The Easter Parade by Richard Yates

To be discussed April 1, 2009 at 6:30

Easter Parade" follows sisters, Emily and Sarah Grimes, over forty years. The author’s opening line gives you a glimpse of what you are in for. “Neither of the Grimes sisters would have a happy life, and looking back it always seemed that the trouble began with their parents' divorce.” They enter adulthood during WWII, and their lives follow tremendously different trajectories. Sarah is the traditional one: she marries early, has three children, and settles into a seemingly idyllic life in the countryside. Emily is more independent, and she experiences a series of unsatisfying intimate relationships and drifts through life. The novel chiefly concerns the relationship, or lack thereof, between the sisters and their family. The story climaxes in the 1960's with mild invocations of the women's liberation movement, and Yates draws clear parallels between the sisters and their times. Although the time period is specific, the characters remain amazingly relatable and universal.

1. What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?

2. What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?

3. Do the characters seem real and believable? Did your opinions about any of the characters change over the course of the novel? How do characters change or evolve throughout the story?

4. In what ways do the events in the book reveal evidence of the author’s world view?

5. Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? Why? Did this lead to a new understanding of some aspect of your life you may not have thought about before?

6. I there a part of the novel you didn’t understand? Are you confused by a character’s actions or the outcome of an event?

7. What is your favorite passage?

8. Why do you think the author chose the title? Is there significant meaning behind it?