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.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Tale of Suppression and Unfufilled Dreams
Review: I just finished reading this book last night and I had trouble falling asleep because I couldn't stop thinking about the characters in this book. What an amazing read! This book is so good I felt voyeuristic at times, as if I were eavesdropping on strangers sitting at the next table at the Empire Grill. This book draws you in from the very beginning. There isn't one character you don't care about and I loved how some of the characters start out unsympathetic but then show a softer side (for example Max Roby, Janine Roby or even Otto Meyer). I also loved the recurrent theme of pent-up or suppressed emotions and unfulfilled dreams and how that can escalate into acts of violence, beginning with the town's river itself, to the actions of Miles Roby against Jimmy Minty and Walt Comeau (loved the in-joke on the name's similarity to Perry Como), John Voss's revenge at the end of the book, and even Tick (the nickname perhaps a reference to Martha's Vineyard and its tick population?) against John Voss. Miles Roby is a brilliant character and one you will definitely want to get to know. I hate saying goodbye to him and wish I knew what happens to him and Tick.
Rating:
Summary: Peyton Place Redux
Review: Definately a technically well-written and readable book in terms of writing ability which assuredly puts the author's work above the level of pulp fiction. Russo's depiction of small town life is poignant and touching but at the very best, this book comes off as a simplified psychology attempt on good versus bad people. The plot and the sequence of resulting events are so simplistic and predictable that the story line becomes humorous. At best, if this is the only type of tale the author can spin about small town life, I would rather re-read that old 60's favorite, Peyton Place. Most of the male characters in this book are victims in some fashion be they weak, strong, violent or pacifist, while most of the female characters are portrayed as vain, greedy and selfish. There are only two truly well-rounded characters in this novel. One is Max Roby, the father of the central figure Miles Roby, who is a lovable old rogue with a real zest for living and who will do anything to attain his own goals for happiness. The other is a Cat,(yes a Cat), Timmy owned by the town matriarch and Miles Roby's employer, Mrs. Francine Whiting who mischievously takes delight in preying on Miles during his visits to Mrs. Whiting. I hesitate to say it but I do hope the movie's story line turns out better than the books or that too will be a real yawner. Sorry Time Magazine, I wouldn't even begin to consider this one the best book of the Year. My vote goes to Jonathan Frantzen and his book "The Corrections" if you want to deal with dysfunction on a grand and cerebral scale.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant midbrow novel
Review: I genuinely enjoyed Empire Falls and thought much of it was entertaining with many likable characters and interesting situations. I also thought the ending (the catastrophe at the end) was a terrible novel-writing decision -- such an event is the focus of the plot, not some ancillary byproduct that helps to resolve the situation. It's really more of a midbrow novel -- some serious themes mixed in with easy-to-digest writing and colorful characters -- not that there is anything wrong with that! Also, proves the Pullitzer is a purely political award, since there is no way this decent book would have won it other than through lobbying. In sum, I would actually recommend it but lower your expectations and you will be rewarded.
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