A review by birdwatching
Empire Falls by Richard Russo

4.0

Great cast of characters help to depict a small town, that anyone raised in a small town will instantly feel affinity with. Really gripping twist at the end. There are a lot of themes that twist through the book, from the metaphor of trying to control the flow of a river, to the complicated love of family, and the frustration of dreams. I had a few issues with the female characters (aside from the daughter) but since most were archetypes anyway I think it is possible to move past that and still get a huge amount of enjoyment out of the book.