The Whore's Child: Summary and book reviews of The Whore's Child by Richard Russo, plus links to an excerpt from The Whore's Child and a biography of Richard Russo.

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his best-selling Empire Falls—also named the year's best novel by Time—Richard Russo now focuses, in his first book of short fiction, on a fresh and fascinating range of human behavior. With a fluency of tone that will surprise even his devoted readers, he captures both bewildering horror and heartrending tenderness with an absorbing, compassionate authority. We warm to these newcomers—as to all Russo's characters—almost despite ourselves. A jaded Hollywood moviemaker uncovers a decades-old flame he never knew he'd harbored. A precocious fifth grader puzzles over life, love and baseball as he watches his parents' marriage dissolve. Another child is forced into a harrowing cross-country escape whose actual purpose he learns only after the fact. An elderly couple rediscovers the power, and the misery, of their relationship during a long-awaited retreat to a resort island. And in the title story, a septuagenarian nun invades the narrator's college writing workshop with an incredible saga.

Media Reviews

The New Yorker There is a big, wry heart beating at the center of Russo's fiction.   Publishers Weekly Russo's rueful understanding of the twisted skein of human relationships is as sharp as ever, and the dialogue throughout is barbed, pointed and wryly humorous. The collection is a winner.   Library Journal A first collection from Russo, who did so splendidly last year with Empire Falls.   Booklist - JoanneWilkinson Despite the darkness of his themes, all of the stories are told with great authority and near flawless technique.   Kirkus Reviews There may be more important writers around, but none is more likable, or more dependably entertaining and rewarding, than Russo.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Jessa
A Wonderful Read
I had to read this book for an Honors American Literature class, and from the books my teacher had picked so far, I was less than excited. However, upon reading this book, I was actually into it. The story was quite gripping with just the right...   Read More

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