Book 57: Revolutionary Road

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.




I started this one night when I couldn't sleep, and I hated it. I'm not sure why I ever picked it up again! But once I did, I fell in love with it. It reminded me of "Mad Men," which i really enjoy, but also find a little unsettling.

Revolutionary Road takes place during the '50s, and "Mad Men" is set in the '60s, but there are some big parallels: the men work at bullshit jobs in NYC, which they sort of think of as jokes. They drink and smoke and have affairs. The wives are home in the suburbs all day, leading lives based only around their children and husbands, with nothing for themselves.

In Revolutionary Road, the husband and wife dream of someday leaving all the bullshit behind and leading a more bohemian, more meaningful life. I ended up kind of disgusted by both the husband and the wife, but it was a great read, once I got past the first chapter.

I haven't seen the movie, and don't really like to watch Leonardo DiCaprio movies since What's Eating Gilbert Grape, so I can't compare. Let me know what you thought of it if you saw it!