''The Easter Parade'' is a novel by American writer Richard Yates. Published in 1976, Yates's book explores the tragic lives of two sisters. Along with ''

Revolutionary Road ''Revolutionary Road'' is American author Richard Yates's debut novel about 1950s suburban life in the East Coast. It was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1962, along with ''Catch-22'' and ''The Moviegoer''. When published by Atlantic ...

'', his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, the book is considered to be Yates' finest work.

Summary

The famous opening line of the novel 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." Emily and Sarah are sisters who share little in terms of character, but much in terms of disappointment with their lives. Emily, the younger and more intellectual and cosmopolitan of the two, seeks love in numerous disappointing affairs and short-term relationships. Sarah, the prettier and more conventional one, marries young and bears children to an uncouth and abusive husband. The novel begins in the 1930s, when the sisters are children, and ends in the 1970s several years after Sarah's death. It primarily revolves around Emily as the book's central character, but the book employs Yates' characteristic ''shifts of consciousness'' throughout. Their troubled, rootless mother Pookie, like many Yatesian matriarchs, is likely modeled on his own mother, who was nicknamed Dookie.

Critical reception

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notes "''The Easter Parade'' signaled the resurgence of Richard Yates. A year after the critically panned ''

Disturbing the Peace Breach of the peace, or disturbing the peace, is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the several jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct. Public ord ...

'', critics hailed him as an American master. They spoke now of his body of work and raved over the effortless elegance of his prose and the depth of his tragic vision." The publication of ''The Easter Parade'' marked the beginning of a relatively stable and productive period for Yates, and the book has been championed by

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Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.

and

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, among others. The novel was a finalist for the 1976

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's film ''

Hannah and Her Sisters ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' is a 1986 American comedy-drama film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen, who ...

(1986):'' Lee (

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including weste ...

), one of the titular "sisters", thanks her brother-in-law Eliot (

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

) for lending her the book. Lee tells Eliot that she "loved" the book and that he was right because "it had very special meaning" for her. Allen was attracted to the novel due to his appreciation for "books that explore the psyches of women, particularly intelligent ones."

Notes

External links

Ploughshares review
by Hilma Wolitzer {{DEFAULTSORT:Easter Parade, The 1976 American novels Novels by Richard Yates Works about sisters Third-person narrative novels Novels set in New York City Novels set in Iowa