JUNE 2017 - AudioFile
In this collection of short stories and novellas by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, a team of talented narrators—Amanda Carlin, Arthur Morey, Fred Sanders, and Mark Bramhall—takes to the task of portraying Russo’s troubled male protagonists, who believe they’re special when, in truth, they’re, most times, just slightly above average. Morey shines brightest with dramatic emphasis and pauses as a fragile relationship between brothers plays to a bitter end. Also, in a story that could be autobiographical, Russo is ably aided by Bramhall in his exploration of the wacky world of Hollywood moviemaking and how entering the orbit of stars can produce a poignant portrait of middle-aged men who are still struggling to find their place in the world. R.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Beautiful. . . . Will abruptly break your heart. That’s what Richard Russo does, without pretension or fuss, time and time again.” —The New York Times
“[A] collection of short fiction so rich and flavorsome that the temptation is to devour it all at once. I can’t in good conscience advise otherwise.” —Laura Collins-Hughes, The Boston Globe
“Has the engaging quality of tales told by a friend, over drinks, about a person we know in common. And so we lean forward, eager to hear what happened next.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Vibrant. . . Russo’s gift for character is as powerful as ever, enlivened with spot-on detail.” —People
“The four tales here are replete with Russo’s insightful studies of relationships. . . . Throughout, we enjoy Russo’s skill at weaving a story in which conflicted characters find moments of revelation and, sometimes, redemption. . . . . Rewarding and worth ruminating about.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“The stories in Trajectory are classic Russo, tales of minor-key defeat laced with rue and humor. . . . Russo again shows how adept he is at portraying life as a tragicomedy. . . . Gives readers plenty to enjoy and mull as his characters ponder their life trajectories.” —The Dallas Morning News
“Delightful. . . . Unearthing such insight on page 44 (instead of page 444) is a bit like watching a successful squeeze bunt score a runner from third—just as exciting as a home run, but a shorter trip and a rarer treat.” —Paste
“Intriguing and universal. . . . Russo newcomers will begin to scope out why he's a Pulitzer Prize winner.” —Houston Chronicle
“Heart-warming. . . . Absorbing. . . . A testament to Richard Russo’s skill at deploying his characters. . . . All four stories are challenging not because they are difficult—they are not—but because they raise questions about why we live our lives the way we do, and if that’s all right.” —The Washington Times
“[An] engrossing collection.” —Southern Living
“Russo remains an entertaining and interesting writer.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“Russo is a master at Everyman, offering common folks doing their best to get by, the cards often stacked against them. . . . This collection is a welcome edition to Russo’s work—if you haven’t delved into the Pulitzer prize-winning author’s books, do yourself a favor and begin.” —The Missourian
“Cogent, wry and satisfying. . . . Confirm[s] Russo’s status as one of the most justly celebrated American writers.” —Portland Press-Herald
“Wonderful. . . . Russo’s writing should be cherished.” —Columbus Dispatch
“Powerful. . . . An entertaining and compellingly provocative read.” —New York Journal of Books
“Potent and surprising tales. . . . Russo rarely wastes a word, interweaving details and dialogue into master classes on storytelling.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“A singularly satisfying journey. Very few writers so thoroughly embrace human foibles, or present them in such an accepting and empathetic manner.” —Booklist (starred review)
Library Journal
03/01/2017
Of these four short fiction pieces from Pulitzer Prize winner Russo, two are English Department tales, although neither is as antic as his Straight Man, arguably the best novel ever in this genre. In the relatively tepid "Horseman," a professor deals with a problematic plagiarizing student; in "Voice," an elderly professor is conned into a tour of Venice, possibly (or not) to reconcile with his egoist brother while anguishing over an awful incident with a student with Asperger's. The antic is more present in "Intervention," where a real estate agent is asked to deal with a serious medical condition, an insistent and erratic property owner, and a weird prospective customer. "Milton and Marcus" offers an inactive novelist whose screenwriting career may suddenly revive when a long-forgotten "idea" comes to light and he is invited to the Jackson Hole retreat of aging superstar William Nolan and a bunch of Hollywood operators; this one sends up the film industry in a way that does honor to the aforementioned Straight Man. The latter two stories are the best. VERDICT A bit uneven but with many high points, this collection is not as engaging as the author's world-class long fiction, but still, be aware, this is Richard Russo. [See Prepub Alert, 11/27/16.]--Robert E. Brown, Oswego, NY
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2017-02-07
Four brief but potent and surprising tales of midlife crises from the ever dependable Russo (Everybody's Fool, 2016, etc.).The main characters in each of these stories are accomplished people who are thrust into what initially seem like modest predicaments. The professor in "Horseman" is dealing with a plagiarizing student; the professor in "Voice" is squabbling with his brother on a vacation in Italy; the real estate agent in "Intervention" is having a hard time moving a hoarder's home; and the novelist in "Milton and Marcus" is wary of the producers asking him to revisit a screenplay he sketched out years before. But with a keen eye for detail, dashes of humor, and a knack for bouncing his characters' presents against their pasts, Russo makes these stories robust studies about the regrets they've picked up over the years. In "Voice," the longest and best of this batch, the professor's estrangement from his brother stokes memories of a recent scandal over his treatment of a closed-off student, which in turn influences his careful flirtation with a woman in his tour group. For the professor in "Horseman," the bad student is a prompt for her to consider whether her professional coolness has served her well either in academia or her home life. As ever, Russo is superb at finding spots of comedy in these situations. The hoarder's home has "an espresso machine the size of a snowmobile"; the frustrated screenwriter thinks, "a smart man would've left it right there, but he didn't seem to be around." This gives the four stories a peculiar sameness; the narration shares a melancholy/buoyant tone regardless of setting. But the autumnal mood fits for these tales of reckonings, and Russo rarely wastes a word, interweaving details and dialogue into master classes on storytelling. "Some writers have less fuel in the tank than others," one of his characters laments, but Russo himself is chugging along just fine.
