'Empire Falls' is Fourth Friday Book Club selection for April
Fri, Apr 28 2023, 2pm
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club will meet April 28 to discuss Empire Falls. The once prosperous, fictional town of Empire Falls, Maine, is the setting for this novel by Richard Russo, winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It is a familiar story of shuttered factories, failed businesses, and a diminished civic and cultural community. The perspective of the protagonist, Miles Roby, anchors the narrative. He is an Everyman encircled by dreams, largely unfulfilled.
Called back from college and set to work by family problems, Miles never leaves home again. His obligations are numerous: a pending divorce; a troubled younger brother; and a mysterious, complex partnership with the town's wealthy and powerful Mrs. Whiting.
In the words of one New York Times reviewer, “… Russo shows an unerring sense of the rhythms of small-town life, balancing his irreverent, mocking humor with unending empathy for his characters and their foibles.”
Interested UMRA members are welcome to join the Fourth Friday Book Club meeting via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time on April 28. Contact Dorothy Marden at [email protected] or Margaret Catambay at [email protected] to learn more.
Upcoming Events
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