Winner of the Pulitzer Prize“Russo writes with a warm, vibrant humanity…. A stirring mix of poignancy, drama and comedy.” —The Washington PostWelcome to Empire Falls, a blue-collar town full of abandoned mills whose citizens surround themselves with the comforts and feuds provided by lifelong friends and neighbors and who find humor and hope in the most unlikely places, in this Pulitzer … places, in this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Richard Russo.
Miles Roby has been slinging burgers at the Empire Grill for 20 years, a job that cost him his college education and much of his self-respect. What keeps him there? It could be his bright, sensitive daughter Tick, who needs all his help surviving the local high school. Or maybe it’s Janine, Miles’ soon-to-be ex-wife, who’s taken up with a noxiously vain health-club proprietor. Or perhaps it’s the imperious Francine Whiting, who owns everything in town–and seems to believe that “everything” includes Miles himself. In Empire Falls Richard Russo delves deep into the blue-collar heart of America in a work that overflows with hilarity, heartache, and grace.
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A great slice of life from an extremely talented, engaging author. Cannot recommend highly enough!
This is one of my top ten books of all time. I feel that I know the characters and the story feels true. It didn’t win the Pulitzer for nothing.
A masterwork for those who have lived in small towns and know the power of the stories of people in them.
ANYTHING by Richard Russo is worth your time.,
I’ve read this book several times. I teach creative writing and I put it on the syllabus which gave me the excuse to discuss it with a bunch of people too. Its a story of a small American town in Maine over four generations. We see how greed has distorted people’s lives and sucked prosperity from the place. Miles Roby runs a diner which a focus …
I love Richard Russo’s books. He could probably write his home address and I would give it five stars. I’ve read this one a couple of times.