Thread: Richard Yates

Is anyone here a fan?

I have to admit, I had never read any of Yates' work until I saw the movie version of Revolutionary Road. I thought the movie was decent, and after seeing it I picked up the book. I loved it. It was incredibly depressing, but in a very poignant, captivating way. It brought the characters to life and made them so much more vivid to me than in the film.

I read A Special Providence a few months later. Nothing quite as tragic happens in it as in Revolutionary Road, but it is still a compelling portrayal of the schism that occurs between a mother and her son.

The world that Yates creates is this awful, unfair, tragic place but it's one that you feel strangely in love with. I guess I'm just a fan of tragedy in literature.

Same as you, I saw Revolutionary Road, which I thought was good. Someone said I should read the book and I was blown away by it. And it actually gave me a new appreciation for the movie -- it might be one of the better adaptations I've seen.

I went on a Yates kick and read a few in a row. Easter Parade is on a par with Revolutionary Road, A Special Providence was good also. I liked Cold Spring Harbor, but it was a little slow, comparatively. I love his prose -- flowing, clear and concise and could read his books based on that alone.

I will read more. I'm a big short story fan, so I'm anxious to read those too. He's deserving of attention, and I'm glad the movie revived interest in him. I don't know if I would have discovered him otherwise. It's sort of amazing that someone who writes so well could wind up nearly forgotten.

I've definitely added him to my list of favorite authors. He writes the sort of story to which I aspire to write -- examinations of mostly ordinary people who find themselves caught in tragic relationships and circumstances -- so I've found his work to be particularly inspiring.