Mohawk (Vintage Contemporaries)

With his Pulitzer Prize winning and best selling novel Empire Falls, Richard Russo has become a well-known author. In Mohawk, his first novel, we see, if somewhat imperfectly, the writer he would become.Like his other novels, Mohawk is the story of a small town in the northeastern part of the U.S. The town - in this case Mohawk - is a place on the wane as the industry that fueled it peters out. In this story, we follow the adventures of Dallas Younger, his ex-wife Anne and their son Randall in the late '60s and early '70s. Dallas lives a life of general irresponsibility and likes it that way. Anne pines away for her cousin's husband, a wheelchair-bound man who she sleeps with every twenty years or so. Randall has his own issues to deal with including his efforts to evade the draft.As with Russo's other stories, the characters are more important than the plot, and he is able to make them compelling enough that we want to keep reading. Compared with his other novels, this one is rather serious, although there is some humor.This novel is good but not as great as his other books; in a way, this book is like an exhibition game before the regular season; we get a general feel for what Russo does but it is still just warming up. For example, in Dallas, we see the prototype for the deeper Sully in Nobody's Fool. Other elements of this story are revisited in his other stories.I would recommend this book, but don't judge Russo by this story. He's just getting warmed up here.

Richard Russo is one of America's funniest literary novelists. This novel is based in small-town New England, and all readers who have ever lived in a small town anywhere in America will feel like they're in on one of the wittiest jokes they've ever heard the entire time they read this book. Some characters want out of the town but seem never to succeed. Others never think of leaving. Others have thought of it and want to stay. All of which creates a very real and very humorous tale of small town life.This story isn't small-minded in its small-town setting, nor is it simply humorous. Large personal issues that everyone, despite where he/she lives, must deal with are honestly and intelligently explored in this novel (e.g. a father's death, cancer, divorce, growing up, growing old, being poor, being rich then becoming poor).The only reason I rank this novel with 4 stars instead of 5 is that it does seem to be slightly too long. It is still a great read, but if it were 20-25 pages shorter, it would have kept the energy it started with. I don't mean to suggest that it ever becomes boring, but it came out of the gates at a sprint and slowed down a bit toward the end.In short, I advise reading this book. Despite any flaws it may have, it is better than most books I've read recently. It avoids being overly serious without becoming trite humor. I would also advise reading his novels Risk Pool and Straight Man which are also humorous and intelligent reads.

As always, Russo spins a great tale. His insight into the human character is revelatory and deeply felt and his mastery of language is superb. If you like this novel you might want to read The Risk Pool, also by Russo. It is set in the same upstate NY town.

Enjoyable read. Typical cast of dysfunctional people in a small upstate New York town. One of his earlier books. I enjoy his writing and have read many. My favorites are Nobody’s Fool, Empire Falls, and Straight Man.

This is my 7th Richard Russo novel so I clearly like his characters and setting. It might be that I spent a year in a small town in upstate NY and his novels ring true to me.

"Nobody's Fool", the movie, was my first introduction to anything related to Richard Russo, and it became one of my favorite films.The HBO movie/mini-series version of "Empire Falls" was my second impression of Russo. Again, very favorable.So, when I decided to read his work I started at the beginning..."Mohawk".Having grown up a child of the 70s in Central NY, I can tell you that much of Russo's stylings and characterizations are dead on. As I read, I say to myself "I know these people!"I will read all his work now. I can't think of any higher testimonial.

Russo continues his mastery of capturing the essence of his characters. This book captivates the reader in the complicated nature of relationships and is a testament to the human condition. It is a thought provoking story interspersed with pearls of wisdom.

Richard Russo has been compared to Cheever, Roth, Oats, Irving, along with many other great contemporary American writers. These accolades, especially post Empire Falls, are very well deserved. Mohawk, an earlier work of Russo's, shows his writing to be sensitive to real human experience and, at times, even compares with Empire Falls. However, a real pitfall in this novel is the plot getting in the way of his writing. It seems contrived to allow him the lattitude to develop his characters, something he can do as well as most living writers. But it keeps the reader in a dazed and even stumbling state. Luckily, for all of us who so enjoyed Empire Falls, he seemed to work out the earlier kinks. Simply put, if you have not read the latter, you will likely enjoy Mohawk. If you have, don't go back. It really isn't worth the journey in time.

Mohawk offers a portrait of small-town America in the 1960s and 70s. Uneventful, inbred, and economically stagnant it is, to put it succinctly, not Hollywood. The Gaffneys and the Grouses battle it out from one generation to the next without ever scoring a clear win. The Grouses are on the good side and the Gaffneys the bad, yet somehow they always end up together. Nor is anyone ever able to leave, however much they might try - so perhaps it's like California after all, but more like Hotel California. The novel rarely shines stylistically, though, and dull places make for a difficult read unless they have the tiniest of redeeming features.

A little less easy to read than straight man which was the first of his I've read

I like Richard Russo. The story rolls along and he is witty. A brilliant observer of the human condition. Easy to read but by no means slight.

I’m satisfied

Perfectly enjoyable story of small town life in upstate New York.