return to home  
Join   |  Gift   |  Member Login   |  Library Login
BookBrowse Mobile
Follow Us: 
   Reader reviews of Empire Falls

Read what people think about Empire Falls by Richard Russo, and write your own review.

Empire Falls

Empire Falls
by Richard Russo
Hardcover: May 2001,
512 pages.
Paperback: Apr 2002,
512 pages.

Publication information
Author Information
Critics' Opinion:   
Readers' Rating:  
About BookBrowse Rankings
Share: 
Buy This Book
Page 2 of 5 There are currently 25 reviews
for Empire Falls
Select your view:
Order Reviews by:
Click Here To Write Your Own Review
Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Robin Stinson
I am 56 years of age and read this book with one of my book clubs. This book combines an unusual sense of humor, human tragedy, wonderful descriptions of small town America, suspense and drama, and some of the best character development I've read.
It is definitely worth a reread for all the nuances and to laugh again at the human foibles that Russo so beautifully depicts.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by C.A.A.
I absolutely loved this book. I'm 16 and I think that I can relate to almost every aspect that this book describes. This was quite a page turner- I couldn't put it down! This was assigned as a summer reading book, but I have no idea how a book this good ended up on the list. Usually the books I have to read for school are a chore; this was a pleasure.

Rated 1 of 5 of 5 by brittany
I'm 14 and my high school assigned this book to me. I'm not a jamielyn but even in my opinon this book is not suitible or entertaining to my age group. there is major cussing and talk of erect_ _ _ _ and orgas_ _. it is also horribly slow and boring. most books are slow in the beginning because the author must explain the charachters and the settings then the plot starts to unravel, but in empire falls there is no plot its just keeps on explaining the stupid charachters and there miserable life. here is my favorite stupid quote from Empire Falls:

"there are three human primal urges: to eat, to f_ _ _, and to kill your pain in the a _ _ mother."

Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Shannon
There was no substantial material in this book. I do not feel that it altered or questioned any of my perceptions nor did I feel sympathetic the the blue collar anti hero of this book. It makes for ok reading if you are reading simply for the purpose of having something to do. However if you are looking for the deep, meaningful, sweeping book promised in the reviews... you will be sadly dissappointed by Empire Falls.

Rated 1 of 5 of 5 by CD
A real disappointment. The dialogue falls flat, the characters are simply stereotypes, the plot is plodding and predictable. I suppose many people will enjoy the "storytelling" here, but no one will remember this book in thirty years. Where are all the great editors in the publishing world hiding? Or is this just the type of writing Americans now crave?

Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Megan
Poorly developed characters, Russo condescends to the people in this small town. Real people are not as simple as Russo portrays them. The foreshadowing is obvious, I guessed the plot "twists" from the beginning. People had too many superficial realizations that they never acted on and the book felt like it is set in the 1950's. A boring "This is Your Life" kind of world with hokey dialogue. Larry McMurtry lite.
«  prev   1 2 3 4 5   next »

Lists of books with similar themes


Read-Alikes


Other books by Richard Russo
Buy This Book:

Become a Member
Golden Boy
Editor's Choice
  •  May 25 
  •  May 23 
  •  May 21 
The Shelter Cycle
Peter Rock

The Shelter Cycle Jacket

An American original, Peter Rock brings our strangest beliefs to vivid and sympathetic life in this haunting novel inspired by true events.
And the Mountains Echoed
Khaled Hosseini

And the Mountains Echoed Jacket

Khaled Hosseini has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations
Helga's Diary
Helga Weiss

Helga's Diary Jacket

The remarkable diary of a young girl who survived the Holocaust—appearing in English for the first time.
Click Here
   Most Recent Blog Entries
Movies Based on Books: Summer 2013 (May - August)
Jewish Young Adult Books That Are Not About The Holocaust
Books to Give This Mother's Day
rss  RSS   rss  subscribe
Recent Reader Reviews
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
A very large book - in number of pages and in content - and every page worth reading. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and her first book on the... read more
Two Lives by Vikram Seth
Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great... read more
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Fowler
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight... read more
RSS RSS feed More...  
Most Viewed This Week
1. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
John Boyne
2. And the Mountains Echoed
Khaled Hosseini
3. Telegraph Avenue
Michael Chabon
4. The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
5. The Round House
Louise Erdrich
More...
Book Club Recommendations
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
by Jeanette Winterson
Paperback (Mar/13)
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
Hardback (Feb/13)
The House Girl
by Tara Conklin
Paperback (Oct/13)
The Painted Girls
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Hardback (Jan/13)
More...
First Impressions
Members read and review books often months before they're published. See what they think in First Impressions!
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
4.5 Stars            (May/13)
The Caretaker
by A .X. Ahmad
Four Stars            (May/13)
The Last Girl
by Jane Casey
Four Stars            (May/13)
The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan
Four Stars            (Apr/13)
More...
  Latest BookBrowse News
Judge rules unused Borders gift cards to be worthless (May 23 2013)
Borders owes nothing to holders of roughly $210.5 million of gift cards that had not been used by the time the bookstore chain shut down, a Manhattan federal... Full Story
rss RSS feed More...
 
BookBrowse Poll
Q: Which of these Summer movies based on books would you like to see? (Info on each movie here)
The Great Gatsby
Epic
Man of Steel
World War Z
The Lone Ranger
The Wolverine
R.I.P.D.
Percy Jackson
Paranoia
The Mortal Instruments
Select Any That Apply
Search: Title or Author
Free Newsletters
The Light Between Oceans

Online Book Club
More about
The Comfort of Lies
Join the discussion!


Win This Book!
On Sal Mal Lane


"Piercingly intelligent and shatter-your-heart profound."

Enter To Win Now!

wordplay
Solve this clue:
"I Y N P O T Solution, Y P O T P"

and be entered
to win....
frame top
New Author
Interviews
Menna van Praag
Erica Brown
Helga Weiss
Kate Morton
frame bottom
HOME Book Submissions | Advertising | Library Subscriptions | Reviewing for BookBrowse | Contact Us