Richard Yates: THE EASTER PARADE

The main characters in the story are Sarah and Emily. The story extends fro their childhood in New York to middle age as they end up living very different lives. One marries at young age; the other jumps from one relationship to another relationship, some brief, some casual, some relatively long
term. Loneliness, longing and regrets are the central theme of the novel. Richard Yates seemed to have written it for the reader to weep, without sentimentality. But in the masterful writing that I have been made to feel empathy with some characters, disrespect to some, and weep with the others.

This is the second book by Richard Yates that I've read so far, the first one being Revolutionary Road. Both books, in my opinion, are dark, although Revolutionary Road is more depressing.

Rating: 4.5/5.0