Rating: 
Summary: Russo again stands peerless
Review: It might not be fair, but when you compare "Empire Falls", point by point, with other books in Richard Russo's canon, it doesn't quite measure up. Quasi-protagonist Miles' (why 'quasi'? More on that later...) relationship with his father is not nearly as powerful nor as funny as Ned and Sam's relationship in "The Risk Pool". Nor is his relationship with his daughter as strongly realized as Sully and Peter's is in "Nobody's Fool". And the 'Empire Grill' doesn't have near the allure or reality of 'The Elm's' found in the former book, and 'Hattie's Lunch' found in the latter.Okay, maybe it is fair, because Russo keeps trodding on the same territory. This is another book set in an east coast town, beset by slow economic times and constant tragedy ("What kind of man... would walk up to another human being... and squeeze another death into the world?" asks Miles, showing the novel's pessimistic world-view). It is another book that deals with how families, neighbours, lovers, and enemies deal with each other, whether explicitly or implicitly. It is a book that relies on simple situations turned melodramatic, and complex situations turned comic. But I'll repeat an analogy I've used many times when talking about Russo's books: when you only know one song, it helps if you play it well. And Russo does. The biggest change between "Empire Falls" and the rest of Russo's book is that he relies less on his samurai-like skills for creating winning and realistic dialogue, instead preferring to internalize many of his characters' thoughts. The story is not told exclusively from Miles point of view (I told you I'd explain the 'quasi' prefix). Russo gets inside the head of many of his characters, for a chapter or two, which allows them to give their perspective on the story (As if "Rashomon" were set in Maine). The effect of this is to lighten Miles' position as protagonist, instead allowing that burden to fall on the town itself. Which in a way explains why, as the titles of his previous books often referred to their main characters ("Nobody's Fool", "Straight Man"), this book is called, pun likely intended, "Empire Falls". The town is the protagonist. That's not to diminish Miles' importance to the story. He is still the fulcrum around which most of the action pivots. But he's very different from the typical Russo 'hero'. When Bea, his ex-mother-in-law, describes him as "about the nicest, saddest man in Empire Falls, a man so good-natured that not even being married to her daughter, Janine, had ruined him", that's typical Russo. But a later exchange with Mrs. Whiting, owner and operator of the only successful businesses in Empire Falls, colours him thusly: "The old woman clapped her hands in delight. 'I don't know why I'm always so surprised to be reminded of your sense of humor, dear boy.'
'Did I say something funny?' Miles inquired." You can see how he's far less self-aware than Sully, Ned, Hank from "Straight Man", or even Dallas Younger from Russo's first book, "Mohawk". Those men all knew the power of a witty quip, and would wield them easily when the time called for it. Miles has that skill too, but is usually too run down to bother. Instead, he lets the people around him get off the best lines. In fact, they all seem to recognize this apathy in him, and try desperately, up until the book's final act, to get Miles to loosen up and show his true colours. Paradoxically, though, Russo doesn't use his secondary characters nearly enough. I would have liked to have spent more time with some of them, like Horace, the wizened and wise newspaper reporter, or David, Miles' no-nonsense younger brother, or Max, the shameless patriarch of the Roby clan. In Russo's other books, these witty but down-on-their-luck men would constantly be whispering into Miles' ear, for better or for worse but always entertaining. These run-down but impish middle-aged characters are replaced in the narrative by a flurry of teenagers. Miles' daughter Tick, an expertly realized creation (save for her never-explained handle), is a joy to read. She is smart and shy, and Russo portrays her awkwardness wonderfully. But the teens that surround her, when she lets them, are more often than not cardboard and cliche. And Russo gets a tad melodramatic when it comes to these renderings of teenagedom. True, in the end, as you will soon see, it becomes necessary. But while it's happening, it breaks up the understated tone that his adults have worked so hard to achieve. About three-quarters of the way through, I was all ready to bemoan "Empire Falls'" position in the lower pantheon of Russo's books (down there with the aforementionned "Mohawk"). But the last hundred pages are startling. He abandons the exposition of character, and concentrates hard on rendering an emotional (no, too weak a word; try 'heartbreaking') narrative conclusion. It gets melodramatic in moments, and relies a little too much on cliffhanger shocks, but it sent me into to a state where I couldn't wait to turn the next page, knowing full well that what I found there might cause my heart to jump out of my chest.
Rating:
Summary: Real Life, Warts and All
Review: This is the first Richard Russo book I have ever read. A friend told me, between fits of giggling, how funny some of the scenes were in "Straight Man", one of his previous works, and convinced me to give Russo a try. I picked up a copy of "Empire Falls" and recently finished it just before it won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. At first, I was very surprised at this award, but the more I've thought about it, this does make sense. Russo in "Empire Falls" has perfectly captured a snippet of real, everyday life. There are what appear to be character development flaws, loose ends, unaddressed questions, and plenty of the mundane aspects of daily life that are open to criticism. However, despite what Hollywood shows us, THIS is what 98% of reality is like for all us "regular folks" and Russo has described this imperfection superbly. The central character in this book is Miles Roby. He grew up in the dying fictional mill town of Empire Falls in central Maine and has never quite been able to escape from it. He is now 42 and running the Empire Grill hoping to succeed enough by hanging on to allow his beloved daughter nicknamed Tick to escape completely like he almost did. The cast of everyday characters unfolds from this common premise. Some are annoying (the Silver Fox), some endearing (Bea and David), some downright disturbing (John Voss), and some all-too-familiar (Max). You will feel anyone of them could be your neighbor, co-worker, or even a relative! Some metaphor's are obvious like the "weight of the World" in the form of Tick's huge school backpack, Miles' ever suffering mother's name of "Grace", or even Francine Robideaux as the Devil. Some are puzzling like the waitress-for-life Charlene or the banished to the boonies liberal Roman Catholic priest Father Mark. Small (all?) towns all have their little secrets and Empire Falls is no exception. Most of the details Russo so ably describes link together the inhabitants of this town in some way over the years leading to a not so surprising explosive conclusion. You can almost feel it coming through the pages as we bob and bump along in the current of life together. There are many things the reader could initially want to criticize about "Empire Falls", not the least of which would be the seeming obviousness of the title. Upon thinking about some of these gripes, I couldn't help but notice that many of them are things that bother me about my own experience in life. I realized I wanted to get on Miles' case at times for the same character issues that occasionally dog my own character! It takes one to know one, let him who is without sin cast the first stone. Russo can cut alarmingly close to the bone! Keep this in mind when you read through this fine book as I believe it will help you in seeing beyond what appear to be flaws in "Empire Falls". I'm not saying this book is pure literary perfection, but it sure is a great read! Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Elegant
Review: Russo is an elegant writer, with a direct, tender, humorous, and deceptively simple voice. Here, for example, is Tick Roby, a teenage girl, in contemplation: "Just because things happen slow doesn't mean you'll be ready for them. If they happened fast, you'd be alert for all kinds of suddenness, aware that speed was trump. "Slow" works on an altogether different principle, on the deceptive impression that there's plenty of time to prepare, which conceals the central fact, that no matter how slow things go, you'll always be slower." At the same time, this gentle and wise voice tends to sugarcoat the bitter experiences of the characters in "Empire Falls". For much of the book, there's a disconnect between what they must feel and the tone Russo uses to describe their lives. In many ways, this is a triumph. How many authors are there, after all, who can make harsh lives seem sweet? I bet Russo is aware of this effect in his writing, since the final fifty pages absolutely explode in conflict. "See," he seems to be saying, "I can do that too." Altogether, I find his elegance awesome but also a little distracting, almost as if his immense talent as a stylist keeps him at arm's length from his characters. Regardless, the book is a terrific read.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Having enjoyed immensely both Straight Man and Nobody's Fool I expected more. At times I felt like I was reading a draft and the flashback chapters were downright schmaltzy! I look forward to reading more inspired Russo work in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Too Much Action in the last 100 pages
Review: This book was selected for me as part of a book club, primarily because it was named on a number of lists last year as one of the better novels published. Overall I liked it very much. I especially enjoyed the depth of the characters and the way the layers of the past slowly were revealed throughout. We increasingly live in a time where relationships, even family ones, are transient due to geography, time, or our own need to move on psychologically. Russo illustrates how relationships, good and bad, endure over time and even generations. Although some of the characters were almost cartoon like (the Fox for example), others were quite complex. I found myself pulling for Miles, but at the same time wanting to slap him silly for his passive doormat like approach to life. My main problem with the book was the way it all was tied into a neat package at the end, right down to the wicked witch being washed down river. After spending hundreds of pages telling us how life is full of compromises, regret, and even fate, Russo spends the last 50 making everything all right for everyone. I was waiting for Tick to win the lottery! I don't really agree with the comparisons to Conroy, Prince of Tides had a lot more action. Conroy's ability to tell a story within a story (the turtle in the bed for example)was not matched in this book. None the less, it is a good and interesting read that takes the reader to a place where fewer and fewer of us go - the land of consequences for decisions made.
Rating:
Summary: Wrapped up for the screen?
Review: This was my first Richard Russo book and probably won't be my last, because he's a skilled storyteller and does a good job capturing the Maine mill town. (I live in one myself.) The story, the humor and the characters, especially Miles, carried me right along and I took the book with me virtually everywhere I went. But I was disappointed in the ending, which seemed strained and designed to make the book more appealing to Hollywood. Close to the end, I also started to notice Russo's tendency to lapse into cliches. That's too bad because until then, it was a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Summer Read 2002: George Bailey meets Pat Conroy
Review: With the paperback edition scheduled for release in May, Empire Falls is well-positioned to be the summer read of choice for 2002. Russo's tasty, saccharine prose digests easily in crowded airport waiting rooms or on noisy beaches. The stock, made-for-TV characters will not distract the reader from the joys of sun-bathing. You've met them all before: George Bailey, Alexis Carrington, Roscoe P. Coltrane, Flo the waitress and even Garfield the cat all appear in Empire Falls disguised as rustic New Englanders. Have you forgotten the plot of The Prince of Tides, your summer read of 1988? Not to worry, Russo has taken Pat Conroy's well-worn formula of drunken father/suffering mother/neurotic son and dressed it up with a Maine accent. As you settle in to your vacation, the plot of Empire Falls lumbers along like a lazy afternoon at the beach. As your holiday draws to a close, the story obligingly gains momentum to a dizzying, Hollywood-style ending. Vacationers in Martha's Vinyard will be especially pleased by the mythic qualities that the book assigns to the Island. Perhaps the MV Chamber of Commerce will develop a walking tour: "...and on your left folks is the cafe where Miles Roby discovers Max." The Empire Falls punch-line: read it for what it's worth and enjoy it as you would any pleasant vacation diversion. And when you head for home, leave it on the nite table of your bed and breakfast.
Rating:
Summary: A great read; it has a place among my all time favorites
Review: Beautifully written; great story; believable characters; true to life. Russo has an amazing ability to capture the nuances of his characters and their life circumstances - and do so in a way that is at once funny and poignant. A very satisfying read!
Rating:
Summary: Vivid Characters but a Sketchy Plot
Review: I will heartily recommend this book to almost everyone because Iloved the book's characters who so vividly come to life. Main protagonist Miles Roby, manager of the Empire Grill, is someone you just have to love even if he can be his worst enemy. The other characters in the book are also vivid and memorable from the dislikable Mintys, to Miles' drunk and disheveled father, to the powerful Whiting family that owns most of Empire Falls including the Grill. For more than 300 pages I was captivated by the characters in this book and yearned to read more. Most of the action takes place at the Empire Grill owned by Ms. Whiting and along a backdrop of decades of history that tie the Roby and Whiting families together. Along the way, Russo makes some very profound observations regarding the decay of communities and relationships and their eventual renewal. The links are impressive and it's great writing. My only complaint is that the plot failed to provide much in the way of action and conflict. While the people hooked me, the entire premise for the story, conflict, and eventual climax and conclusion was somewhat weak. In the end, I almost felt that Russo had to create an ending just to finish what he had started. In short, he created wonderful, unforgettable characters that were all dressed up with no plot or story to play out. It won't be the first time a prominent author has done it (Grisham and Tom Wolfe have had the same problems with multi-million dollar bestsellers. . .) Overall, I'm impressed by Mr. Russo and look forward to future books.
Rating:
Summary: Certainly the best piece of fiction this year...
Review: I picked up Russo's latest with fairly high expectations. "Mohawk" and "The Risk Pool" proved that he knew how to tell a story. "Nobody's Fool" (my personal fav) packed in more understanding of the human condition, compassion for characters making frustrating choices, and humor in every page than most modern American authors can muster for their collected works. And "Straight Man" had me laughing out loud (my roommate thought I was losing my mind- waking her up at two in the morning to listen as I recited passages from the book probably didn't help). When I first cracked "Empire" it was with skepticism. How long could one writer's streak last? Well, it ain't over yet. "Empire" is akin to "Mohawk" in structure and style, but the former is the promise of the later fulfilled. Russo doesn't tell you about the town, he invites you to live there. His introduces you to people, not mere characters upon which he hangs his plot, but living, breathing people who allow you to see the world through their eyes. Though epic in scope, Russo never allows the book to feel less than completely personal. The inhabitants' stories engaged me and turned the pages for me. It wasn't until the end of the book that I was able to gain any persepective on the story as a whole and, in my oppinion, that is the mark of a truely great writer. Like Toni Morrison and Russell Banks, Russo understands how to balance descriptive prose with a well-paced plot. His writing engages me emotionally without descending into a series of thematically important capital-M Moments that is the burden of so many modern authors (Grisham, Crichton, Rice, Roth, Atwood). Added to all of this is Russo's excellent sense of humor, which is no less evident in "Empire" than in any of his other novels. Like Thomas Pynchon, Russo gives you the full absurdity of life but, unlike the "Vineland" scribe, it's an absurdity that doesn't feel too far removed from reality. I always find it difficult to finish a Russo novel. I know that I'm leaving behind people I've grown to care for. "Empire" was no different. But, like all of the others before, Russo found an ending without finality. He allows the populace of Empire Falls to live on in the imagination of the reader. At the risk of sounding corny, I will be returning to Empire Falls again and again, just as I often revisit Mohawk and Bath. One final note: I'm sure the pulitzer commitee could care less what I think but THEY NEED TO GIVE THIS BOOK A PRIZE.
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