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Read Empire Falls (2002)

Empire Falls (2002)

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Genre
Rating
3.89 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0375726403 (ISBN13: 9780375726408)
Language
English
Publisher
vintage

Empire Falls (2002) - Plot & Excerpts

Това е книга за житейския избор и умението, или липсата на такова, да се справяме с последиците. Сцената е западащо американско градче, притежавано и манипулирано от една единствена фамилия, героите - любопитен калейдоскоп от архетипове. По стечение на обстоятелствата, които бавно излизат на повърхността, Майлс, от младеж с бъдеще, се е превърнал в мекушав човечец на средна възраст с жена, която скоро ще му стане бивша и дъщеря тийнейджър, която ще тръгне по неговия път надолу, ако той не намери сили да й покаже, че има и друг.Степента на самоограниченията предопределя колко високи ще бъдат стените на затвора, който градим за самите себе си. Предпазливостта, на която ни учат от малки, с годините неусетно се трансформира в страх. Никой не може да ни причини повече от това, което му позволим, но често водени от любов, дълг и чест - все благородни подбуди, позволяваме да пречупят духа ни, а Майлс е позволил да се окаже в ролята на пеперуда, забодена с карфица в гърдите, удобен експонат в ръцете на умели манипулатори. И дали, ако един ден, случайно, все пак успее да разкъса веригите, които сам си е сложил, няма да се окаже, че е забравил как да стои изправен.Макар и главна, това е само една от сюжетните линии. Чрез другите персонажи, авторът прави различни, често диаметрално противоположни внушения за субективността на важните неща в живота – хора, в крайна сметка всичко е въпрос на гледна точка и личен избор.Стилът на автора е оригинален, езикът - богат и цветист, а историята - разказана с ирония и чувство за хумор. Силата на книгата е в прекрасно изградените и живи образи, което компенсира липсата на кой знае какво действие.И точно в своеобразния авторов стил се е препънал преводачът, ама така се е препънал, че чак се е сгромолясал. Отначало текстът звучеше нередактиран, с многобройни дразнещи повторения. Раздразнението ми бързо прерасна в тотално недоумение, предизвикано от изобилните смислови и граматически грешки. Намерих оригиналния текст и започнах да сравнявам. Оказа се, че на английски звучи чудесно - много философски-иронично, въпреки дългите фрази. Колкото повече четях, толкова повече се ядосвах, как тоталната липса на професионализъм е съсипала една прекрасна книга. Като резултат, за първи път в живота си на дългогодишен читател, написах писмо до издателството - Сиела, в което посочих фрапиращи примери за ужасен превод. Отговорът дойде след 1 час - обратната връзка с читателя им била ценна, но когато била с основание; колко публикувани превода съм имала, че да оценявам работата на преводач с име; преводът бил одобрен и даже похвален от Американското посолство; а и всички ние сме били попадали на "далеч по-фрапиращи случаи”. Нямаше никакъв коментар по примерите! С пълното съзнание, че си губя времето, написах още едно писмо, в което между другото посочвам, че не е нужно човек да е професионален преводач, за да усети, че един текст куца отвсякъде. Освен това, ако някой ден се реша да чета литература за самопомощ или за сиви нюанси, не бих имала никакви изисквания за преводаческо майсторство или езикова култура. Когато обаче става дума за книга от класата на Емпайър Фолс, не само имам такива, но Сиела, като едно от най-големите издателства в България, е длъжно да отговори на тях поне близо до безупречно. Все още не съм получила отговор...

What I found to be really remarkable about this book is its ending, not because it's so action-packed (especially in comparison to the rest of the book) but because the reader's sense of foreboding builds so subtly throughout the book until one can figure out which character it will be to cause the inevitable catastrophe.Actually, this entire book could be a study in subtlety, because the nuances in each character are so lightly illustrated as to catch the unsuspecting reader off-guard. This is mainly due to the slowness of the dawnings of each revelation to the novel's main character, Miles Roby; in fact, even readers who typically skim (and this is a pretty big novel, so skimming for some is inevitable) can pick up subtle hints that show, for instance, who Charlie Mayne really is and who is Charlene's lover. Luckily, Miles eventually figures this out (at the very end of the book, of course)and more, so one can't be completely frustrated by his seemingly selective understanding of the things going on around him.Also, very few loose ends are left at novel's end, which is what I prefer when I read a stand-alone book. I'm curious to find out if Miles really did ever inherit the Empire Grill, but in the end it doesn't really matter. I also wish I knew if Tick ever had contact again with her summer love interest since her scheduled rendezvous obviously couldn't be kept. We do find out who was responsible for Cindy Whiting's accident as well as exactly what was wrong with John Voss and why he acted so strangely all the time. (His story is the most tragic, on several levels, and incredibly disturbing, so we had to know that his disappearance wouldn't last, leaving the reader unresolved over his fate; I knew there had to be a reason why I kept thinking of Pearl Jam's song "Jeremy" every time he was mentioned.)The book ends rather abruptly, though, and perhaps too happily (if that's the right word to use to describe the ending). I mean, for the sake of the book innocents had to be taken to show the randomness of some violence (amid the deliberate planning that was used), but it's almost too tidy that Tick gets out alive. The Catholic dependency also is dropped maybe too quickly, considering how tightly Miles holds on to that during the first three parts of the novel, but I suppose that's not necessarily all that important a thread to hold on to. Also, the shifting perspective throughout the novel is absolutely essential so that the reader can pick up (more quickly than Miles can, at least) what's going on with other characters' motivations (although probably the best character-building moment comes from Cindy Whiting in her last face-to-face interaction with Miles, which shows just how tightly readers hold on to Miles's perspective, which isn't necessarily always the right one), but near the end we're so far removed from Miles that getting back inside his head seems forced, as a way to simply bring the novel to its conclusion.Still, this is an amazing book overall simply because of the way it so accurately portrays the positives and negatives of small-town life. It doesn't have to be talking about a Maine city specifically to ring true to those who've experienced such an environment where everyone knows everyone else as a rule because that's just how it is. It picks up intensity as the end looms near (and one can't help but wonder exactly where the book is going or how it's ever going to make it there) and becomes less and less easy to put down.

What do You think about Empire Falls (2002)?

This is one of those rare occasions when I wish GoodReads were to offer half-star ratings, because then I could give "Empire Falls" four and a half stars. It was almost a five-star novel in my estimation, but I had a few quibbles with it. It's nevertheless an excellent book, and one I don't feel much need to review at length; my friend Jennifer, who both recommended the book to me and lent me her copy, has already written a brilliant assessment. Her review is at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...So what are my quibbles? They're not many, really, but I felt that, at times, Russo laid too much out for his readers. There is, for example, a scene in which David Roby details for his brother Miles the personality traits each sibling got from their father and which he received from their mother. It felt like something Russo should have allowed us, his readers, to figure out for ourselves. I wanted Russo to have more trust in his audience. Also, the book seemed to wrap up a bit too neatly; the lives Russo depicted were certainly messy, and they seemed to demand a less tidy conclusion.Still, the book, overall, is a staggering achievement. Russo has an amazing eye for the human condition -- how the way our parents raise us often determines our directions us for the rest of our lives, even if we think we're smart enough to see those risks and do our damnedest to choose our own paths anyhow. (The novel feels, at times, like a book-length meditation on the poem "This Be The Verse," by Philip Larkin: "They fuck you up, your mum and dad. / The may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had / And add some extra, just for you.") On a personal note, it was interesting to read Richard Russo's book at the same time I read George Eliot's "Middlemarch." Both, by depicting the lives of tightly knit communities -- the births, deaths love affairs, marriages, educations, careers and dreams both failed and accomplished of the members of those communities -- get at the bigger truths of all our lives. Both Eliot and Russo have a gift for the sardonic, and make us develop an affection for characters who, objectively speaking, we should not like. There's no way we should want to spend time with Russo's Max Roby, yet Russo is such a talented writer that we not only suffer him but develop as much begrudging affection for him as his sons Miles and David have.I've already written more about "Empire Falls" than I intended to. Jennifer nailed it, and you should read her review instead. Then read the book.
—Daniel

After a bit more than four chapters: I continue to have a hard time with this. I find it extremely depressing. There is humor, but it is not the kind I like. It is sarcastic, mean humor where you are supposed to laugh at the stupidity or crude behavior of people. I protest; I like to laugh with people in happiness, not at people for our weaknesses. There is a priest that is demented and he wants to hear confessionals so he can hear what is going on and then he tells others. Now I don't think that is nice. Sure it might happen in the real world but how often? There is Miles' alcoholic father who continually throws out cruel, snide criticisms of his son and others. Miles' mother has died of cancer and her death was painful and horrible for all. I find this depressing. I am not avoiding the reality of life, but what is the purpose of sinking myself into the worst of man's behavior.Mid-life crises kind of bore me. None of this is a spoiler since I have not gone far into the book.Neither have I even mentioned the prologue which was utterly disgusting. I don't find it appetizing to read about a decomposing moose, even if it leads C.B. to make a foolish decision - BTW, here I am just guessing. Let me point out that I never shy away from gruesome events in history, but what is the point here in reading about how people behave so cruelly to one another? What does that teach me? There is absolutely nothing exceptional about the writing; the author's ability to depict an emotion, a place or an event is just plain ordinary. This received a Pulitzer. Would somebody who loves this book explain to me why I should continue reading. I just do not understand. SHOULD I continue? I need advice.*****************************After 14 chapters(about half of the book):So I continued; several said that Tick is a fabulous character. She plays a larger and larger role starting in Part Two. She cannot save this book for me. I find the humor not to my taste. I find the characters black or white - cardboard characters. It is simple to make two piles, the good ones and the bad ones. I cannot accept such characterization. People are complicated; they cannot be sorted in this manner. And the dialogs sound like those perfect for a popular weekly television series. Perfect sitcom dialogs.In desperation I went and read spoiler reviews...... No, what is coming is not up my alley either. Enough is enough. I will be reading no more books by Richard Russo. This is my third and last try. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ron Mclarty. That was the only thing that was exceptional. Great narration. His intonation perfectly matched the lines. So if you want to read this book don't hesitate to choose the audio format and this narrator.
—Chrissie

Empire Falls is a beautifully crafted, inventive and substantive character-driven novel. Having lived in college for four years in a milltown in Central Maine, in places, the novel seemed almost more realistic than the actuality of dwelling in the fabric of the milltown. That's possible only because Richard Russo has a talent for making both his vividly sketched blue-collar and blue-blooded characters really come alive. The credible story line is unafraid to assume some creative risks and the result is breath-taking imagery that lingers. Russo really succeeds in building a small town of his unique characters and tells the story so that we see them realistically through the eyes of the fellow citizens of Empire Falls. The storyline holds more than its fair share of surprises with a truly inventive twist at the close of the novel. The author's sanguine sense of humor carries one along as the plot gathers steam and the different threads become entangled in realistic and usually satisfying resolutions. Russo may owe homage to Elizabeth Strout for his portrait of ordinary life in a Maine milltown. The river itself ultimately proves itself a formidable player in the cast of Empire Falls. Russo seems to sum-up the lives of his characters this way: "Lives are rivers. We imagine we can direct their paths, though in the end there's but one destination, and we end up being true to ourselves only because we have no choice." Empire Falls offers living proof that character is destiny. Perhaps, that's one of many reasons why this novel is so "wicked good" that it justly earned a Pulitzer Prize.
—David Lentz

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