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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I struggled through Revolutionary Road, not because it wasn't competently written - it largely was - and not because it wasn't astute or trenchant in its skewering of midcentury American conformist ideals - it was that, too.
But, Revolutionary Road can't make up its mind what kind of a book it wants to be. It is at its very best when it is satire, making fun of its protagonist's snobbish and unjustified sense of superiority to the people around him, or - especially - hilariously detailing the workings of his bloated corporate office, where papers make the endless rounds from one person's desk to another, marked with contentless annotations like "What do you think, Bob?"
Yet the book is not content to remain satire, as if just showing up the pointless tedium of this life and the people who live it is not enough. And it does less well when it attempts to handle real pain and real tragedy. Its characters are caricatures for the purposes of satire, but they don't quite manage to gain enough dimension to support the tragedy.
This is especially true of Yates's women, who are for the most part painted unsympathetically and through the eyes of men who (of course) cannot comprehend them or even really see them as fully human. (Maybe a man turning off his hearing aid to tune out his wife's anxiety was fresh and funny in 1961? It's hackneyed now.) And given the horrors he visits on them, it's really unfair of him not to give them more life and actuation of their own. Given what April Wheeler endures, it's unsatisfying that she is mostly present to show the reader what a callous, spineless, manipulative asshole Frank Wheeler is. I would have liked to know more about her as a person. What Yates offers to substantiate her comes too little, too late.
But, Revolutionary Road can't make up its mind what kind of a book it wants to be. It is at its very best when it is satire, making fun of its protagonist's snobbish and unjustified sense of superiority to the people around him, or - especially - hilariously detailing the workings of his bloated corporate office, where papers make the endless rounds from one person's desk to another, marked with contentless annotations like "What do you think, Bob?"
Yet the book is not content to remain satire, as if just showing up the pointless tedium of this life and the people who live it is not enough. And it does less well when it attempts to handle real pain and real tragedy. Its characters are caricatures for the purposes of satire, but they don't quite manage to gain enough dimension to support the tragedy.
This is especially true of Yates's women, who are for the most part painted unsympathetically and through the eyes of men who (of course) cannot comprehend them or even really see them as fully human. (Maybe a man turning off his hearing aid to tune out his wife's anxiety was fresh and funny in 1961? It's hackneyed now.) And given the horrors he visits on them, it's really unfair of him not to give them more life and actuation of their own. Given what April Wheeler endures, it's unsatisfying that she is mostly present to show the reader what a callous, spineless, manipulative asshole Frank Wheeler is. I would have liked to know more about her as a person. What Yates offers to substantiate her comes too little, too late.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of my all time favourite novels. It hit me so hard at the time of reading—it begs a reread.
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I began this book because of the promise (from Reddit, might I add) that it emulates the style of John Williams, who is currently, and has been for some time, my favorite author. While I do not know if this book quite as thoroughly delves into the innermost being of men as Williams does, it is reminiscent of the same unwavering and intimately truthful way of dissecting a life.
It masterfully hits upon some of my greatest fears: at once the failure to become anything of note while simultaneously losing any ambition to do so, complacently slipping into the conformity of the masses. The inability to recognize your own faults and shortcomings, believing yourself to be capable of achieving and ultimately deserving of some sort of greatness in your inconsequential life. The stubbornness to admit you are living the life you dreaded, the inability to execute any meaningful action to mend it. The loveless marriage each of you is far too embarrassed and prideful to admit to. And Yates details it all with a total lack of sentimentality that allows it to feel very close to the truth.
I’m not totally sure any of that made sense but TLDR I highly recommend this one and if you don’t like it don’t tell me.
It masterfully hits upon some of my greatest fears: at once the failure to become anything of note while simultaneously losing any ambition to do so, complacently slipping into the conformity of the masses. The inability to recognize your own faults and shortcomings, believing yourself to be capable of achieving and ultimately deserving of some sort of greatness in your inconsequential life. The stubbornness to admit you are living the life you dreaded, the inability to execute any meaningful action to mend it. The loveless marriage each of you is far too embarrassed and prideful to admit to. And Yates details it all with a total lack of sentimentality that allows it to feel very close to the truth.
I’m not totally sure any of that made sense but TLDR I highly recommend this one and if you don’t like it don’t tell me.
My first read. Fell in love with it, and am putting it up with All the King's Men as one of my favorite American novels. As a writer, the book taught me a lot: presenting multiple points of view with the 3rd person, a more measured way of doing dialogue, bold descriptive forays (unafraid to color a milieu in evaluative tones), and taking measure of a social imaginary (1950s suburbia). And, Good God, the writing of marital argument and misunderstanding in the first couple chapter is just exquisite.
I will definitely be reading the novel again, and again, and ...
I will definitely be reading the novel again, and again, and ...
While the writing was perfect I didn't care for the book otherwise. The characters were so unlikeable to me that I couldn't connect with them or the story. This is 5 stars for writing and 1 star for the story which balances out to 3 stars.
Had trouble liking or rooting for anyone in the book
Married couple decides to throw away their life.
Yates does an amazing job of characterizing Frank Wheeler. By the second chapter, you know exactly who this guy is. It is an emotional story of two people in a marriage in the middle of the 1950's, who hope for something better than middle-class suburbia. Their rejection of the American dream and aspirations to do more make this book one of those "I can't it down". It was sometimes difficult to read for an emotional reader like myself, but it is an interesting and appealing story with in-depth characters and a great plot.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Incredibly perceptive and emotionally honest novel with two main characters that are incredibly flawed but incredibly relatable at the same time. It's about human nature, performance, delusion and the desperation to not be ordinary. So many characters feel alive and well developed, and Yates manages to get in the heads of a diverse range of people. He leave so much open to interpretation without feeling vague or pretentious - completely gripped me and I ready it in a day or two.