Rating: 
Summary: My favorite read of summer 2001
Review: "Mohawk" is an extremely easy read...easy not meaning insipid; easy as in leisurely, believable, warm, familiar. Richard Russo takes readers for a realistic, at times humorous, meander through small town life. This is accomplished with well fleshed-out characters, most of whom have never left Mohawk, New York, and the happenings at institutions and establishments revered for their individual unique contribution to small-town life (the only school; the one hospital, known for its inaccessibility, yet missed when replaced; the favorite grill where sorry old men gamble as much as they eat; the leather mills and tanneries, blamed for high cancer rates, where men worked hard for a living, some corrupted by a greedy management).
An absence of big-budget thrills arrived at with contrived, far-fetched situations feeds the real-town feel and is balanced by an interest sparked by the actors' very human emotions.
"Mohawk" is a captivating narrative of missed opportunities, abandoned dreams, and lives lived only for the pleasure of each moment. It is a story whose characters are full of longing, loss, fear, insecurity, and love...emotions experienced by all who breathe, even those who never leave the comfort of a small town they have always called home.
Rating: 
Summary: This book disappointed me.
Review: "Mohawk" was Richard Russo's first novel and although it showcases his emerging talent it often failed to sustain my interest, sometimes to the point where I dozed off. I think I only continued to read the book to the end because I thoroughly enjoyed "Straight Man" and I also enjoyed the movie "Nobody's Fool" based on Richard Russo's novel by the same name."Mohawk" does give a fairly good representation of a decaying one industry town, but the characters that live in the fictional town of Mohawk are somewhat two dimensional and didn't sufficiently engender my interest to enjoy their company. I seemed to know where their lives were heading and there never seemed to be any surprises in the story line.
One of the characters, "Billy Gaffney", a mentally troubled phantom- like young man seemed to be a cross between Boo Radley (To Kill A Mockingbird) and Danny Taylor (The Winter of Our Discontent). Two cousins, Anne and Diane sacrifice themselves in servitude to their aging mothers. Diane also cares for a wheelchairbound husband - the man who her cousin Anne has always loved. There are several inter-related characters in this story but they never seem to relate to each other in any kind of meaningful way for the story to progress and in the end I finally had to ask myself, "What was the story, anyway?" One of my regrets was that the character of Harry, the man who owned the Mohawk Grill never emerged fully. To me he seemed to have so much potential as a character. I wanted to know about his past. I wanted to know if he was born in Mohawk, or if not, how he ended up there. He was introduced as a lone character at the very beginning of the book, and towards the end he's suddenly living with a woman without any explanation of how she got there.
A leading male in the story, Dallas Younger, is cast as a man with no social skills and a bad case of attention deficit disorder. His son, Randall Younger, who he somehow never seems to find the time to see, emerges as the unremarkable hero of this book, although he is basically a shallow figure with no definite personality in evidence.
As I write this it occurs to me that this book was very much like several episodes of "The Simpsons" strung together - without the wit or the humor. I really hate to say this after enjoying "Straight Man" so very much.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite read of summer 2001
Review: "Mohawk" is an extremely easy read...easy not meaning insipid; easy as in leisurely, believable, warm, familiar. Richard Russo takes readers for a realistic, at times humorous, meander through small town life. This is accomplished with well fleshed-out characters, most of whom have never left Mohawk, New York, and the happenings at institutions and establishments revered for their individual unique contribution to small-town life (the only school; the one hospital, known for its inaccessibility, yet missed when replaced; the favorite grill where sorry old men gamble as much as they eat; the leather mills and tanneries, blamed for high cancer rates, where men worked hard for a living, some corrupted by a greedy management).
An absence of big-budget thrills arrived at with contrived, far-fetched situations feeds the real-town feel and is balanced by an interest sparked by the actors' very human emotions.
"Mohawk" is a captivating narrative of missed opportunities, abandoned dreams, and lives lived only for the pleasure of each moment. It is a story whose characters are full of longing, loss, fear, insecurity, and love...emotions experienced by all who breathe, even those who never leave the comfort of a small town they have always called home.
Rating:
Summary: Not as great as I expeced.
Review: A trend I've noticed in first novels is that they are often a repository for many of an authors pent-up ideas. After all, if you only get one chance to make a first impression, wouldn't you want to try to cram as much stuff into that impression as you could? <Mohawk> suffers from exactly this problem - there are too many characters and events in this novel, and they aren't handled very skillfully. Any two or three of these characters could be taken out and given their own novel, or at least a short story, to great effect. However, at the end of <Mohawk>, the reader is still unclear on exactly what the relationships between the town's citizens are, and who they are as people. Certainly, some of the characters are memorable for their generic status (the grandfather, the cop, the diner-owner, the mentally-challenged guy, the guy in the wheelchair), but none of them are given the development and treatment they deserve. I have the same problem with large ensemble-cast movies: none of the actors get enough screen time for me to really get to know them. Some of the events in the novel could have been the focus of an entire novel (or short story) as well, or a series of short stories. As it stands, <Mohawk> doesn't really gel as a novel or as a series of intertwined events. It doesn't really come off as the "slice of life" that it feels that it ought to be. Two other minor problems with <Mohawk> are that the dialogue sometimes feels pretty wooden (although there are some decent lines, as well), and the unaccounted-for tense shifts. The first chapter and several of the others are in present tense, whereas the majority of the novel is in the past tense. This could work if there were significant reason for setting certain episodes in the present tense (if all of the diner scenes were in the present tense, for example), but there really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for them. So why the three stars? It's a good start - there are some interesting (albeit underdeveloped) characters and scenes. I haven't read any of Russo's other works, and based solely on this one I wouldn't normally seek them out. However, friends and family keep raving about <Straight Man> and <Empire Falls>, so I may check those out; perhaps Russo refined his technique.
Rating: 
Summary: Underwhelming
Review: A trend I've noticed in first novels is that they are often a repository for many of an authors pent-up ideas. After all, if you only get one chance to make a first impression, wouldn't you want to try to cram as much stuff into that impression as you could? <Mohawk> suffers from exactly this problem - there are too many characters and events in this novel, and they aren't handled very skillfully. Any two or three of these characters could be taken out and given their own novel, or at least a short story, to great effect. However, at the end of <Mohawk>, the reader is still unclear on exactly what the relationships between the town's citizens are, and who they are as people. Certainly, some of the characters are memorable for their generic status (the grandfather, the cop, the diner-owner, the mentally-challenged guy, the guy in the wheelchair), but none of them are given the development and treatment they deserve. I have the same problem with large ensemble-cast movies: none of the actors get enough screen time for me to really get to know them. Some of the events in the novel could have been the focus of an entire novel (or short story) as well, or a series of short stories. As it stands, <Mohawk> doesn't really gel as a novel or as a series of intertwined events. It doesn't really come off as the "slice of life" that it feels that it ought to be. Two other minor problems with <Mohawk> are that the dialogue sometimes feels pretty wooden (although there are some decent lines, as well), and the unaccounted-for tense shifts. The first chapter and several of the others are in present tense, whereas the majority of the novel is in the past tense. This could work if there were significant reason for setting certain episodes in the present tense (if all of the diner scenes were in the present tense, for example), but there really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for them. So why the three stars? It's a good start - there are some interesting (albeit underdeveloped) characters and scenes. I haven't read any of Russo's other works, and based solely on this one I wouldn't normally seek them out. However, friends and family keep raving about <Straight Man> and <Empire Falls>, so I may check those out; perhaps Russo refined his technique.
Rating:
Summary: Masterfully rendered, succinct, bright in its dreary truth
Review: A wonderful work, exciting. A truly literary pageturner with fully realized loveable characters. Completely unpretentious. Even Wild Bill--Russo is totally forgiven for his creation, a patent Faulknerian manchild--is never doubted for a moment and plays a very pivotal part in the author's unfolding of this unforgettable town and the folks in it. I dream Mohawk (finding myself in the town) sometimes, even though I read this book two maybe three years ago. I can't believe that no one else visiting this site has reviewed this book at this time, besides the reprint of the published review. But Russo is not well known and this is his first novel. I recommend this book to anyone who breathes air and is thankful that they are a small part in the midst of this great ongoing tragicomedy (life). Didn't change my life, but if you want to read someone who is NOT a hack, read Richard Russo. Funny, too. --Jeremy
Rating:
Summary: Not as great as I expeced.
Review: As a huge fan of Russo, I was disappointed with this story. In my opinion the characters were not easy to sympathize with and the whole thing just sort of bogged down in the middle. I forced myself to finish the book because I kept expecting it to get better. It didn't. Spend your money on Straight Man, Empire Falls, or Nobody's Fool. Skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best but great characters
Review: As always, Russo's characters are fantastic. The reality of the relationship between mother and daughter in this book is staggering. I couldn't believe how accurately Russo was able to display such a dysfunctional family - completed with separate points of view, excellent dialog and heart-wrenching sadness.
The story lacked a punch that Russo's other books have - mostly Empire Falls, Nobody's Fool, and some others.
The end of the book was a bit slow and it could have ended about 25 pages sooner than it did, but it was nonetheless very good.
If you haven't read Russo before, don't start with this. But, if you're a fan, you'll enjoy it, if for no other reason, the characters and relationships between them are great.
Rating: 
Summary: A dose of what America's leaving behind
Review: As with all of Russo's books, there is here a glimpse of the towns, villages, and lives so many of us have spent years longing to escape -- only to discover that, as quirky small town America is vanishing into a bland strip mall full of [local stores]-- it was what made out life complete. If Russo's well crafted novels help startle us from complaceny before the small towns of America have completely vanished, perhaps we'll have something worth giving to our children.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: Despite the hype and publicity that this book has received, I found it to be very humdrum and the characters lacking. The whole 'scene' was depressing, the people lacked any character or inspiration at all. Some characters' storylines just seemed to wander off into nowhere, while others were tied up and presented in a very neat little package. I expected more from this author.
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