Customer Reviews

Revolutionary Road, The Easter Parade, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this on impulse, I did not see the movie or know about it. I did not know when the book was written, initially. After a few chapters, I looked up the author to read about him and was surprised to see it was written almost 50 years ago. The way this book is handled transcends era, it could be written today, except for some societal and legal differences. This author demonstrates what lies behind human exteriors, something that is very difficult to show without being obvious and telling the reader what he is doing. It is a remarkable, flawless book.

I discovered Richard Yates' work about eight years ago when I was in the US, and have been pressing his books on friends back in Australia ever since. Revolutionary Road is a near-perfect retelling of married life (for some) in the fifties. The soul-lessness of work stations and manipulative bosses resonates today, and the terrible and tragic honesty with which Yates tells his stories has a haunting beauty. Oddly though, not a depressing read as the hope of a better life shines through and readers would have enormous compassion for Frank and April. DiCaprio and Winslett did a sensitive and believable job on screen, but I urge people to read the book to get the real powerful uncompromising story. This particular edition has the bonus of another of Yates' unsurpassed work (The Easter Parade), plus a great selection of his short stories (Eleven Kinds of Loneliness). A great introduction to a master of 20th century American fiction.

Richard Yates was an incredible writer who wrote people how they really are; petty, jealous and selfish. At the same he is sympathetic and gives his characters ample time to justify their actions both to themselves and those around them. His books are not easy reads but they are honest and beautifully written.

Also, Raymond Carver learned everything he knew about writing from reading Richard Yates.

I'd just like to note the irony in the comment put forth by one of the other reviewers: namely, that the reviewer complains Yates' books are depressing while nevertheless identifying herself as a "World War II enthusiast".

After reading these three works I want to read A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates to gain more perspective on what influenced him. Clearly, the army and wartime, TB, moving homes with frequency, journalism and advertising, and of course, tragic relationships, all have impacted his work. The three efforts are beautifully written and devastating in their unflinching portrayals of self-deception.

The first book is Revolutionary Road and this must be the only time that I have first seen the movie then read the book and not been disappointed or felt robbed in any way. In fact, as strong a treatment as the film was I was able to remove the Hollywood leads as visual or mental representations of the main characters. This speaks to how wonderful the writing is, how rich the story, and just how much more there is in the book that could ever be covered in the film. Do not get me wrong, the film is excellent unlike The Talented Mr. Ripley which ruined Patricia Highsmith's series for me.

Most will be familiar with the storyline and the theme of living together but alone. Set in 1955 (the year my parents married which very much made me think as I read it), the book follows the turbulence and calmness that is Frank and April Wheeler, somewhat arrogant but unaware Connecticut suburbanites who see themselves apart from their neighbors in the Revolutionary Hill Estates. The book opens beautifully embedding the reader in their lives by introducing us to the young couple as April stars in an embarrassingly bad community theater production of The Petrified Forest.

Dancing lightly and gracefully back and forth through their ten or so years together we see April convince Frank they should move to Paris, where she will work and support him while he finds out who he is. At this time he is an unsatisfied promotional writer who ironically has ended up at his father's workplace. April's plan collides or coincides with Frank's unintended but interesting run of success - he actually begins to try at work.

As someone who receives their paycheck from a Madison Avenue business, I thoroughly enjoyed the parts covering Frank at work. Bare minimum effort is absolutely acceptable but when he tries to stay ahead of a potentially embarrassing gaff, he ends of hitting it out of the park in the form of a series of brochures for his IBM-ish employer (Speaking of Inventory Control, Speaking of Sales Analysis, Speaking of Payroll). This happens at the same time that he begins an affair with the receptionist. The two acts are arguably his own revolution against his life, wife and her plans. And he is amazed at how easy it was to attain both (even though he did put in just a little bit more effort than he usually did).

Yates cannot help but give Frank and his neighbor Shep histories that include service in the Second World War (this is common in Yates, I first read it in his The B.A.R. Man). And it strikes me that many of that generation were experiencing some form of post traumatic stress as they built their lives in suburbia, had barbecues and cocktails, and revered Ike in the White House. This is also touched upon in the critically acclaimed period television show, Mad Men, with their pitchers of martinis, old war stories, and sarcastic disdain for the world around them.

Shep is an extremely simple, yet complex, supporting character and his wartime service is remarkable. Having served in the airborne (either the 101st or 82nd), Yates would have us believe he jumped three times making him a veteran of D-Day, Market Garden and Plunder Varsity. One small flaw is that if he was airborne, Shep may not have known let alone sung an infantry song with Frank (but I digress). Shep is an interesting guy because he sees the Wheelers as ideal or the ideal.

One amazing passage is the boss Bart Pollock's little speech in a restaurant on business, selling and promotion. I have heard current day talks on branding and advertising that are not much different. It is just great that Yates nailed it in 1960 and in his first novel. And the setting is fantastic with Frank basically duplicating a meeting that happened to his father years before but this one ending more favorably career-wise.

The plot moves with incredible speed even though there is much going on between this couple and everyone they interact with. When April conceives their third child, their plan to leave America crumbles, not least because Frank is flattered by the attention from Pollock and actually begins to see a career path. So April, overwhelmed by the situation and unable to deal with living on Revolutionary Road for an indefinite period, attempts to self-abort her child. This takes place soon after the comment from John, the mentally troubled son of their realtor whose last statement to them about the pregnancy may have been ringing in her ear, "Hey, you know I'm glad of one thing, though. You know what I am glad of? I'm glad I'm not gonna be that kid."

April is rushed to hospital following her attempt and dies. Her demise and the departure of the remaining Wheeler family impacts all who have placed them on a pedestal. The way that Yates concludes the book with Frank truly alone is one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read. It is simply and eloquently haunting.

The Easter Parade covers roughly four decades in the lives of sisters Sarah and Emily Grimes. Yates at first makes us believe this will be a story focusing on the elder Sarah but quite quickly it is Emily who takes the stage with her sister, parents, various suitors and extended family playing important but ultimately supporting roles.

Emily though younger is more deliberate, efficient, and seemingly put together when compared with her divorced parents and soon-to-be helpless and pathetic sister. Surrounded by these struggling people Emily is positioned as somewhat superior, as having a better read on life and how to live it. Yet she bounces from relationship to relationship and has two abortions along the way. Yates has us wonder if it is Sarah who was the more talented and could have been more successful if only for a few fateful decisions.

Yates covers the thirties to early seventies and spends the most time in the sixties. This is his comfort time zone where he places Emily at an advertising agency writing copy and progressing well until she begins to realize that "It didn't matter what you did for a living; the important thing was the kind of person you were". She intellectualizes this but does not internalize nor act on it. She, like Frank Wheeler, has to some degree, followed her father `s career producing a second generation of poor decisions and sad results (I imagined Frank passing Emily on Madison Avenue with neither registering each other).

The writing is superb but the story is not as strong or tight as Revolutionary Road. But he beautifully conjures up images of Manhattan that seem now stereotypical but must have been real. A father taking his young daughter out for a double ice cream while he enjoys a double scotch, vacuous but fabulous cocktail parties featuring professionals trying to outdo each other, and a city which is so alive it is a character in the story. Emily does not have all or any of the answers in life but Yates leaves the door open for hope and fulfillment and for him that is generous.

Eleven Kinds of Loneliness is a collection beginning with Doctor Jack-o'-Lantern that covers the miscommunications and challenges between student and teacher and student with peers. It also explores the discrimination faced by any one remotely different. The Best of Everything is a quick and unsettling little tale about marriage and a young couple not quite being right for each other. Jody Rolled The Bones has Yates visiting the military as he often does and ably demonstrating how a group of young men can rapidly mature and recognize that often what they need is what they want least.

No Pain Whatsoever is not the strongest of the collection but does establish a setting whereby a couple must make the best of a terrible situation without losing each other. Both A Glutton for Punishment and A Wrestler with Sharks deal with careers and job loss. The former uses a cute childhood analogy while the latter revolves around deception. Fun with a Stranger is an interesting title for this story of envy and disappointment which focuses on the differences in personality and teaching styles.

The B.A.R. Man reveals that one's best days are in the past and once realized it can lead to bad decisions. A Really Good Jazz Piano speaks of lost opportunity and undefined friendships. Out with the Old is a bittersweet tale that takes place on a TB ward (like an earlier one in the collection). Yates provides great humanity to the cast who entertain themselves daily to remove the boredom while at the same time trying to stay connected with their families and the outside world. The final tale, Builders, I found the most intriguing of the bunch. It communicates the need for hope and optimism while extolling the pursuit of farfetched dreams.

The three works are introduced by Richard Price who provides his interesting connection to Yates. It also features a cool chronology covering the Author's Life, Literary Context, and Historical Events which helps with context. I recommend this collection unreservedly and look forward to re-reading it with a scotch or three.

While I started my working life the same year this book was published, I didnt read this bestseller until Id seen the recent movie.

Yates is a master of inner dialog and keeps creating deep portraits of his key characters. This helps us understand why they do what they do. The movie is totally one dimensional and you are left asking "why did he/she do that?" You are left with a devistating portrait of the dark side of the American Dream. Even though it was written decades ago, it leaves you questioning why you lived many years in those green,safe suburbs.

Revolutionary Road, The Easter Parade, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) A compilation of several of Yates' works, for the people by one of the greatest wordsmiths of our time. The endings may leave you bereft until you realize it couldn't have happened any other way and still maintained literary perfection.

Caveat the recommendation in that it is for Revolutionary Road only, and if we limit it to just that book, it's 5-star material. An excellent vignette of suburban life with a rhythym I found to be hypnotic. Real top-notch writing, and the characterizations are both winning and even 'revolutionary'.

Now, the bad. Easter Parade was not only a downer but a gratuitously shocking downer. The need to use sex in place of strong writing isn't new (despite what many contemporary writers think) and rather than be titilated, I was just bored. In fact, so bored that it led me not to even want to read Eleven Kinds of Loneliness.

I loved everything about this book. I am especially fond of "Easter Parade". The characters are real. They do have quirks, faults and worse - just like the rest of us. People start living with hope and such promise, but often end up just treading water or very slowly failing.

Yates' writing is clear and descriptive, but never dry. I really feel like I am there.

This isn't "happy" reading, so if you're looking for happy escape, this may not be for you.

Please, if you haven't seen the film yet (and friends tell me it's all right, if not great) then do yourself a favor and read this book, which I can say unequivocally is bloody brilliant -- agonizing, horrifying, sad as hell; a long silent scream of desperation -- but brilliant.

Revolutionary Road is the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a couple living on the ragged edge of seething discontent, set in the Connecticut suburbs of the 1950s. (And if you see the seeds of inspiration for the equally brilliant television show Mad Men, well, I'm with you. I would be fascinated to know how much the writers turned to Yates.) Frank and April Wheeler pride themselves on being intellectually and culturally superior to their neighbors, and plan, in a sort of frenzied escape plan, to relocate to Paris where Frank can "find himself".

I am, I must confess, a fan of rather dark literature, and nobody does it like Yates. Unsentimental, razor sharp, and unsparing to the point of cruelty, Yates' work was autobiographical, which makes it all the more poignant, I think. Although an author's work should stand alone, and require the reader to know nothing more than appears on the page, it is undeniable that understanding Yates lived through the drunken suburban malaise about which he writes so evocatively provides an even sharper shadow. I read Blake Bailey's biography of Yates some years ago, and found it touching and sad and illuminating. Yates certainly did not spare himself in his portrayal of male characters - they are every bit as troubled, selfish, immature, inconsiderate and sexually insecure as Yates himself appears to have been. And the author's life was far from glamorous; his living quarters are described in Bailey's book thusly:

to read the rest of the review, please visit: http://inpraiseofbooks.blogspot.com/2009/08/revolutionary-road-by-richard-yates.html