Revolutionary Road

By: Richard Yates

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Captivating Book

This is the story of a couple, tragically trapped in their facade of being 'perfect'. The time is the early 1960's and the 'traditional' values of what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman are still held over from the 50's.

They are pent up and repressed. Once they are able to see what is truly happening in their lives, things explode. Ironically, it is a man who is mentally ill who is able to make the most telling and accurate observations of what is occurring interpersonally.

This is a captivating audiobook and it is very well narrated.

Outstanding

This audio-book kicks butt. The book is excellent, the reader does a wonderful job... good stuff!

I wish to hell you did abort it!

Any additional comments?

Poor, poor Frank regrets telling his unhappy and pregnant wife those headline words. This book was written in the 50's, yet I can identify with it in the context of marriage today. I felt that oppressive and trapped feeling when I was pregnant with our third child. I didn't have an abortion, but I fantasied about it. My sister felt it too...this was in the 80's. My grandmother had abortions in the late 20's and so did her sisters. Of course they were illegal and very expensive, requiring some travel. It was talked about "back then" but not at parties or in church. Frank and April were trapped with fear of failure and boredom. Both were immature...a little. April goes full steam ahead on plans to a life in Paris where she will be the bread winner and Frank can find a vocation he enjoys. April's unexpected pregnancy and an accidental but impressive memo Frank writes at his job sets them on opposite paths. April sees a simple abortion performed before the 13th week will solve the problem. Frank gets the attention of an executive who wants to promote him to a job with more pay, responsibility and challenge. Frank sees this as his realistic chance to better living and perhaps vacations to Paris...he doesn't want to throw away this opportunity. April's mental health declines with the passing summer and seeing her dream vanish. Her cute suburban home is a prison and more children will add years to her sentence of a unfulfilled life. Their real-estate agent adds fuel to the fire by asking for invitations to bring her adult institutionalized son over for meals while he is out on weekend passes. He sees their departure to Paris as heroic. When Frank tells him later that summer the plan is canceled, this man turns vicious and blunt sparking a HUUGE fight between Frank and April. Things said that can't be taken back. April would rather die than face her version of hell. A quiet and desperate hell. Frank is left shattered and stuck in the past.

Top notch reading

Great work Mark! Really brought it to life. Such an important look at mid 20th century America

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.

Loved it

Completely different than most books I read, so it was a very nice treat. Great story and very good writing; characters jump right off the page (or audio). Hope the movie of the same title is as good.

Movie vs Book

Any additional comments?

This is the perfect example for me of the importance of reading the book before I see the movie. I think if I had read the book first many subtle but important points missed in the movie would have made the story much better. The movie stressed odd scenes and omitted powerful details that developed the characters and their predicaments to a tee. Plus the way a reader pictures the settings and the people never seems remotely the way a casting team will set things up. That said--I liked the book. It depicted a slice of life from that odd time period of the 50's beautifully. It is a sad book but the characters are fully human and the story engages throughout.

WOW! What a ride!!

I hated this book for the first three hours or so---very upsetting marital fighting! But once it takes off, this is quite a study of two people and their lives in the 50s. I finished this book a week ago and still thinking of April and Frank! I want to see the movie now and see how it compares.

Excellent

It's amazing how relevant this book is even today. Revolutionary Road was easy to listen to and completely engaging.