Saturday, February 21, 2009

Revolutionary Road: Review

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yate


Synopsis:


In the hopeful 1950s, Frank and April Wheeler appear to be a model couple: bright, beautiful, talented, with two young children and a starter home in the suburbs. Perhaps they married too young and started a family too early. Maybe Frank's job is dull. And April never saw herself as a housewife. Yet they have always lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. But now that certainty is about to crumble.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.


Annotation:


A deeply troubling book that creates an unforgetable portrait of lost hopes in the suburbs of America.

Publishers Weekly

Yates's debut 1961 novel revealed a growing and present malaise about middle-class existence as seen through the eyes of protagonists Frank and April. Believing themselves a cut above the rest of their neighbors and friends, the two set their sights upon a scheme to move to France and live a nontraditional life. However, much like the illusion of the white picket fence home, their dreams are not enough to stave off the reality of their unhappy life. Mark Bramhall sways back and forth between successful and annoying narration. Some character voices are caricatures, grating on the listeners' ears without much justification from the text. For others, the chosen voice helps to emphasize the sense (or source) of alienation that Frank and April feel about the people in their lives. However, Bramhall's tone does wonders for eliciting the ironic throughout Yates's prose. A Vintage paperback. (Dec.)

When I saw this movie come to theaters it took everything in me to not go see it. Why you ask? We all know no matter how great a movie is, in never comes close to the book, so I wanted to make sure to read the book before I saw the movie.

This book was amazing! I was moved by this book, moved!! It touches something within you. I have read some reviews with people saying they had a hard time getting into it, but for me, I just was able to drive right into it.

Although this story takes place in a different time, you can learn and take something with you in today's time. I can't wait to see the movie now, although it may be too late to find it in the theaters and I will have to wait till it is out on DVD.

This book gets 4 stars out of 5

This book falls into these challenges, take a peek

* The 2009 - 100+ Reading Challenge

Until next time...
Happy Reading!

4 comments:

Yvonne said...

I'm so glad to hear you liked this one. I've been dying to read it and have it in my TBR. I heard so many depressing things about it, but I still want to read it.

The Bookworm said...

I want to read this one too, glad you liked it!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great book. I really enjoy books that are emotionally charged. I can see myself bawling my eyes out already!

Katie said...

I really loved the movie...I didn't get a chance to read the book before I saw it, but I do have it on my shelf, so I'm hoping to read it soon!