Revolutionary Road

By: Richard Yates

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • Frank and April Wheeler are a bright, beautiful, talented couple in the 1950s whose perfect suburban life is about to crumble in this "moving and absorbing story” (The Atlantic Monthly) from one of the most acclaimed writers of the twentieth century.

"The Great Gatsby of my time...one of the best books by a member of my generation." —Kurt Vonnegut, acclaimed author of Slaughterhouse-Five

Perhaps Frank and April Wheeler 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 unravel. 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.©2000 Richard Yates; (P)2008 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A powerful treatment of a characteristically American theme, which might be labeled ‘trapped.' ... A highly impressive performance. It is written with perception, force and awareness of complexity and ambiguity, and it tells a moving and absorbing story.” —The Atlantic Monthly

"The Great Gatsby of my time ... one of the best books by a member of my generation." —Kurt Vonnegut, acclaimed author of Slaughterhouse-Five

"Beautifully crafted ... a remarkable and deeply troubling book." —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“Every phrase reflects to the highest degree integrity and stylistic mastery. To read Revolutionary Road is to have forced upon us a fresh sense of our critical modern shortcomings: failures of work, education, community, family, marriage . . . and plain nerve.” —The New Republic

“Richard Yates is a writer of commanding gifts. His prose is urbane yet sensitive, with passion and irony held deftly in balance. And he provides unexpected pleasures in a flood of freshly minted phrases and in the thrust of sudden insight, precise notation of feeling, and mordant unsentimental perceptions.” —Saturday Review

"A deft, ironic, beautiful novel that deserves to be a classic." —William Stryron, National Book Award-winning author of Sophie's Choice

Wow

Yates was doing suburban malaise decades before people were talking about the latest Mad Men episode (not to bash Mad Men... love that, too). His characters and dialogue are sharp and drip with subtext.
Excellent book and reader.

Honest

Revolutionary Road is honestly written. The writing is clean and to the point, and the characters seem real. Though the story is very serious, the book has lots of humor. Yates was a masterful author.

Superbly written, excellently narrated.

Without a doubt, one of the best books I've read. Richard Yates is a master of the written word. Some of the chapters of this book will stay with me forever.

Amazing Listen

Beautifully written and exquisitely narrated, this book is captivating. Though the story is not uplifting, the characters are real and their plight is familiar nearly 50 years after the story was written. While it would be easy for the listener to judge the Wheelers and the Campbells harshly, to do so would be to fall into the same trap that captured them.

Perfect audiobook

Brilliant performance, really loved the audiobook; the story is chilling and fascinating at the same time.

Great novel and narrator

The best novel about middle-class life and anxieties since Madame Bovary. The narration is great too: Mark Bramhall's rendition of the characters is completely spot-on (and often hilarious).

Our unfulfilled lives

This is a wonderful novel, one that beautifully captures the resignation, hopelessness, and cowardice that often comes with settling down. Yates is brilliant writer and Mark Bramhall's narration is truly first rate. Highly recommended. #Matrimony #MidLife #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

Excellent story

Very very good. I love the film made from this book but the book is so much deeper

Fantastic

This novel is a masterpiece. The writing, the characters, the plot . . . everything. Is it heavy? Yes, it's very heavy. Is it depressing? Is tragedy depressing? Get ready for a good old fashioned catharsis! In parts it's funny and moving as well as serving as a stinging, unflinching criticism of American culture. The prose at points approaches poetry. The narrator is excellent. It takes place in the 50s but it hasn't lost anything in timeliness. The issues confronted are equally relevant today, perhaps more so. You won't be sorry if you give this a go.

Compelling

I found this book to be one I did not want to stop listening to; it got me through several sessions at the gym. Although the story is a very depressing one, it held my interest. It is well written and I thought the reader did an excellent job. The characters were all believable, like people you may know. I highly recommend this book if you can deal with unhappy stories.