Empire Falls

Empire Falls
By Richard Russo

I really loved this book. Empire Falls is about a town of the same name and Russo has created an unforgettable cast of characters who inhabit the town. His characters are vibrant and engaging, and the book is much more character driven than plot driven. My only criticism is that I found the plot itself to be disappointingly predictable. There were a few moments that I suspect were intended to be “twists” but their foundations had been laid so obviously that there was no real surprise. I've never read anything else by Russo but I’ve added his other books to my “to read” list because I enjoyed Empire Falls so much.

I’d be interested to hear whether anyone who has read this book has also seen the mini-series based on it. I had it in my hands at the video store last night, but I put it back because I didn’t want to taint my experience of the book in case it was poorly done.