Book summary

A suburban family--Frank, April, and the two kids--breaks down: April decides they should move to Paris, and Frank gets involved in a messy affair at the office. Richard Yates's brilliant 1961 novel, in which there are no winners, is a satirical dissection of suburbia in the 1950s and a probing examination of the sadness, emptiness, and self-deception at the heart of some American lives and relationships. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Media reviews

"Originally published in 1961, this gratifyingly beautiful novel has been reissued again--and for good reason....[A]n overlooked masterpiece of American tragedy."