Best Seller

The Destiny Thief

Name: The Destiny Thief
Price: 17.50 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Richard Russo
ISBN: 9780525588702

Audiobook Download

Published on May 08, 2018 | 7 Hours 35 Minutes

Buy from Other Retailers:

Published on May 08, 2018 | 7 Hours 35 Minutes

Buy from Other Retailers:

“It turns out that Russo the nonfiction writer is a lot like Russo the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. He is affably disagreeable, wry, idiosyncratic, vulnerably bighearted, a craftsman of lubricated sentences.”—Jay Fielden, New York Times Book Review

A master of the novel, short story, and memoir, the best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Everybody’s Fool now gives us his very first collection of personal essays, ranging throughout writing and reading and living.

In these nine essays, Richard Russo provides insight into his life as a writer, teacher, friend, and reader. From a commencement speech he gave at Colby College, to the story of how an oddly placed toilet made him reevaluate the purpose of humor in art and life, to a comprehensive analysis of Mark Twain’s value, to his harrowing journey accompanying a dear friend as she pursued gender-reassignment surgery, The Destiny Thief reflects the broad interests and experiences of one of America’s most beloved authors. Warm, funny, wise, and poignant, the essays included here traverse Russo’s writing life, expanding our understanding of who he is and how his singular, incredibly generous mind works. An utter joy to read, they give deep insight into the creative process from the prospective of one of our greatest writers.

“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

Author

Richard Russo

RICHARD RUSSO is the author of ten novels, most recently Somebody’s Fool, 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, 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. He lives in Portland, ME.

Learn More

The Destiny Thief

Related Genres

You May Also Like

Selected Essays of Gore Vidal

Left-handed

Gray’s Anatomy

Peace

A Field Guide to the North American Family

Triage

Astral Weeks

And Then They Stopped Talking to Me

Call If You Need Me

At Home

Success!

By Richard Russo