Empire Falls

Incredible plot with excellent character development.

compelling story ~ beautifully written. The TV rendition failed to come close to the book.

This book held my attention every page. Very well crafted character study involving MANY characters. Each one having their own voice in various chapters. I just wish the ending tied everything up nicer. I didn't see the climax coming, yet I didn't really care about it. I cared more about other characters. I then watched the HBO miniseries and liked the story more. The movie did a...more

This book held my attention every page. Very well crafted character study involving MANY characters. Each one having their own voice in various chapters. I just wish the ending tied everything up nicer. I didn't see the climax coming, yet I didn't really care about it. I cared more about other characters. I then watched the HBO miniseries and liked the story more. The movie did a good job detailing the events that lead up to the climax a bit better. Well worth reading.   hide

I have to admit I don't understand what's so great about this book. I enjoyed the time I spent with Miles, because he was a clear character, well-developed. I could understand his motivations. All of the insights into Mrs. Whiting were also pretty much priceless. But I found that many of the other characters fell flat. It was often unfair to female characters, using them to prop...more

I have to admit I don't understand what's so great about this book. I enjoyed the time I spent with Miles, because he was a clear character, well-developed. I could understand his motivations. All of the insights into Mrs. Whiting were also pretty much priceless. But I found that many of the other characters fell flat. It was often unfair to female characters, using them to prop up male characters or having them obsessed with fluff. It also suffered from having a "secret revelation" that was too easy to guess. All this I could have dealt with; there were complexities that overcame this, and I kept on. But the ending was intolerable. Instead of relying on the characters to make an honest, complicated finish, Russo introduces a contrived-feeling plot machine to force his indecisive characters into action. It felt like Deus-ex-machina to me, and it just about ruined what would otherwise have been a pretty ok book.   hide

I usually prefer non-fiction, but this book I loved.

An engaging novel -- I felt like I was living with the characters in Empire Falls as I was reading.

Good writing. Pretty funny characters. Nothing much happens, but I cared anyway.

One of my all time favorite books. The characters jump out of the page at you. A beautifully written and touching book.

Slow start.