Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian
Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls is simply one of the most amazing novels I have ever read. I discovered it at a book sale and picked it up because of the attractive cover. Although I hadn't heard of Richard Russo before, and thought I'd made a unique discovery, I was surprised to find that he is widely considered to be among the best contemporary novelists. While many authors sacrifice plot and focus on character development, or vice versa, Empire Falls is a masterful blend of both. Richard Russo delves into the lives of several blue collar characters in Empire Falls, a fictional Maine town. While it was once home to a thriving textile and manufacturing empire owned by the Whiting family, Empire Falls is now a town in the shadow of better days. The central character is Miles Roby, manager of the Empire Grill. The Empire Grill is owned by Mrs. Whiting, the sole remaining Whiting estate heir who has implied that she will one day bequeath the restaurant to Miles. In the meantime, he waits and struggles with various family dynamics--his soon-to-be-ex-wife and her future husband, his daughter's struggles at school, working with his brother to improve the Grill, memories of his mother's relationship with the Whiting family, and the constant confusion surrounding Mrs. Whiting and her true motives. Russo develops all of these subplots and secondary characters and weaves them together into a story that is at once humorous and heartrending.
