This book describes life in the small town of Empire Falls, Maine through the lives of its inhabitants as they struggle to survive - both economically and psychologically - in a town that has seen better days. The book won the Pulitzer Prize and was a New York Times Notable Book of the year.

Good book about crazy families and how to live with them without throwing yourself into traffic.

Very well told story of a small town. Many well-developed characters.

Winner of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, 'Empire Falls' has a great plot and very real characters. Poignant, humorous and just a good read.

Richard Russo's most ambitious novel is also his most gracefully told. Sweeping in its social scope but also achingly personal and beautifully detailed, Empire Falls is a subtle drama about the plight of the working class in a decaying Northeast mill town.

After Gary Fisketjon edited and published Russo's powerful first novel, Mohawk, in 1986, he eagerly awaited the day he would have the opportunity to work with Russo again. He got his wish 15 years later, and Fisketjon, vice president and editor-at-large of Knopf, had this to say about it: "Empire Falls reveals our worst and best instincts and transfigures both our most appalling nightmares and our simplest hopes, with all the vision, grace, and humanity of epic storytelling."

How this book became a best seller I don't know. And the winner of the Pulitzer? Astounding! This has to be one of the most boring books I have read since the "Turn of the Screw" by Henry James in high school literature class. During the entire book the reader nearly becomes as bored as the characters in the town of Empire Falls, Maine. References made to things such as Tick's L.L. Bean backpack are fitting but overall the characters are dull and do not act on their feelings. The main chacter needs a good kick in the pants. He is a big chicken his entire life and even his wife leaves him for just this reason. Read this book if you like reading about people who do not act on their passions and live with regret.

Excellent character study. This was a great read.

Excellent book! The story is easy to follow and very intense in parts.

fantastic read!

Excellent book

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I would not have pegged this for the Pulitzer but I really think it deserved it. Great book. Great, REAL, characters. I am putting this on the must read list for my husband.

I hadn't read Russo's work previous to this novel, and I really did love this novel. The characters became very real to me so that I hated for the book to end.

I never had the chance to read this book. Maybe you will?

great story, total character study, much better than the movie!

Great read.

Great read of small town life and all it's secrets.

I never had a chance to watch the HBO miniseries based on the book and it's just as well, I enjoyed the characters much more without having an actor interpret them. Epic and enjoyable.

Loved this book. Made me long for a life in a small town, on a river, in New England. Great stuff.

Who thought a man could do the work of a woman, emotionally and physically.

AWESOME book. I saw the movie first and then read the book, and found that the movie had been a PERFECT adaptation, and the casting was wonderful. HIGHLY recommend.

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