight Man Listener Reviews
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" Highly recommend this book for academics. Moderately recommend for all others. "
— Jocelyn, 2/19/2014 -
" I don't know that I've ever laughed harder at a book! My department adopted the motto W.W.H.D? "
— Matthew, 2/16/2014 -
" I have heard about this book for years. Most of my family has read it. I was somewhat disappointed in it. The characters were annoying, and although I presume the author intended for them to be annoying it became tiresome for me. "
— Kappy, 2/9/2014 -
" Loved it, although not as much as Empire Falls. Russo's books always make me want to write. Loved the characters and the depiction of academics and professors. "
— Vivek, 2/1/2014 -
" I think one word will be appropriate for this book 'hilarious' . "
— Souvik, 1/29/2014 -
" I'm always dissatisied with Russo's portrayals of women, but then his portrayals of men are not very flattering either, so I don't worry about it too much. In the end, he is an entertaining storyteller. "
— Cecile, 1/20/2014 -
" Loved this book! Academia, budget crises, quirky characters, and lots of humor. "
— Joan, 12/31/2013 -
" Took me a while to get through this one. A week in the life of a snarky college professor in the middle of potential layoffs in his department and a mid-life crisis. It came together in the end, but most of the story felt pointless to me and I couldn't really connect with the characters. "
— Liz, 12/27/2013 -
" One of the funniest books about being a college professor I have ever read. "
— Frank, 12/25/2013 -
" Funny, but doesn't really go anywhere - a book about academics and their politics. Russo is very dry and witty, but I got kind of bored. "
— Jill, 12/10/2013 -
" 3.5 This book was very funny although the truths behind the send-up, having to do with academia are all too real and ominous. "
— Lynn, 12/1/2013 -
" Russo captures the hilarity of academia. I enjoyed this book but the ending came to quickly. "
— Todd, 10/23/2013 -
" If you are or ever have been an academic, then it doesn't get much better than this one! "
— Randee, 9/26/2013 -
" The is my favorite Russo so far. So different from Bridge of Signs and Empire Falls. Academia at its funniest. This group of characters were all great and keep we wondering what what would come next. "
— Renea, 9/23/2013 -
" I'm thinking this book should be read annually during finals week. "
— James, 9/20/2013 -
" Cracklingly funny and wise - especially for those with experience with small liberal arts academia! *ahem* Recommended to fans of Sedaris, Eggers, Douglas Coupland's books, 'Then We Came to the End.' "
— Sharon, 1/10/2013 -
" One of the few books that made me laugh out loud. But the humor isn't mean and doesn't undercut the humanity of this novel. "
— Ruth, 1/10/2013 -
" weak, weak, weak. faint flickers of good humor, but besides that, boring and self-conscious. i'm sick of reading books about writers. garp is the exception. "
— Brian, 1/2/2013 -
" I loved this book. I loved the story. Mostly, I loved the dry sense of humor. "
— Lauren, 12/5/2012 -
" If you have ever worked in higher ed, or if you've ever been a part of an English department, you should read this book. It is so full of great one liners that i found myself chuckling all through the book. It is a funny/serious read that I could not put down. "
— Sally, 11/19/2012 -
" Not an all-time classic, but pretty funny? (The question mark is an in joke for those who read the book...) "
— Mark, 9/19/2012 -
" Not my cup if tea; funny at first but ultimately depressing and depressingly long-winded. "
— K.P., 8/9/2012 -
" Hysterically funny, but sad commentary on life as an academic. "
— Linda, 10/31/2011 -
" Straight Man : academe : : MASH : war "
— Jonathan, 8/21/2011 -
" Laugh-out-loud hilarious. Somewhat week ending, but very VERY funny. "
— Taylor, 5/24/2011 -
" Probably the most I have ever laughed reading a book. "
— Heather, 5/9/2011 -
" Funny as . .. .Thanks to my friend Julie for the referral. The truth about politics in an academic dept. "
— Amy, 5/6/2011 -
" I actually think this is pretty well written, I just was so very not in the mood for it when I tried to read it. "
— Tapley, 4/27/2011 -
" 4.5 stars - some very funny parts, can relate to the characters "
— Mike, 4/21/2011 -
" I am a huge Richard Russo fan, and this was an enormous disappointment. Predictable, overly wordy, and even cliche. I stopped 100 pages in. Hard to believe that he also wrote Empire Falls, one of my favorite books. Oh well; win some, lose some. "
— Maureen, 4/17/2011 -
" I loved this book - I love the way Russo writes - I can really relate to the characters and the settings. "
— Roger, 4/13/2011 -
" Full of dry, sarcastic humor that had me smirking the whole way through. Makes a good case for the avoidance of academia-- a thought to seriously consider after having been introduced to the characters (pathetic bunch that they are) in this book. "
— Sasha, 4/10/2011 -
" I just didn't get it and gave up after 90 pages or so. Where were those laugh-out-loud passages that the book's fans pointed to? "
— Karen, 4/9/2011 -
" Another classic Russo; crazy fun with ducks, geese and professors. "
— Tamela, 4/7/2011 -
" solid - funny. Good people, workin' stuff out, being sexy and dumb and clever. What's not to like? "
— Pvl, 4/5/2011 -
" Not my favorite, but good nevertheless. "
— Rayna, 3/27/2011 -
" My favorite of Russo's books, even though I like many of the others. My dad was an academic and Russo has a wonderful mastery of the politics of higher learning. I liked the dialog which is funny but not forced. Gentle, good natured humor. "
— Mike, 3/17/2011 -
" This book is very funny...in a kind of Ben Stiller...uncomfortable way. "
— Dan, 3/17/2011
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.
About Sam Freed
Sam Freed is an actor, voice talent, and audiobook narrator.