Empire Falls Review Questions
Prologue & Ch. 1
1. Explain the relationship between the Whiting men and their wives.
2. Where did CB spend his young adulthood?
3. Describe CB’s house in Empire Falls.
4. Explain how CB rerouted the river.
5. Who did CB marry?
6. What’s distracting about Horace’s face?
7. What were the plans for the Empire Grill?
8. Explain how the town folk feel when strangers show up at the mills.
9. where does Miles vacation each year?
10. Explain the relationship between Miles and Walt Comeau.
11. How is Empire Falls similar to Aberdeen?
Ch. 2
1. What’s Miles truly scared of?
2. What is the ‘rectum’?
3. Why do you believe Miles was visiting his old home?
4. Who is Timmy?
5. What local business industry shutdown mirrors Empire Falls?
Ch. 3
1. Describe Janine’s feelings for Walt.
2. “No matter who you are, you never ever get your fill.” What does she mean by this?
Ch. 4
1. Can you identify with Tick and Candace as characters? Explain
2. Who stole the exacto knife?
3. Do you agree with Tick’s observation that teachers never confront trouble? Why/ why not?
4. Describe the situation with Candace, Tick, and the knife.
5. What does Tick do with the knife?
Ch. 5
1. Describe the relationship between Miles and Max.
2. Can you identify with Miles and his issues with his father? Why?
3. Why didn’t Miles finish college?
4. What does Jimmy Minty reveal about Miles’ brother David?
Ch. 6
1. Who does Miles have a long-time crush on?
2. What does “endorsement of a fool” on page 103 mean?
3. Explain Janine’s obsession with her weight, what is it really about?
4. Did Miles love Janine?
5. How has the Empire Grill changed lately?
6. Do you believe children follow in the footsteps of their parents? Why/ why not
Ch. 7
1. Describe Max’s dream.
2. What did Max do at the cemetery?
Ch. 8
1. Part 1 of the novel ends with the story of Miles at age 9 leaving his glove on Martha’s Vineyard, what might this symbolize?
2. Do you believe Grace knew Charlie Mayne before dinner at the hotel, explain.
Ch. 9
1. Describe Cindy Whiting.
2. Is pity a good emotion, why/ why not?
3. Miles considers the possibility that Max is happier than he is, why?
Ch. 10
1. Does AHS have students like John Voss? Explain
2. What’s Tick’s real name?
3. Who’s behind the cruelty of John Voss?
4. Tick questions her self confidence, can you identify with her?
5. Why is Tick torn about being friends with Zack?
Ch. 11
1. What was on the last napkin Janine signed?
2. Explain the relationship between Janine and her mother.
Ch. 12
1. What does Miles believe adulthood to be about?
Ch. 13
1. Why did Miles hire John Voss?
2. What is David most upset about?
3. “Home is where when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” explain
Ch. 14
1. Describe the ‘system’ to convey affection.
2. Who was Miles’ driving tutor?
3. What does Miles do in Mrs. Whting’s car?
Ch. 15
1. Who does Miles take to the Homecoming Game and why.
2. Do you believe Jimmy wants to be friends with Miles?
Ch. 16
1. What did Janine learn about Walt at the court house?
2. Why does Tick appear so radiant?
Ch. 17
1. What did Jimmy’s father say killed you in the end?
2. How is this ironic?
3. After seeing blood, what does Jimmy think he did?
4. What was the blood from?
Ch. 18
1. Where do Miles and Cindy visit after the game?
2. What does she reveal about CB?
3. Whose picture was in the Empire Gazette?
Ch. 19
1. Where will CB relocate?
2. Why is Miles’ mom sick?
3. Who is Charlie Mayne?
4. What did Miles believe she was sick from?
5. What did Grace donate to the Goodwill?
6. Why do you think she did this?
Ch. 20
1. What did Father Tom take from the church?
2. What did the artist confess?
3. Where has Father Tom gone?
Ch. 21
1. What do Bea’s customers want her to buy?
2. What does Miles routinely take to Bea’s?
3. While at Bea’s what does Miles consider?
4. How do Father Tom and Max get to Florida?
Ch. 22
1. Explain how Grace comes to work for Mrs. Whiting.
2. When Miles asks, does Grace remember Charlie Mayne?
3. How did Mrs. Whiting break her hip?
4. Does Mrs. Whiting know about Grace and CB’s affair?
5. How?
Ch. 23
1. Who did Janine want to give her away at her wedding?
2. How did Janine and Miles get Tick to be a bridesmaid?
3. What’s the rumor about Bea’s?
4. Does Miles fully trust David?
5. How did Max and Father Tom really get all the way to Florida?
Ch. 24
1. How do the kids feel about Zack?
2. Describe ‘the game’.
3. Why doesn’t Zack like John Voss.
4. What have Zack and Dibble done?
5. Why don’t you think John Voss flinches?
Ch. 25
1. How does Tick feel about her relationship with Zack? Regret, fear
2. How does she feel about her relationship with John Voss? Mistake
3. Describe Tick’s dilemma regarding John and Zack. Z ridicules J, should she tell on him, fear
4. Describe Tick’s religious beliefs. Atheistic but holding out
5. Why do you think of Zack’s teasing John about his grandmother? He doesn’t have one
Ch. 26
1. Why does Miles love school so much?
2. Why is Miles’ mother sick?
3. What bargain did Miles make with Mrs. Whiting?
4. How did CB Whiting die?
5. Why did Grace want Miles to go to an out of state school?
6. As a favor to his mother, what does miles do?
Ch. 27
1. What starts to appear on Principal Otto Meyer’s desk?
2. Describe Otto and Anne’s parenting.
3. What do you believe has happened to John’s grandmother?
Ch. 28
1. Where did they find the body?
2. What does Janine miss about Miles?
3. Describe the tension between Janine and Tick.
Ch. 29
1. Describe what Horace witnessed at John Voss’s home.
2. What secret does Miles discover about Charlene?
3. What coincidences are occurring at Bea’s bar?
4. What does Miles finally agree to do with Walt?
5. Why?
6. What did Jimmy’s mom fear more than the abuse?
7. Why does Miles hit Jimmy?
8. Why did Mrs. Whiting take Grace in to her home?
9. Are Jimmy and Miles friends, explain.
10. What does Miles regret about his behavior?
Ch. 30
1. Describe how Candace resembles her mother.
2. How did Zack get hospitalized?
3. Why doesn’t Tick return the exacto knife?
4. Who does Tick compare John Voss to?
5. What does John Voss do in the art class?
Ch. 31
1. What’s happened to Candace?
2. What’s happened to John Voss?
3. When does Miles know Tick will heal?
4. What does David reveal about Mrs. Whiting?
5. Describe Jimmy’s problems.
6. Who finds Miles and Tick on Martha’s Vineyard?
7. What does Max reveal?
8. What ghost does Miles look for?
9. What does Charlie reveal to Miles?
10. What happened to Francine Whiting?
11. What makes Miles return to Empire Falls?
12. What did CB buy at the pawnshop and why?
13. Who ran over Cindy Whiting? Her father, CB
14. What was peculiar about the last sighting of Mrs. Whiting?
15. Does the story have a just ending, explain. (does everyone get what they deserve coming to them?)