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Empire Falls Richard Russo 9780375726408 Books

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Empire Falls Richard Russo 9780375726408 Books

This is a good book, but it's a very dense book. It's a sweeping story about Empire Falls, a rural blue-collar New England town, and the people who inhabit it.

Miles Roby is the central character, living his depressing middle-age life flipping burgers at the local diner, inexorably tethered to Empire Falls in spite of himself. Surrounding Miles are a whole cast of quintessential small-town characters, including his high school daughter, Tick; his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Janine and his abrasive father, Max.

Russo digs deep into each of the characters, fleshing them out with carefully crafted prose and realistic dialogue. Although everyone in this close-knit community ostensibly knows each other quite well, there are secrets that, once revealed, could change everything. This is the case for Miles, whose own late mother remains a mystery and a source of deep-seated heartache.

Empire Falls is the kind of book that reminds you of the truth that each individual harbors his or her own private pain and yearning, and that these internal motivations can be confounding even to close loved ones.

There's certainly a lot of depth here and I appreciate that. I usually love character-driven novels most of all. But this one is bordering on too dense and too detailed for my liking, often requiring me to force myself to power through it.

This is clearly a universally loved book, so I don't want to deter anyone from reading it. It's ultimately satisfying and edifying, but there's a lot of detail to slog through along the way.


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Empire Falls Richard Russo 9780375726408 Books Reviews

This novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002, which is somewhat surprising. Not that it isn't a perfectly pleasant and entertaining read, it just doesn't seem to be of a stature to win a major literary prize. It must have been a particularly weak year.

The story revolves around the economically depressed, inland Maine town of Empire Falls and the various characters residing there. Our main character is Miles Roby, a college graduate who was sucked back into the dying town, despite being raised and pushed to do better. Miles is in the midst of an unpleasant divorce and struggles to raise his teenage daughter while managing the town's diner for the leading citizen of the town, in hopes that he will inherit upon her death (as he has been promised). Full of clichés and stereotypes, the story works nevertheless as a study on human nature, from numerous perspectives.

Being a resident of economically depressed South Arkansas, I can relate to many of the characters and the economic status of Empire Falls. Our landscape is dotted with many Empire Falls, previously prosperous communities, whose driving economic forces have disappeared, leaving the towns to slowly wither away, leaving little or no opportunity for the youth, without abandoning their heritage or foundations.

As stated before, this is a perfectly pleasant read that begins strong before hitting a lull midway through. The final third of the book, picks up pace however, with several major plot twists and engaging action.
I enjoyed this book, and I was surprised by how candid this book was about Miles's faults and even his sexual shortcomings. It's amazing how the town understood Mrs. Francine Whiting's revenge except the victim of the revenge, although I'm surprised she didn't go after David too. Characters come out clear, and I felt empathetic toward everyone, including Mrs. Whiting who confessed that payback was the only way to assuage her life. Even her daughter, Cindy surprised me with her intelligence, chiding Miles for thinking she was living a pathetic life. Story of Miles Roby, lifelong resident of Empire Falls, a fictional town in Maine. Miles was very smart, but dropped out of college, because his mother was ill, and he works at the Empire Grill, the same place he has worked in since high school. He is in the midst of a divorce. His wife, Janine, is divorcing him in favor of a man, who makes her feel alive sexually. Miles and Janine have a beautiful sensitive daughter, Christina, who is struggling with the divorce, her loathing of her mother’s new beau, and the break-up with a menacing boyfriend. There are other characters, who are equally vivid – the patient priest and the foul condemning one; the fading beauty, Charlene, who works as a waitress; the intelligent reporter, Horace, who eats lunch at the Empire Grill; the kindhearted high school principal, Otto; Jimmy - the former neighbor and now police officer, who cannot stop envying Miles, and Miles's charming thief of a father, who appears more bon vivant than cruel. Book of lost dreams, and also the loss of love. It took a while to get into - I'm not a fan of prologues, but then I was hooked, and I actually wish the book was longer. Some might disagree, but I like the somewhat tidy hopeful ending. It may sound convenient, but sometimes life works out the way you hope it will.
Richard Russo's books are rich in characterizations, nuances of place, sympathy for flawed human beings, humor and finally, acceptance of the reality of life and yes, even optimism. What more could one ask? Growing up in Upstate New York where many of his books, though not Empire Falls, are set, I relate to the struggles of people in small industrial towns in a largely post-industrial age, and the acceptance - even love - of their people for their flawed home towns. You will laugh out loud, maybe even cry, and certainly care about the people you meet in Empire Falls. Read it!
This is a good book, but it's a very dense book. It's a sweeping story about Empire Falls, a rural blue-collar New England town, and the people who inhabit it.

Miles Roby is the central character, living his depressing middle-age life flipping burgers at the local diner, inexorably tethered to Empire Falls in spite of himself. Surrounding Miles are a whole cast of quintessential small-town characters, including his high school daughter, Tick; his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Janine and his abrasive father, Max.

Russo digs deep into each of the characters, fleshing them out with carefully crafted prose and realistic dialogue. Although everyone in this close-knit community ostensibly knows each other quite well, there are secrets that, once revealed, could change everything. This is the case for Miles, whose own late mother remains a mystery and a source of deep-seated heartache.

Empire Falls is the kind of book that reminds you of the truth that each individual harbors his or her own private pain and yearning, and that these internal motivations can be confounding even to close loved ones.

There's certainly a lot of depth here and I appreciate that. I usually love character-driven novels most of all. But this one is bordering on too dense and too detailed for my liking, often requiring me to force myself to power through it.

This is clearly a universally loved book, so I don't want to deter anyone from reading it. It's ultimately satisfying and edifying, but there's a lot of detail to slog through along the way.