Who said it Wednesday (February 10, 2016)

Before long the word got around that I was a listener to hard-luck stories, personal histories, gripes, and that I gave advice, and by and by I had a daily clientele, almost like a fortuneteller.

Name the novel or the character (possibly the narrator), or extra credit for both. First to get it right wins the privilege of being known as the first to get it right.

Oops sorry...I was a bit late with the answer. The answer is the title character from The Adventures of Augie March.