Rating: 
Summary: Microcosm of Life
Review: Miles Roby is a man who has been buffeted by life. His neer-do-well father was a poor role model, while his adored mother had her own problems. His brother was a drug addict, his wife ridiculed him for his passive attitude toward life,and as a result she decided to divorce him. Years ago he felt compelled to leave college in order to come home and tend to his dying mother, but she rejected his help and criticized him for not completing his education, and fulfilling his potential. The light of his life is his daughter Tick, but she hangs out with some of the social outcasts in her high school and seems not be confused by life. Miles is the manager of the local diner which is owned by the scheming and manipulative Mrs. Whiting who owns half the town and who bullies people to do her bidding. At the diner we meet the other characters who live in Empire Falls--Walt, the buffoon who is engaged to marry Miles soon-to-be-ex-wife; Max, Miles' father; Otis, the local high school principal, and many others. Through the everyday interactions of the book's characters and the history of this once-prosperous but now-depressed community, Russon weaves in a variety of themes: sacrificial love, a man's coming of age, redemption, justice, class struggle, and a host of others. With his sly humor and no-nonsense writing, Russo captures the reader's heart and mind. The only weakness is the plethora of violent actions which take place at the end which are not worthy of the atmosphere set earlier in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Well Worth Reading
Review: I have never read a book by this author, so I was coming into it blind without expectations (other than from the "Winner of the Pulitzer Prize" sticker on the cover and I've never put much stock into those prizes anyhow). I was immediately charmed by Russo's writing style, sporadically humorous and at turns elegant and creaky, just like most people, I suppose -- able to pretty up on occasion but never able to hide their shortcomings for long. It made the book feel authentic in a way, and I just liked it. I agree with those who complain about the ending. It was simply too lurid for such quietly heroic and loudly flawed characters. All through the second half of the book I felt the plot gearing up for something dramatic, and then lo-and-behold, something very dramatic happens -- and I did resent that. The rise to conclusion should have felt more natural, and with a better ending it might have. Still, this book is well worth a read, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: An engrossing read, however, the ending weak. . .
Review: This book is about Empire Falls, which is a small town in Maine, however, it is not just merely small in size, but is of the ilk of small New England-style river towns that relied on turn-of-the-century small factories to employ generations of the families living there. Through nostalgic flashbacks, you learn that the town was once idyllic and thriving, with a main street filled with people and shops, and provided a decent lifestyle for blue-collar families to raise their families. Empire Falls mirrors other similar small mill towns in that, as the mills were shut down in the last quarter of the last century, the entire character and landscape of the town was dramatically altered, as many without work consquently left, stores closed, homes stood vacant for want of buyers, until eventually, the town became like a miserable ghost town. This book explores the lives of some of those people who stuck around after the mills closed. Why do the characters stay when there is little opportunity? The author does a fabulous job of exploring the present-day lives of the main characters, their pasts, and what keeps them in a place that seems to offer nothing but a daily dose of misery and yearning for the nostalgic past. The author is at his best with the protagonist, Miles Roby, who is now in his mid-40's and wondering how he ended up running the town's dilapidated diner. He was a stellar student, attended college, and otherwise had begun to fulfill his mother's dream of getting out of E.F., until she fell ill during his last year of college and over her objections, Miles quit to return to E.F. to care for her until her death. What happened to his dreams? Why is he still there many years later? The author explores so vividly each individual character's pasts, upbringings, morals, religious devotion (if any), unique experiences, memories and dreams, and how they collectively explain why each character either consciously or unconsciously made life's choices. Other characters are similarly explored, to different degrees, such as Miles' much-younger, reformed brother, David, the town's Machiavellian "matriarch," Mrs. Whiting, and Miles' ex-wife, Janine, among others. The characters and the plot are so well-formed that you deeply sense their frustrations, disappointments and hopes. It provokes thoughts about your own life, and why you live it the way the do. Unfortunately, the ending, while surely relevant at the time the book was penned, seems to come from nowhere and is too tragic, so much so that it detracts from the themes that were explored previously. But a very worthwhile read nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: accurate to small-town life
Review: To come clean right away, Richard Russo is my cousin. Granted, I have met him twice in my life. For the record, I am a 21 year old Penn senior, who grew up in the same town as Mr. Russo. Despite what may be my biased opinion, I cannot help but praise Empire Falls an accurate portrayal of life in a small town.Empire Falls, I cannot help but imagine, is named after the town of Glens Falls, NY, which is approximately 40 minutes from where both Mr. Russo and I grew up. Since I left for college in Philadelphia, one of the biggest cities in the U.S., and met more wealthy urban sophisticates than I could have ever met in my hometown, I started to disparage the quasi-rural, quasi-suburban town in which I was raised. But since I have been away for awhile I have since realized the virtues of smalltown life. Mr. Russo captures those virtues especially well. Empire Falls, though, is not an optimistic book. Nor should it be. Small town life is not an optimistic life. Many of the kids I attended high school with are working low-end jobs simply trying to make ends meet while I attend an Ivy League institution. While contemporary standards of success say I am the more succesful of my friends, I can't help but doubt that this is absolutely a true statement. I may be more educated, and I may earn a higher salary at 22 than most, Russo shows that some trials of life in small towns--the simple, Shaker-like values of hard work and sacrifice--are worthwhile lessons that many urban sophisticates and suburbaners could stand to learn. The distance and time I have spent away from my family, who still lives in the town cousin Rick grew up near, have proven that the values of "city folk" and rural people are fundamentally different. Maybe we each have something to learn from one another. I, for one, cherish my quasi-rural upbringing, and I love the perspective that living in and visiting the greatest cities in the world has given me. I think Russo captures the wonderful simplicity of small-town life, but also illustrates the depression that comes along with the crippling isolation of towns that really don't have any connection to the world of cosmopolitan glamour.
Rating: 
Summary: Confused about this one
Review: It's been very hard to come up with a number of stars for this book, but ultimately I have decided on three. I did like it and certainly Russo can write. However, there are problems with it. Reading other reviews here, I am mystified by the amount of people who found "laugh-out-loud" passages. There are certainly moments of humor, but overall the book is utterly depressing. All of the characters' lives are destroyed and pathetic, the atmosphere of Empire Falls is one of pure decadence and sadness. Miles Roby, the main character, is a good and decent man, and his daughter Tick is an attractive character, but Miles also lacks courage to an unnerving point and Tick is simply given too little space in the book to fully come to life. The rest of the bunch is totally unlikable, including the insufferable ex-wife and her fiancé, the repulsive Max Roby (a man you wouldn't sit beside to for all the world), the gay priest and the demented priest, the corrupt policeman and his stupid son, etc. Having said that, I must admit that the book is well written. Russo does have an eye for detail and depiction, as well as a subtle sense of humor which unfortunately gets lost in the total decadence of this town. The book flows slowly but pleasantly for 80% of it, and what little plot there is unravels quickly in the last 50 pages or so. I had the feeling it was a rushed ending, and that the writer tried to finally put a note of optimism in his story, but it was not very convincing. This book is not a waste of time by any means. It's an entertaining read and you can see that Russo is talented. The only other book of his that I have read is "Straight Man", a book I liked more even if it is considered the weakest of the Russo corpus. I think that, on the contrary, "Straight Man" is a better book, which unfortunately is considered a minor work just for being "funny". Well, "Empire Falls" is certainly not funny. It is very depressing and the mood is constantly one of impending doom, even if the ending runs otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: A Triumph
Review: The brilliance and depth of Russo's skill is best observed by a simple fact. Almost every chapter can easily stand alone as a wonderful short story. His character dance on the page with each other and the reader, presented in a way that makes them come alive with all their strengths and faults. His protaganist gripped my interest and emotions from the very begining and carried me through the novel. Further, Russo crafts fabulous subplots, pealing back layer after layer to reveal the depth of his work. We experience the small town. We feel their triumphs and mourn for their losses. The whole package comes together into a near perfect novel. In short, every lover of fiction will savor this momentous work and want to read it twice.
Rating:
Summary: Excellence in storytelling
Review: Empire Falls shows the masterful story-telling capabilities of Richard Russo as he richly depicts the life of a single parent raising a young girl amidst a small dying town in the northeastern US. The main character runs a small diner with a few loyal customers (not all of whom he is glad are loyal customers). Russo writes in such a way as to make the reader feel they are a part of the town rather than a viewer of events from the outside. Similar to George Bailey from "It's a Wonderful Life" the protagonist had always dreamed of leaving the small town of Empire Falls for college and bigger dreams elsewhere, but was never able to make it. Now he dreams of a better life for his daughter and will do almost anything to give it to her. There is a darker side to the story however, that is not at all similar to the aforementioned movie. As the protagonist continues to battle with the people and the inner demons from his past, his daughter is confronted with a dark new presence in her school. A presence which is not at all as it seems and provides for amazingly horrifying events to transpire and for real life-changing lessons to be learned in the end. It is easy to see how such an amazing story - told so amazingly well - could have won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Do yourself a favor and read this book, you'll be very glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: better than mediocre
Review: I thought this book started swimmingly, and devolved from there. I agree with many reviewers that the characters were broad and the dialogue stultified (was anyone else tempted to count how many times "Miles just had to smile" or "couldn't suppress a smile"?) I also believe there were some loose ends that weren't tied up, although I don't want to get into specifics and spoil things for potential readers ... at times the writing is insightful, funny and touching without going overboard. But somewhere after page 200 he runs out of steam and ceases to diversify dialogue and description -- coinciding with when he starts writing flashbacks in the frankly annoying italics. Again, I agree with other reviewers that this is not his best effort -- Straight Man comes to mind -- although it is an attempt at a "serious" book, and I suppose that by moving from full-on humor to a more encompassing novel, it helped gain the attention of the Pulitzer committee. But I'd rather have seen him win it for another, more natural effort -- a great humorist should win a prize for what he does best.
Rating:
Summary: Worthy of the Pulitzer
Review: Much has been said in praise of this book, all of which I'm in agreement, so I'll just add a few things. First, when reading a novel I tend to cast the characters with known performers. Not very creative and often limiting of my imagination, but I can't help myself- I love reading and movies, and it's hard to separate the two. Therefore, it was inevitable that I cast the major characters in this book, and James Gandolfini STILL stands out to me as the perfect person to play/represent Miles Roby. Gandolfini fits the physical image I have of Miles- big, awkward but gentle- as well as the emotional- intelligence and sensitivity masked by a shyness, the imposing physical presence and the grinding down that life has placed on him. I'm aware that Ed Harris is playing Miles in the HBO movie- I don't agree with that at all and it still doesn't change my image. Anyway- James Gandolfini=Miles Roby. Secondly, this book should be played with a soundtrack by Bruce Springsteen. I don't know if Russo is a fan, but the author and the musician share a number of common themes: the value of work in our lives and the role that it plays in both sustaining us and wearing us down; unfulfilled dreams of love and success; the division between rich and poor and those in between in our culture; the desparate actions that desparate people are driven to that, while not excusable, are more understandable if viewed in the context of their lives; and the ultimate optimism that gives us a reason to believe at the end of every hard earned day. Read "Empire Falls" and then listen to any number of Springsteen albums, particularly "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Nebraska". This book, like Springsteen's music, is haunting and will linger with you long after you close it for the final time. This book provides great insight into how our work defines us, limits us but keeps us alive, as well as into the intricacies of human relationships and emotions that drive us but also have the potential to destory us. Miles Roby is one of the most sympathetic and realistic characters of modern fiction. "Empire Falls" ranks up with "Lonesome Dove" as Great American Novels. In summary: Read it. Picture Tony Soprano without the gangster edge. Listen to The Boss.
Rating: 
Summary: How On Earth Did This Book Win The Pulitzer?
Review: I just finished reading this novel and I am mystified by all of the acclaim it has received. Far from being an accurate depiction of small-town life, it is a dull, mind-numbing work populated by repulsive characters who resemble redneck cartoons more than flesh and blood human beings. Many times I wanted to fling the book across the room out of frustration with its snail-like pacing and terminally unhappy characters. If you're looking for a realistic portrait of life in rural Maine, try anything by Cathie Pelletier - particularly her Mattagash trilogy. These books offer everything - humor, heart, emotion - that EMPIRE FALLS fails to deliver.
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