Richard Yates

I have been waiting anxiously to see what a movie version of Richard Yates's classic novel, Revolutionary Road, might look like. Back when the casting news (a Titanic reunion for Winslet and DiCaprio) first appeared, we hadn't heard of a TV show called Mad Men and we didn't have a drama set in this time period unfolding — complete with spectacular costume and set design — in our homes Sunday after Sunday. So now that we have this film, all about the repression and the ennui of living in suburbia during this era, will audiences be as interested if it's not about the Drapers?

Perhaps the cast and the director (Winslet's husband, Sam Mendes, who directed another movie about suburban frustration, American Beauty) will help to lure people in. I personally think everyone should read the novel first, as it quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. The trailer shows pretty much all you need to know about the story, so to check it out, read more

Welcome back, members of the Buzz Book Club! Now that you've finished Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road, we can talk about what all this suburban-life-in-the-1950s stuff is about. In fact, it will be interesting to discuss this book now as a whole work, rather than section by section, because we have every piece of the puzzle in place to sort out what Yates is driving at here.

The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, will be out in December, so we have plenty of time to mull over how on earth such a powerfully written book can be adapted for film.

Last week's assignment was to finish the book. After the jump you'll find some discussion topics that struck me as I read to the end. Also, if you're just joining and want to catch up, you can find all of our Revolutionary Road discussions thus far here.

Hopefully you're not too emotional after finishing this novel, so to discuss read more

Round Three, fellow Buzz Book Club readers! This third section of the March book club selection, Revolutionary Road, was longer than the others have been, so we have much to discuss after the jump.

If you're new to the Book Club, this is how it goes: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Finish the book! Next week I'll post our final Revolutionary Road discussion post and announce the title of our next book club selection.

To discuss the second section of Revolutionary Road (in which we read to the end of Part Two, Chapter 6), read more

Welcome back, fellow Buzz Book Club readers! Last week we examined the first section of our March selection, Revolutionary Road, and now we're moving onto the second section.

If you're new to the Book Club, this is how it goes: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

This second section was slim, but definitely intense. Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read from Part One, Chapter 7 to the end of Part Two, Chapter 6.

To discuss the second section of Revolutionary Road, read more

Welcome back, members of the Buzz Book Club! Last week I announced the title of March's book selection: the classic novel Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.

As I mentioned before, every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

The first assignment was to read from Part One, Chapter One to the end of Part One, Chapter Four. Of course, you are welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this first section.

The next assignment: Read from Part One, Chapter Five to the end of Part One, Chapter Six

Ready to discuss the first section of Revolutionary Road? Well, then read more

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! I had a great time reading The Other Bolyen Girl all throughout February, and I'm equally excited about this next selection: Richard Yates' 1961 classic Revolutionary Road.

Now, full disclosure: I have read this book and recently wrote about my uneasiness at the thought of turning this emotional novel into a movie. However, I so enjoyed Yates' writing and found the book to be so rich with discussion topics — especially in regard to the idea of modern dystopia — that I just couldn't resist reading it again.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works:
I'll announce a new book each month. Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

By the end of the month we will have gotten through this dark, gorgeously written look at life in the suburbs in the 1950s, and we'll be fully equipped to watch the movie later this year to see how it compares. To see what Revolutionary Road is all about, and to get your first assignment, read more

Recently there has been a surge of books being turned into movies. While that's not a new concept, it's becoming a frustrating trend, mostly because the film versions so rarely live up to the experience of reading the book.

I am squeamish about The Time Traveler's Wife (despite some good casting choices) as well as the adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love. I can just envision the most powerful moments in those books being reduced to neat little scenes that can't possibly deliver as strong a punch. Just this week, too, there was the news that The Bell Jar is being made into a film, and I'm still not comfortable with that idea. Simply put, some things should not be adapted for the big screen, and The Bell Jar is one of those things.

Joining this parade now is Richard Yates' 1961 novel Revolutionary Road. As TIME Magazine puts it, Yates' "great novel is a bitterly funny and bitterly unfunny account of lethal disappointment in the Connecticut suburbs in 1955." Having just finished reading it, not only can I not imagine it on screen, I definitely cannot see the casting choices in the two main roles: Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. While I think they're both exceptional actors (or rather, Winslet is and DiCaprio can be), I just don't want to see this book adapted for film. For more on why, read more