Rating: 
Summary: Super Read!
Review: This book was great! I was hooked the entire time. My one complaint was that the ending seemed a lillte too unbelievebale. I felT like too mnay things happened. It seemed as though Russo was trying to tie up too many loose ends. But even after saying that, the rest of the book was so good that I give it a 5. I really liked the way he told teh story adn am anxious to read older and new boks by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Plot, what plot?
Review: If you are looking for a book with an ending, don't bother with this one.After seemingly endless development of characters and environment Mr Russo decided that he had better things to do rather than develope a plot. When action finally does occur his characters all act out of character and the book ends without satifaction from the point of view of characters, history or feasible plot. One of the most dissapointing reads I have had for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Reading the movie
Review: I must admit that the diner on the cover and the wild success of Russo's book put me off. I enjoyed Russo's sense of humor and admired Miles Roby, the main character, but reading this light novel was like watching a respectable American movie. It was perfectly well done, but it didn't linger for much longer than the ride home. The teenage subplot was the most disappointing part - in the early chapters Russo struck a balance between his memory of high school and his observation of the current scene, but in the climax he sacrificed both without taking us any deeper into the nightmare with which he replaces them. He's at his best when he's exploring the bittersweet life of a mill town without a mill, but in the end fiction takes over. As result, I quickly forgot what I liked about the book in the first place. I'm sure the movie will be fine.
Rating:
Summary: Solid fiction that had me hooked.
Review: A good book is one in which the characters outcomes match some sort of reality on a universal level and I believed every one of these characters in the book. Not only that, but it enlightened my own path. I have to chuckle at the number of reviewers that struggle with the ending as if it is too easily or quickly resolved. On the contrary, it is perfect in it's justice and lack of resolve. But to capture the essence of families destinies intertwining and affecting each others outcomes on as broad a scope as Russo does is pure genius.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Character Development/Disappointing Conclusion
Review: From the first page, Richard Russo will have you feeling that you have just stepped into Empire Falls, that you're sitting right at the Empire Grill counter, watching The Silver Fox & Horace battle out a game of gin, while Miles Roby cooks up a greasy burger for you. The picture painted of Empire Falls is one of a dilapidated old mill town that over the years has been run to the ground. The once booming and flourishing mills, owned by the prominent Whiting family, have been deserted. There are two types of people in Empire Falls-the ones that have been born and raised there, and continue to gruel away at mundane jobs, and those that left, got an education and came back. The heart of Empire Falls is the fantastic character development that Russo accomplishes in his 483 pages. The novel centers around Miles Roby, a man who did leave Empire Falls briefly, for a few years of college, but came back when his mother Grace fell ill, and found himself permanently displaced as the manager of the Empire Grill. This position maintains his relationship with the town money controller-Mrs. Francine Whiting, who not only controls Empire Grill, but most everything else in the town as well. You'll learn about Miles through his relationships with his wife/ex-wife Janine, their teenage daughter Tick, and his brother David, along with a cast of colorful townfolk who are quirky and real. There are too many distinct characters to name them all, but in each you'll identify someone you know with the same traits. The story has some twists and turns between current events and flashbacks, that unfold some long hidden secrets. My only issue with Empire Falls was the ending, which didn't seem to maintain the heart of the first 3/4 of the novel. The ending did seem rushed, and more like the ending to a movie, then to a well-drawn out novel. If you like books that focus on character development more so than action, I think you will like this book. Even though I was discouraged by the ending, it is still a wonderful piece of writing and deserves praise for that alone.
Rating:
Summary: Good book. Pulitzer Prize winner?
Review: I'm shocked that this received the Pulitzer. I guarantee that if it had been written by a woman, it wouldn't have gotten a more than a kind mention. Yes, these are hardworking, salt-of-the-earth kinds of people, but it's essentially the story of a man's midilfe crisis. Toss in a hometown greasy spoon, a moody teenage daughter and a tough-as-nails town matriarch, and you've got it, right down to the ketchup-soaked hamburgers. Tough to wade through. Arrrgh.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I could recommend this book
Review: I tried three times to get into this book. I found the book a bore. It reminded my of a book I often had to read for a sociology or psychology course and then discuss the motives, thoughts, and desires of the people involved. It definately is not a story -- it is a study of mal-adjusted, unhappy people. There is no real action or anything to grab the reader into the story in the first 100 pages. At that point I felt I was wasting my time and reading something I did not like. NOT A SUMMER READING BOOK FOR THE BEACH. Not a page turner. I realize it won an award, but often the critic delights are not the readers.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: The characters will stay with you. Nothing feels rushed in this book, read it when you have time to appreciate it. I was impressed by Russo before reading Empire falls, now I'm awestruck.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Writing
Review: The cast of characters in this book are living a blue collar life in a town called Empire Falls. Their town is in Maine, an old mill town, once a thriving place to be, but now its occupants struggle to make a living. It is at the grill where we meet Miles Roby, his daughter Tick, his brother David, his ex-wife Janine and his father Max...along with a colorful set of other people who frequent the restaurant. Russo manages to tell this superb story through flashbacks and incredible characterization. It is a poignant and truly funny book which shows the nature of human folly. Every person we encounter has regrets, they've all made decisions and compromised themselves in one way or another. Their lives are all intertwined and we are taken on a journey filled with twists and turns that lead us to a true exploration of the human condition. This was such an easy book to lose yourself in, at times I felt like I was in the grill, listening in on the conversations. The people of Empire Falls became real to me and I was sad to see them go.
Rating:
Summary: 3/4 of book DAMN GOOD
Review: Empire Falls is a very well written and interesting novel set in small town maine, which right there should be one reason I shouldn't enjoy the novel, but I did. Since I'm more of a fan of gritty fiction and this novel's subject, although not completely mainstream,is usually too mainstream for me. However Russo makes you want to read about these people, it flows very well and although the book is thick it doesn't get boring. My only criticism is the ending, it seemed to get a little melodramtic and after that seemed to try to tidy itself up a bit too quickly. However, all in all a damn good read.
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