The Easter Parade: A Novel

From the moment of their parents' divorce, when they were nine and five years old, Sarah and Emily Grimes move forward to very different kinds of lives, spanning decades: from 1930 to the 1970s, we experience how the significance of their tarnished childhoods informed their destinies.Over the years, their lives diverged, with Sarah married to her "charming" romantic partner, Tony Wilson, while Emily finished college at Barnard and began the first of a series of positions. Her serial relationships also distinguished her life from Sarah's.Their father was mostly absent in the early years, with occasional outings to remind them of his presence; their mother, whom they had dubbed "Pookie" at some point, was actively present, moving from place to place, with her chatter a constant "voice over" and a reminder of what not to become.An Easter Parade from their teens seemingly defined the sisters, with Sarah being the beautifully dressed one who would model for photographers and who had a real romance going on, while Emily's romances lived only in her fantasies.They chose their individual journeys, but toward the end of their lives, their sad destinies were a constant reminder of how lives sometimes disappoint and veer off course for unknown reasons.Themes of how early promise can erode is most evidenced by how Sarah's once-promising and beautiful life morphs into something straight out of a very sad movie. She clings to her early dreams of how things should be by resisting any kind of change; the brutality and ugly moments in her life are glossed over in her own mind, reminding us that nothing changes without our own desire to make that happen.Emily's departure from the path to marriage begins early, with a brief and ill-fated union that seemingly turns her off to that particular journey. Yet her sad, hopeless short-term relationships bring little satisfaction or fulfillment, and the careers that seemed to sustain her, soon yield nothing but pain and loss.I could not put  The Easter Parade: A Novel  down, with its deep interior journey into how lives can go awry. The characters were both likable and unlikable, which made them even more real. What might seem pathetic also seemed understandable and almost inevitable, given the times and the choices each character made.Even as I kept hoping that the characters would find fulfillment, if not happiness, I knew that the end was clearly visible even at the beginning; further, that real life is not about reaching a destination but lies in the struggle that defines each unique journey.Definitely a five-star read, and recommended for those who love real life experiences, with all the pain and loss amidst the hope that occasionally shines through.

I enjoyed this book and enjoyed it immensely. It just seemed so 'real' to me compared to most entertainment/literature. The family in the book (the Grimes family) is like so many families. The continued lack of communication, the akwardness, the isolation: these problems are all there.Yates doesn't go for redemption here. The promotional text on the back of my edition of this book mentions something about characters in the book finding a sense of redemption/renewal (or something like that), but I'm sure Yates would have disliked that promotional text. There is no redemption or renewal here. Why like this kind of 'negative entertainment'? That is a tough question, but I would say this book (like many others) is an antidote to 'Hollywood endings' and I also go back to the 'keeping it real' factor.This book did go a little slow for me in the beginning, but the momentum does build and the poignancy increases. And the main character (Emily) is quite likeable. I have also read Rev Road and Good School by Yates, and I really enjoyed those too. Good School is more upbeat and definitely a SWEETER book. Read that book for a more positive/redemptive (but still realistic) side of Yates. But read this book(Easter Parade) for a realistic trip to the 'darker side of the force'.SPOILER ahead: Another reviewer here on Amazon mentions Peter as a positive character and that Peter is proof that this book is not all bleak. I would agree that Peter is a pivotal character in this book and I think it was insightful that Yates goes to Peter for the ending of the book. But I felt that Yates was skewering Peter. For all of Peter's 'niceness' and all of his 'concern', Peter could not see the brutality of his father and ultimately Peter could not show COMPASSION to Emily. Peter said that his father was 'LIMITED', but I think Yates was trying to convey that Peter was LIMITED (heck ultimately Yates is saying that we are all LIMITED). Peter had CONCERN but he did not have COMPASSION, and Yates is quite sensitive to the difference. Peter was talking AT Emily and not WITH her. But the vice-versa is also true (Emily was talking AT Peter and not WITH Peter).

Richard Yates is an incredibly readable writer. In concise descriptive language, no purple prose, no hyperbole, he opens the door to his characters' lives and we step in to watch and experience whatever they experience. This is a simpler novel than the famous Reservation Road, and without as much melodrama, but, perhaps because of that, even more powerful. These two sisters are as different as sisters can be, caught up in their times [from WWII through the 80's] and caught up in the depressive ambiance of their mother, an abandoned unstable woman. And yet, they both have an almost desperate need for male companionship, and the correspondingly poor sense of self. Both capable writers, but without ambition or sense of their own potential, they relinquish their talents to boring existences - one as a homemaker, another as a dissatisfied copywriter - and neither ever fulfills themselves in any way. A sad portrait, intricate and beautifully rendered, this novel is not for anyone longing for high plot, rather thoughtful character-driven fiction that seems dated, but is an accurate reflection of lives gone by. Might be especially great for fans of Mad Men, without the hype.

As children, the two sisters who are the protagonists of this immensely readable and moving novel, Emily and Sarah, couldn’t be any more different: Emily is relatively shy, bookish and awkward; her older sister is confident and successful with men. Emily wants to be like her and envies her relationship with Tony, the man who later becomes her husband. Their mum and dad, who’s a newspaper subeditor, split, and their father dies. The story is told from Emily’s point of view and follows her life - in particular her love life - and her sister’s. To some extent, it’s an attempt at documenting the sexual experiences of one woman, with all of her romances and flings set out in detail, sometimes in rapid succession (or parade). Emily is the liberated young feminist following her own career while Sarah is a mother living in a dilapidated rural home in a dysfunctional marriage, increasingly envious of her sister’s freedom. Most of the Yates tropes are here, from loneliness to alcoholism and deteriorating mental health, and the sense of double lives which on the surface are happy and carefree but behind closed doors are full of turmoil, violence and despair. This was published the year after Yates’s brilliant novel Disturbing the Peace, which examines many of the same themes. The Easter Parade lacks some of the literary flourish of Yates’s masterpiece Revolutionary Road - the style here is uncluttered, stripped back and dialogue-driven, with occasional deft descriptive writing, always understated. I found it just as compelling and in places as deeply moving as Revolutionary Road - and always read many more pages than I’d planned to. There’s tremendous momentum, and I can’t remember any point where I wasn’t completely absorbed. In later life, Emily, now nearing the age of 50, walks the streets of New York, and finds ‘only the past’ wherever she goes, in a city full of memories of childhood - and of past lovers.

This is a book about two sisters; about their relationship, their fallings out, their jealousy and ultimately their inability to sustain each other in their separate lives. The sisters are born in America in the 1920s and grow up to try two different ways through life - one chooses marriage and family and the other chooses career and serial short relationships. Neither is happy and their relationship with one another is also disappointing. It is almost as if the author is saying that none of us has the life we want or aspire to and that our existence consists of making the best of what we have - and that we might not even succeed at that.This is a short but bleak book but even though the sisters may lives lives very different from that of the reader the author's descriptions of their choices and lives rings very true (at least to me). I thought that the simple way in which their lives are described and the naturally limited set of alternatives they have to choose from seemed real - the author is clear that our character and circumstances will limit our opportunities. He also describes well the regret we feel that we have not been able to make a difference in the lives of those we care for as well as the fact that we often let ourselves and others down.This is an engaging story written with a lightness of touch which makes it accessible but in no way disguises the subject matter. I found it a touching, true and ultimately sad look at what we sometimes make of our lives.

Easter Parade is the fifth Yates book I have read, and from these books it seems to me that Yates has only one style. His stories generally all have similar themes, take place in similar settings and periods and have similar types of characters. All of that being said, I have not found any of the Yates books I have read to be repetitive of the others, and I have not gotten tired of reading them. On the contrary, I keep wanting to read more. Yates is a master at making his characters real by bringing out their vulnerabilities and flaws through their dialogue and mannerisms and the developments in their lives.Easter Parade is a story about the the lives of two sisters, each of whose lives is a disappointment, but for different reasons. Their stories reflect themes that were applicable to many women in post-WW2 America, but most of these are equally relevant today. I can see how some consider Easter Parade to be Yates's best novel, as it covers a broad range of themes including feminism, aging, family relationships and social status. In common with the other Yates books I have read, Easter Parade has a rich story with realistic characters and high quality writing. There is a continuous flow of developments and much of the story is dialogue, which keeps the pages turning.

It's true that Yates's writing is effortlessness in this relatively short novel, but I never felt short-changed or undernourished about the plot or personalities. However, due to years as a professional artist and being a sucker for this period and location, I would have liked more description about place.Ah, Richard Yates... I would have liked to have met you!I bet this book caused quite a stir when it was published. It should be on the school curriculum...Another subjective comment: nothing much has changed except today there would be no final get-out-danger for the main character.

The sheer brevity of this near perfect novel underlines the magical way in which Mr Yates, with miraculous economy, manages to encapsulate many lifetimes of the characters' experiences into the most humble of spaces. That encapsulation both enriches and heightens those experiences.The book feels as if it has not come from an author's pen, but simply IS.The best novel I have read in years and I feel so lucky to have discovered Richard Yates.