Empire Falls by Richard Russo Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Empire Falls
Book Review: A Comment on the Duality of Man
Summary: 4 Stars
Russo's characters were fascinating in that they never seemed to leave the reality he established ...They were intriguing and real, not necessarily elegant, refined, or graceful. This roughness around the edges gave certain situations a realness is especially important in a small town setting. Miles' character was particularly well developed, humorous, and had his personal failures intact. I loved the relationship between the apprehensive Miles and his spontaneous father Max. My objection though is to the ending of the novel. The banality of the small town could've held its own with a subtly dramatic ending. The ending felt contrived, or too meaningful, symbolic, preachy, or something. Overall though, definitely worth reading.Book Review: A Great Read
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great read, with characters so vividly brought to life, you'll feel you've known them all your life. Mr. Russo has the wonderful ability to tell a story with adding humorous asides that will often leave you chuckling out loud.Book Review: A Great Work
Summary: 5 Stars
This book gives you everything without being over the top about it. It is essentially the story of a man, Miles Roby, who never meant to return to his hometown of Empire Falls, Maine, but as a result of his mother's illness and death 20 years ago, he had to come back, and then, he never left. Is Miles a weak man? Why can't he get away from Empire Falls? I think Mr. Russo teaches us that strength comes in all forms, and despite what everyone thinks of a likeable but seemingly spineless character like Miles, he is a strong man.Mr. Russo does a fantastic job of weaving the gradual decay of the town into the story. Whether it's the abandoned textile mill, the manner in which Miles's old neighborhood has fallen apart, or the struggle Miles endures on a daily basis to keep his place of employment, the Empire Grill, afloat, Mr. Russo describes it vividly, with a sense of detail that works naturally and most importantly, effortlessly. This book is about Empire Falls and it's people. By the time you get to the end of the book, you know Empire Falls as well as your own hometown.
This book is a page turner. Mr. Russo uses flashbacks (pointed out in italicized writing) to provide the reader with a seamless story. He develops each and every character with a perfect combination of breadth and depth. Whether you like any, all, or none of the characters, you will want to know what happens to them.
By the end, when Mr. Russo wraps up the story, you wish he could write for another 500 pages.
Book Review: A LET DOWN
Summary: 3 Stars
I started this book 5 times over 8 years but could never get into it. I finished it today, finally. It got more interesting after 300 pages. Slow read.Book Review: A Master of Characterization
Summary: 4 Stars
Chances are, in Richard Russo's "Empire Falls," there is someone in this story that you can either empathize with or someone that reminds you of someone you once knew. Russo is a master of characterization and in "Empire Falls," you cannot help but fall under the spell of at least a few of his characters in this engaging story. This is a story that could be actually taking place/have taken place anywhere in Smalltown USA. Russo's story is believable and the characters all have flaws that anyone could have, and that's probably the best thing about this story. It's not pretentious and it's believable, yet comedic and dramatic at the same time.