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ghasenauer 's review for:
Empire Falls
by Richard Russo
This one grew on me. After the first half, I was mainly impressed that Russo managed to take the mundanities and gossip of small town life and somehow make me feel invested. The characters were painted so vividly and, though my biggest gripe is their archetypal nature (the rich widow, the town drunk, the awkward school kid, the town big shot, the mean cop, and on), I couldn’t help but be charmed.
Then in the last quarter or so, the book took a sharp turn away from mundane. All the strings, some set up very subtly at the start, are pulled together in a very short sequence of events, some tragic. I found myself a little shocked at the turn it took, but I suppose that’s to Russo’s credit. Overall, very solid.
Then in the last quarter or so, the book took a sharp turn away from mundane. All the strings, some set up very subtly at the start, are pulled together in a very short sequence of events, some tragic. I found myself a little shocked at the turn it took, but I suppose that’s to Russo’s credit. Overall, very solid.