Richard Russo is one of my favorite authors. I have read all his previous fiction and have a special affection for his trilogy about North Bath, New York. This is the final book and it is probably the best book that Russo has done. Russo does a great job of depicting small town up state New York and New England towns. Though it might help to have read the previous 2 books it is not necessary because the original protagonist Donald "Sully" Sullivan who died in the 2nd book, is constantly introduced throughout the book. The main characters are his son Peter, his ex lover Ruth, her daughter, her granddaughter, Doug Raymer and his lover colleague Charice and many others. Russo sets this novel in 2010 where the recession has impacted North Bath so it is being swallowed up by its wealthy neighbor Schulyer Springs. Doug the police chief loses his job and Charice who is black get the job as the new police chief in the Springs. Russo introduces themes of racism, police abuse, small town poverty, bad parenting and other societal ills in a mix that produces a great story. The writing is excellent with wonderful humor which makes all the characters very real. At 440 pages it is the correct size to incorporate this large sprawling novel. If you have never read Russo then I strongly recommend this book. You might also check out the "Nobody's Fool" movie based on the first book of the trilogy with Paul Newman playing Sully. Also "Lucky Hank" with Bob Odenkirk is a limited series based on a Russo novel which is quite good(streaming on ???). ( )

Always loved the stories revolving around "Sully". Interesting and unique characters in this story. ( )

Richard Russo’s three North Bath novels are each set 10 years apart. In this installment Sully, the original protagonist, has passed away and the focus moves to his son Peter (now in middle age), and recently retired chief of police Doug Raymer. Peter, a university professor, recently returned to North Bath, NY to renovate a house inherited from his father. He has a close relationship with his eldest son, Will, and is estranged from his two younger sons. Raymer has happily retired from law enforcement, with his former colleague (and new love interest) Charice Boyd now serving as the town’s first Black chief of police.

One Friday afternoon, Raymer assists with the investigation of a body found in an old hotel, and Peter receives a surprise visit from his middle son Thomas. While these two events are unrelated, their impact unfolds over a weekend in which both men must face their own fallibility and seek new paths in their lives. The supporting cast includes some new faces as well as characters from previous books, now in more prominent roles.

Richard Russo brilliantly captures a town in decline and the everyday people just trying to get by while also dealing with contemporary societal issues like race relations and abuse of power by police. The novel ends with some issues resolved, and the beginnings of some new threads which, if we’re lucky, will appear in another novel. ( )

The third in the trilogy follows the characters from the previous two novels who have aged and changed. Sully is dead, and his son Peter carries on as the main character in the story. The town of North Bath has been subsumed by Schuyler Springs. A dead body is found in an abandoned hotel which is soon to be developed. And Peter's estranged son from West Virginia appears on the scene.

The depiction of a small town in upstate New York that has fallen on hard times is well done. The characters are lovingly drawn. And there is humor amid the turmoil. ( )

I’m on the fence about this one. It’s been about seven years since I read the other two books in the trilogy, so it took me a minute to settle into the quite blue-collar world of North Bath. Sully, the loveable screw up who is central to the first two books has passed away, but there are plenty of characters left. His son Peter and Peter’s estranged son, former police chief Doug Raymer, his girlfriend Charice, and her twin Jerome are all dealing with major issues. Add a trio of troubled women, Ruth, her daughter Janey and granddaughter Tina and Rub, Sully’s former sidekick, and you’ve got quite the cast. I feel like this books main theme is “I’m unhappy in life and I’m pretty sure it’s too late to change anything”. After awhile it was frustrating to keep flitting between the disgruntled towns people. There is some character growth, but it also felt a bit like Russo looked up a list of hot button issues at random and tried to plug them into the story (a racist cop, a trans person, etc.). I feel like Russo knows middle-aged white men’s thoughts and struggles well. When he tries to write about a black person experience in upstate New York, it just rings false. I love some of his books, but this one was just ok for me. ( )