Revolutionary Road (Modern American Fiction) (Modern Fiction)

by Richard Yates

Hailed as a masterpiece of realistic fiction and as the most evocative portrayal of the opulent desolation of the American suburbs since it's publication in 1961, Revolutionary Road is the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright, beautiful, and talented couple who have lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Richard Yates shows how Frank and April mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves.

In his introduction to this edition, novelist Richard Ford pays homage to the lasting influence and enduring power of Revolutionary Road.

• ISBN10: 0307454789
• ISBN13: 9780307454782
• Publish Date: 30 December 2008 (first published 1 March 1971)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House Inc
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 463
• Language: English

Reviews

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Revolutionary Road is a beautifully crafted debut novel by Richard Yates, which tells the story of Nick and April Wheeler trying to break out of their suburban rut. To me this novel is about the desire from something better, something exciting, something to break the boredom, but Yates once said that "If my work [Revolutionary Road] has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy."



Without giving anything away, this book is a small glimpse into the lives of a standard suburban family, looking for adventure, trying to save a marriage and the effects of their own lives. I started reading this book with no idea where this book would take me, but ended up really enjoying the journey. But I have to admit, if the ending was any different (if there was a Hollywood/happy ending) I would have ended up hating this book. Yates wrote this book with such skill that I was fully invested in this book, hoping that he would not destroy it in any way and worrying that it was heading for a fall but never actually falling.