Rating: 
Summary: I imply, YOU infer
Review: Not only was this book slow, draggy, unrealistic, boring, trite, unneccessarily long, and thoroughly unoriginal, I was stunned to find not one, but TWO instances of imply/infer confusion on the part of the author. Don't they teach anything in seventh grade anymore? How uneducated does a person have to be to get these words mixed up? I can see why no editor caught these errors -- obviously they could not slog their way this far in the book and only pretended to read it, which is understandable. I, on the other hand, read every word, because I payed full price for this book, foolishly assuming a Pulitzer prize winning volume would have to be at least a slightly better read than the phone book. Alas, the yellow pages are less predictable than this amateurish effort. The plot never picks up, but manages to fizzle out in spite of this. The ending is a hurried-seeming series of unlikely events that is not at all plausible and has been clumsily foreshadowed. Conspiracies are hinted at throughout the book, but nothing ever comes of them. It is as if the author changed his mind about the ending once he got there. Doubtless he had been working on the book for too long, and got desperate to finish. So much for the Pulitzer . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Could the print in this paperback book be any smaller?
Review: It took me twice the time to read this delightful book because the print was so small. Why is it necessary to use such small print? Others have commented about this problem, as well.
Rating:
Summary: Worth one reading, not two
Review: Russo is a gifted writer. "Straight Man" is the funniest novel this side of "Catch-22," a book that deserves to be reread every year or two for its sheer wit. "Empire Falls" has some of that same wit but it is muted because Russo is focusing on a larger canvas: the story of a small New England town and its residents, rather than a satire of a few pompous English professors at a backwater college."Empire Falls" is impeccably structured as Russo relates the interlocking stories of several Empire Falls families, moving effortlessly backwards and forwards through time. Max Roby joins the pantheon of ne'er-do-well dads that populate Russo's fiction and never fail to enliven the pages of the novel. The other characters come alive and push the narrative along. The crisis that brings about the book's final scenes is both inevitable and shocking, but ultimately, I must confess, disappointing. Yes, things could happen this way, and have tragically happened this way in America's recent past, but why happen here in this novel? We hold fiction to a higher standard than the newspaper where the unbelievable and odd are routinely reported because, however unlikely they seem, they actually happened. So while it's conceivable that these events could take place in this town at this time, the reader has to ask, "Why? Why take the novel down this road?" For a novel of domestic realism to turn on a shocking act of violence just doesn't sit well. The conclusion feels forced to me. Russo is an excellent writer; his books are worth reading. By all means get a copy of "Empire Falls" and enjoy it. Will you want to pick it up again someday and read it through a second time? I have and the pleasure has diminished. This is a very good but not great novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Classic
Review: A winner! This is another hit from Richard Russo. Intelligently written with humor and wit. This book may put off those who like to only like "beach reading" books and are looking for a substitute for the TV. This is a sentimental heart warming story of small town life in New England. The characters are real and there is a sense of a longing for a life that has passed by...something we all think about from time to time. Russo writes with a feeling and style that we all wish we could do.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull
Review: I don't see what all the raves are about. It took me so long to finally get past the first couple chapters without falling asleep. Once I did, I found it depressing and dull. There were some colorful characters that added a little excitement to the otherwise dull life of the main character, but other than that, I didn't find it remarkable. Check out The Lovely Bones if you want a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Stink, Stank, STUNK
Review: I have tried three times to read this book............I found this book very boring. Ok, the Moosehead got a little chuckle, but that is as far as it goes. I can not figure out what all the hype is about. I know there are better books out there to read with my time. Don't waste yours.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Work
Review: This book gives you everything without being over the top about it. It is essentially the story of a man, Miles Roby, who never meant to return to his hometown of Empire Falls, Maine, but as a result of his mother's illness and death 20 years ago, he had to come back, and then, he never left. Is Miles a weak man? Why can't he get away from Empire Falls? I think Mr. Russo teaches us that strength comes in all forms, and despite what everyone thinks of a likeable but seemingly spineless character like Miles, he is a strong man. Mr. Russo does a fantastic job of weaving the gradual decay of the town into the story. Whether it's the abandoned textile mill, the manner in which Miles's old neighborhood has fallen apart, or the struggle Miles endures on a daily basis to keep his place of employment, the Empire Grill, afloat, Mr. Russo describes it vividly, with a sense of detail that works naturally and most importantly, effortlessly. This book is about Empire Falls and it's people. By the time you get to the end of the book, you know Empire Falls as well as your own hometown. This book is a page turner. Mr. Russo uses flashbacks (pointed out in italicized writing) to provide the reader with a seamless story. He develops each and every character with a perfect combination of breadth and depth. Whether you like any, all, or none of the characters, you will want to know what happens to them. By the end, when Mr. Russo wraps up the story, you wish he could write for another 500 pages.
Rating:
Summary: A Breathtaking Novel
Review: Empire Falls is a superior example of modern American literature not because it delivers a surprising or even unique story, but because it captures so elegantly (albeit dramatically) the tragic sustenance of a collapsed mill town. Russo weaves a web of contemporary issues that strike close to home through a cast of realistic (they don't all have to be likeable) characters. This book is worth any serious readers' immediate attention.
Rating:
Summary: This won a Pulitzer!?
Review: This trite piece of fluff won a Pulitzer? While reading Empire Falls you might have the sensation that you've met all the players and their problems before, in my opinion that's because you have. There is nothing remotely new or engaging about this book. But that's not all- this book comes complete with sterotypical characters, syrupy dialogue, and an spectacularly bad 'movie of the week' ending. If you have more than two brain cells left I suggest you find another book...
Rating:
Summary: A Book For The Times
Review: Empire Falls is very much a book of the moment. It has the issues of small town disintegration with the closing of the mill. Divorce and and the choices we make for our children and the horrors and consequences of high school bullying. I liked Richard Russo's writing style but I had a hard time liking the main character Miles Roby who seemed like such a fearful and pitiful creature that it was difficult to sympathize with him. I found myself reading on just for those pages involving Max Roby, Miles' father, who had me laughing out loud. However, the last third of the book was fascinating as many of the book's characters reach a breaking point culminating in a tension filled climax. A nice slice of New England Americana, I give it 3 1/2 out of 5.
|
