Revolutionary Road

Read May 2009.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia.


The Scoop: First novel for Richard Yates (US). Published by Greenwood Press in 1961, adapted for film in 2008 (director Sam Mendes). Finalist for 1962 National Book Award, chosen by Time in the top 100 English-language novels from 1923-present.

The Ingredients: April and Frank Wheeler, a young married couple with kids, live a seemingly pleasant 1950s suburban life. Deal with work and the household, loneliness and friendship, disillusionment and pleasure, love/lust and lack thereof. Mistakes and life-changing decisions are made; relationships are forged (forced or otherwise); and minds, hearts, and spirits evolve and/or are broken.

Serves: Adult audience due to mature content including abortion, adultery, some strong language.

Part One, Chapter One: "The final dying sounds of their dress rehearsal left the Laurel Players with nothing to do but stand there, silent and helpless, blinking out over the footlights of an empty auditorium." [4/5 Creates quite a detailed image in one's mind.]

Result: I read this book because the movie (starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) got such rave reviews. However, as I can see the value in this novel, the pace was a bit too slow for me (I found myself easily distracted from the text, and often had to reread passages to remember what was going on or try to absorb it) and I had trouble relating to the characters and issues at hand, which I feel has much to do with the 1950s setting and my lack of life experiences, one could say (for example, being married, raising children, the struggles both of those involve, etc.) I found the value in Yates' use of language in illustration, his solid character development, and ability to tie everything together in mood. Yates has been noted as saying, "If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy," and this is definitely evident in Revolutionary Road, which can make it quite a depressing read. So clearly, if you want light-hearted reading with an uplifting message, this is not the book for you. After reading, I am still interested in viewing the film, not for the plot, but more in how they managed to portray and capture all the intricacies of the characters, their relationships, and secrets, and in a limited length of time. [3/5 Solid example of good classic writing, but not the easiest/most enjoyable to get through. But I might have to give it another chance later in my life.]

Running with Scissors

Read May 2009.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia.


The Scoop: A memoir by Augusten Burroughs (American). Published by Picador USA in 2002, adapted for film in 2006. Four weeks on New York Times bestseller list.

The Ingredients: Brief insight into childhood spent with dramatic mother (poetess and chain-smoker), aloof father (math professor at UMass and alcoholic), and dog named Cream. Turbulent adolescent period of divorced parents and kooky Dr. Finch (psychiatrist to Burroughs' mother). Bizarre lifestyle with the Finch household with minimal rules/structure, off-the-wall (some, literally) characters, and his mother's romantic escapades and psychotic episodes.

Serves: Adult audience. Contains detail of sexual encounters, both hetero- and homosexual, and other mature content. Occasional strong language.

Chapter 1 - Something Isn't Right: "My mother is standing in front of the bathroom mirror smelling polished and ready; like Jean Nate, Dippity Do and the waxy sweetness of lipstick." [4/5 An intriguing and vivid opening line.]

Result: I had wanted to read Running with Scissors for a long time because it got such rave reviews when it came out and it sounded intriguing, and admittedly, my review is not going to differ much. To risk sounding cheesy, Burroughs' memoir took me on an emotional roller-coaster as I attempted to put myself in his shoes and imagine experiencing all that he did (and his detailed writing makes it easy to do so). At times I was envious of all the adventure and disorder of his adolescence - it seems so romantic and glamorous in a way. But with every seeming upside to his life (running around in a household doing as he pleases, staying home from school, and a spontaneous best friend), there is a dramatic downside, making me grateful for the order and stability I had growing up and leaving me wondering how he dealt with all of it. But it's clear Burroughs dealt (and continues to deal) with the insanity that was his childhood with humor - twisted, unrestrained, and raucous. His ability to transport the reader into the heat of the action had me not just laughing, but also writhing and aching for this young teenager in his (numerous) moments of pain and discomfort. I read the majority of the book in a day - its momentum had a hold on my attention and imagination. After finishing, I had the urge to write my own memoir, and pondering what it'd be like, it simply paled in comparison to Running with Scissors and left me wishing I could recount memories with Burroughs' wicked sense of humor and honesty. [3.5/5 Might not read it again or purchase it for keeps, but piqued my interest enough to check out other works by Augusten Burroughs and possibly the movie, which he helped write and produce.]