Rating: 
Summary: "Just beyond the factory and mill..."
Review: A few weeks ago, while looking to take a break from all the history and biography that I usually read, I went online (to Amazon.com, of course!) in search of a novel. I wanted something relatively new and of high quality... something a little different; perhaps something containing a bit of humor and an examination of our human condition. It didn't take me long to find exactly what I was looking for: "Empire Falls," a novel by Richard Russo. Published in May 2001 and winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. And, as luck would have it, a novel about Maine by a resident Maine author!! Welcome to Empire Falls, a fictional small town in the fictional county of Dexter, in the real live state of Maine. Empire Falls is very typical of the small mill towns nestled alongside Maine's great rivers - the Kennebec, the Androscoggin, and the Penobscot. At river's edge, there's a shirt factory and a textile mill, both long closed and boarded up. Most of the small businesses along Empire Falls' main street are likewise abandoned; plywood has replaced plate glass in most of the storefront windows. Meet the people who live in Empire Falls: Miles Roby, the book's protagonist... he's a really nice guy... early forties... soon to be divorced from Janine. He's the proprietor of the Empire Grill, a little "greasy spoon" that he runs on behalf of Mrs. C.B. Whiting, the owner. He hopes to inherit the eatery when Mrs. Whiting dies... Janine, Miles' "almost ex-" is trying hard to dump Miles as fast as she can. Even before the divorce is final, she's taken up with Walt Comeau, the "Silver Fox," an obnoxious sixty-year old local "swinger" who owns the town's aerobics club. Since she and Walt have become an "item," Janine has dropped fifty or so pounds, rediscovered her libido, (something she thinks Miles has lost permanently), and is addicted to fitness. Tick is Miles' and Janine's teenage daughter. Probably a borderline anorexic. Filled with teenage angst, but a source of comfort to many of her likewise angst-ridden high school friends. She lives with her mother, who she can't stand, and spends most of her free time working at the Empire Grill with Miles and her uncle David. Max Roby is Miles' "sempty"-year old father - a real deadbeat, he thinks nothing of stealing money from Father Tom, the senile retired Catholic priest, or from his own son for that matter. Max, along with Walt Comeau, is one of the great thorns in Miles' side. Overseeing this cast of characters is Mrs. C.B. Whiting, the last in the line of Whitings that settled in Empire Falls and built the textile Mill and shirt factory. Mrs. Whiting, nearing seventy years old, and as sharp as a tack, tries to rule her fiefdom with a "mailed fist inside a velvet glove..." These and many other characters form part of the fabric of Empire Falls, a tiny dot on the central Maine landscape. peaceful, bucolic little community comprised of the noble, the venal, the humble, the vain, the rich, the poor, the beggar, and the thief. A community soon to be tested by a sudden, unexpected, senseless act of violence... All of these people stumble and struggle their way toward the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams in this masterfully told story by novelist Richard Russo. Two attributes of "Empire Falls" made this book a distinct pleasure to read, from beginning to end: first, Russo writes with tremendous wit. Many of the scenes in "Empire Falls" are very funny indeed, imbued with the same kind of tragi-comic satirical wit that graced the pages of Joseph Heller's "Catch-22." The second endearing quality of this superb novel is Russo's accurate portrayal of small town life in Maine. Russo's descriptions of the town of Empire Falls - with its red brick mill buildings dominating the skyline; the old, dilapidated houses; the rusty cars meandering down Main Street; the rusty old iron bridge forming the town's lifeline with the outside world - form powerful mental images of many of the towns in which I've actually lived, worked, and played. Russo's characters bear a striking resemblance to many people with whom I've associated over the years. "Empire Falls" is definitely not an "action" novel. You're not going to be bowled over by a riveting story line, or a well defined plot filled with thrilling escapades involving heroes and villains. No, this novel is instead a book that introduces the reader to a group of ordinary people with ordinary fears, anxieties, hopes, and aspirations. You get to follow them as they struggle through their ordinary lives. MY VERDICT: "Empire Falls" is a wonderful novel... rich in detail, literate, alternately funny and tragic, and a powerful statement about small town life in America. I think it's destined to become one of the enduring novels of our generation. Read and enjoy!!
Rating:
Summary: Who else.......
Review: could write about small town, blue collar America and keep you coming back for more. The characters and their dialogue in one of a kind fantastic. I thought half way through the book that some of the storyline was becoming predictable but Russo suprises me in the end. One of the few five stars I given.
Rating: 
Summary: Ugh
Review: This is a hopelessly conventional novel written in featureless prose worthy of a government document. I'm tempted to invite the members of the Pulitzer committee over to paint my house since they're clearly not suited for the job they're doing. How about something subtle and artful for next year's award -- a piece of fiction in between the bombastic lyricism of Kavalier and Clay and the thuddingly workmanlike prose of Empire Falls? This reader would celebrate the change.
Rating: 
Summary: "Falls" flat
Review: I read and mostly enjoyed Russo's _Straight Man_ a few years back, but was disappointed with the ending, which didn't seem to bring an end to anything except pages to turn. I did expect _Empire Falls_ to have a real ending with some plot resolution because, perhaps foolishly, I thought the Pulitzer prize-givers would care about such things. Apparently not. I liked Miles Roby and his daughter, Tick (apparently a nickname for Christine, but how do you get to Tick from there? Never knowing the source of this nickname is minor unresolved issue, to be sure, but annoying nonetheless), but the remainder of the characters are cartoons and it is hard to get worked up over interactions between the Robys and any other inhabitants of the town. The dread Mrs. Whiting, equivalent of liege lord of Empire Falls, is a poor excuse for a villain, and her purported evil deeds are crippled by a convoluted pointlessness, even when her motivations are detailed. Reallyh, the worst thing she does to Miles is allow him to be exactly himself for years and years on end, which is no worse than his treatment by anyone else in the story. The final pages of the book manage to bring up a few more questions that will not be answered while most decidedly leaving plenty of loose ends from earlier sections of the book. The "ripped from the headlines" ending is cringingly melodramatic, and I doubted that even the events described would have been enough to goad poor Miles from his midlife torpor... But by that time even father and daughter Roby had broken up into disorganized plot points instead of discrete characters, and I'd lost interest anyway. Whenever I read a book that has won praise and prizes and I don't like it terribly much, I wish I could see some report of the deliberations leading up to the award. I'm certainly not alone in my opinion that there are plenty of better books out there. I really expected a lot more for a Pulitzer winner.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Delightful
Review: Empire Falls by Richard Russo is the story of Miles Robyâ''s journey of discovery through family and community. As the quiet and sweet proprietor of the Empire Grill in a seemingly dead Maine factory town, Miles is, as his ex-wife describes him, â''The Worldâ''s Most Transparent Man,â'' even to the reader. His reserved yet passionate personality is conveyed perfectly through Russoâ''s use of humor, insight, and imaginative description. Russo is able to allow the reader to feel Milesâ'' rage as his ex-wifeâ''s new sixty-year-old husband heckles him for an arm wrestling match, and guilt as he recalls his motherâ''s life-long hope for him to escape Empire Falls and become something more than a restaurant manager. While the story is told from a subjective third person viewpoint, it is Milesâ'' thoughts and emotions that are most effectively conveyed and expressed with style and humanity. For example, upon sight of his bossâ'' crippled daughter (who harbors a deep and suicidal love for him), Milesâ'' intense urge to â''get back in his car and leave a thick patch of burning rubber on the asphalt,â'' relates his feelings of guilt, contempt, entrapment, and conscience. Through these types of insights, the reader comes to understand why Miles would want to run screaming from a pathetic walker-bound girl, and finally, violently break the arm of his elderly marital replacement. Milesâ'' thoughts and actions are at times scornful and appalling, but they are genuinely human and few readers could deny wanting to act in the same way. The style with which these events are presented allows the reader to look past the simple and short-lived horror of his repressed anger and see the value and character of his personality. Miles displays the secretly hostile and sometimes homicidal tendencies of the human mind through Russoâ''s use of literary grace and small-town mentality. Through his struggles with his handicapped brother, teenage daughter, bitter ex-wife, drunken father, rich and boastful boss, law-breaking employees, and God, Miles exemplifies the middle-class struggle to find oneself amidst turmoil and misfortune. Richard Russo creates identifiable characters, giving each a mind, voice, and heart with which to translate their being. Empire Falls is a marvelous novel, dealing with a vast range of topics, from adulterous affairs to school shootings, with unique clarity and finesse.
Rating:
Summary: What a bore...
Review: Adequately written at best, no action, predictable. If I wasn't the kind of person who always finishes a book I start, this one would of found it's way to the wastebasket early on, but I kept reading in the hope that it would get better. It didn't!
This was good only as a time filler on the subway.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Exceptional
Review: This book was almost one of the finest I'd read, almost five stars...almost. Had I not read the last fifty pages or so, it probably would have been, but like many books, the ending fell short. It seemed rushed, contrived, and with a touch of deux ex machina that left me feeling cheated. If you are reading this before reading the book, I won't spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that the "bad guys" get their comeuppance and in almost Shakespearean fashion there's quite a body count at the end. As well, the end failed to resolve much of the characters's conflicts. Other than the ending, the rest of the book was great. I enjoyed the characters and Russo's writing style was very smooth. This was the kind of book that was hard to put down, and even after the last page, it stuck with me. I enjoyed it a lot, but the end was disappointing. Still, it is recommended reading.
Rating:
Summary: A cross between an epic and a sit-com
Review: What makes this novel a success is Russo's incredible ability to flesh out a huge cast of characters which drive a finely balanced plot, which chronicles the decline of the small town of Empire Falls, ME. The author challenges the reader to accept these highly flawed characters for what they are, while entertaining with creative, darkly funny analogies of the common man's condition.
The reason this book is already a classic is it encapsulates the feelings of those left behind by the rise of a new age and century, using modern language and colorful humor.
Rating:
Summary: creates a realistic world but ultimately disappoints
Review: As a storyteller who can spin characters and atmosphere, Russo is pretty talented, and he did remind me of John Irving and even Pat Conroy just in the way he created a world that you want to spend time in. But his plotting is less sophisticated; he builds up tension and characters without appropriate payoff, and gives payoffs to insufficiently developed characters. More balance is needed, and a little less exposition of his themes. Some mystery about the author's message might have hidden some of the plot problems--I would have filled in the gaps. The characters, some of whom I really loved (though several were too caricatured), deserved better. The book is disappointing because of the unfulfilled promise of the raw materials, but probably worth reading just for the two thirds that is done right.
Rating:
Summary: A really good read... A Pulitzer Prize Winner I Applaud!
Review: For the first fifty pages I had my doubts, but then the characters and the town, their past, present. and future became important to me. Miles, Max, Tick, Grace, Janine, David, and all of the people of Empire Falls were alive and real: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Russo told a story of people today living in a small city dying from financial decisions that only the rich and powerful have some control over. Empire Falls and the story of Miles Roby, his family, friends, acquaintances, and enemies could be found in many American towns. We are concerned about all of the characters who people this well-written novel. Even the characters who have few redeeming qualities have suffered experiences that may have shaped them to become the mean, or even, crazy. It was one of those books in which you want to know all of the secrets and to end on at an optimistic point in the lives of the main characters, which it did, but you really would like to read more about their ongoing trials and tribulations. I'd definitely try another book by Russo, and of course, I have seen Nobody's Fool with Paul Newman.
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