Book #29 - Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

I don't know where to begin on my review of this book. First off, I never saw the movie, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Tragic. That is probably the first word that comes to mind about this book. It started slow and very odd because there was so much background necessary to develop the characters. However, the author did a great job of keeping you interested in the mean time. The image was of an ordinary, suburban family in the 1950's. The appearance was that of the Cleavers. Mom worked at home, Dad loved his job, two kids, and everything is great. In actuality, Mom was crazy, Dad hated his job (and did the minimum every day), they hated and resented their children, and the home life was dismal. This book took you through all kinds of emotions and family trials. Such a different perspective. Same struggles and weaknesses as families today, but people are so much more open about problems in today's world. Tragic ending (which I won't give away), but overall pretty good. Critics of the book say it should be an American Classic, but honestly, I did not like it as much as "Stoner". Perhaps it was just the difference in the writing styles of the authors.