The Easter Parade [Revolutionary Road]

London: Eyre Methuen, 1978. First Impression. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First British Edition, with wraparound pictorial dust jacket taken from Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks." 8vo: [6],229,[1]pp. Publisher's French blue cloth, spine stamped in gilt. Virtually pristine (and probably unread), both book and jacket. Yet another example of the value to be found in the graphically superior designs of most UK editions of American authors's works. Difficult to imagine a finer copy. In 1989, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Yates, reflecting on his life's work, had this to say: "I'm one of those writers who has the misfortune to write his best book first." Revolutionary Road, in fact, was nominated for the National Book Award in 1962 and is hailed today as a modern classic. But in the opinions of many writers and critics, The Easter Parade is equally fine (the book has been championed by Joan Didion, David Sedaris, Kurt Vonnegut, Larry McMurtry and Tao Lin, among others). Its famous opening line warns of the bleak narrative to follow: "Neither of the Grimes sisters would have a happy life, and looking back it always seemed that the trouble began with their parents' divorce." The novel, Yates's fourth, "is centred on the struggles of his female protagonist, Emily Grimes, and her older sister, Sarah. Both sisters try to become writers and for different reasons fail in this ambition. In the course of his narrative Yates suggests how men, threatened by female ambition, hold back the women they live with. At the same time, Yates also weaves into this novel his awareness of domestic violence, suggesting an understanding of the vulnerability of women within marriage." Finally, Yates's inclusion of abortion in Easter Parade (as well as Revolutionary Road), "suggests attentiveness to, and sensitivity towards, the political debate about the rights of women." (Literary Encyclopedia) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable polypropylene sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed.