Customer Reviews

Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome (Barron's Book Notes)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Inside a bare Massachussetts farmhouse a century ago, a man and two women sit down to dinner. Observing the unhappy trio is a traveler, forced to take shelter with the strange family because of the blizzard that rages outside. Of the three, one is proud, stoic, and hard-bitten; one is shrewish and whiny, and one works silently at the tasks that must be done -- stoking the fire, setting the table for dinner. What brought these three to their present state, and what holds them here in this living hell? This book is an incisive character study with an unexpected ending. The portrayal of the three in the final chapter left me with chills.

Edith Wharton filled her novels with a feeling of ruin, passion and restriction. People can fall in love, but rarely do things turn out well.

But but few of even her books can evoke the feeling of "Ethan Frome," whick packs plenty of emotion, vibrancy and regrets into a short novella. While the claustrophobic feeling doesn't suit her writing well, she still spins a beautiful, horrifying story of a man facing a life without hope or joy.

It begins nearly a quarter of a century after the events of the novel, with an unnamed narrator watching middle-aged, crippled Ethan Frome drag himself to the post-office. He becomes interested in Frome's tragic past, and hears out his story.

Ethan Frome once hoped to live an urban, educated life, but ended up trapped in a bleak New England town with a hypochondriac wife, Zeena, whom he didn't love. But then his wife's cousin Mattie arrives, a bright young girl who understands Ethan far better than his wife ever tried to. Unsurprisingly, he begins to fall in love with her, but still feels an obligation to his wife.

But then Zeena threatens to send Mattie away and hire a new housekeeper, threatening the one bright spot in Ethan's dour life. Now Ethan must either rebel against the morals and strictures of his small village, or live out his life lonely. But when he and Mattie try for a third option, their affair ends in tragedy.

Wharton was always at her best when she wrote about society's strictures, morals, and love that defies that. But rather than the opulent backdrop of wealthy New York, here the setting is a bleak, snowy New England town, appropriately named Starkfield. It's a good reflection of Ethan Frome's life, and a good illustration of how the poor can be trapped.

Even when she describes a "ruin of a man" in a cold, distant town, Wharton spins beautiful prose ("the night was so transparent that the white house-fronts between the elms looked gray against the snow") and eloquent symbolism, like the shattered pickle dish. There's only minimal dialogue -- most of what the characters think and feel is kept inside.

Instead she piles on the atmosphere, and increases the tension between the three main characters, as attraction and responsibility pull Ethan in two directions. It all finally climaxes in the disaster hinted at in the first chapter, which is as beautifully written and wistful as it is tragic.

If the book has a flaw, it's the incredibly small cast -- mainly just the main love triangle. Ethan's not a strong or decisive man, but his desperation and loneliness are absolutely heartbreaking, as well as his final fate. Mattie seems more like a symbol of the life he wants that a full-fledged person, and Zeena is annoying and whiny up until the end, when we see a different side of her personality. Not a stereotypical shrew.

"Ethan Frome" is a true tragedy -- as beautifully written as it is, it's still Wharton's description of how a man merely survives instead of living, hopeless and devastated.

I thought that this book was a great book. Instead of just telling the plot, Edith Wharton used a lot of symbolism to tell the story and show the characters emotions, because the point of view is that of an objective bystander. It isn't a very good book if you just want to read for plot, but if you want to read something a little deeper, it's a very interesting book.

As in many of Edith Wharton's works, Ethan Frome eloquently tells the story of a love that can never be, because of the trapping of society and moral obligation. Mattie's and Ethan's plight touches the deep recesses of the human soul. The beauty and ending sadness of this novel leaves one misty-eyed and tugs at the the heart strings. This is a delight to read. It is truly a treasure of 20th century literature.

I was able to find the book easily, it was available at a reasonable price. It was delivered sooner than estimated and in excellent condition; my daughter "loved" this book.

I thought Ethan Frome was an average book. At times though, I had to push myself to read it because I'm not really into romance novels. Edith Wharton (the Author) gives the book a lot of details at times and I think thats why I found the book to be only average. Although, I like the way that Edith Wharton brought Jotham into the story. He doesn't play a major role like Ethan, Zeena, or Mattie, but his character helped bring their house to life. The book was about a young lady who took care of Ethans mother in her last hours (Zeena) and Ethan and her begin to fall in love. The interesting twist to the story is that when Zeena begins to also have a life threatening disease, her cousin Mattie comes to live with them to help out around the house. Ethan and Mattie start to fall in love and the rest of the story takes off from there. I don't want to give away the ending because that is about the only part in the book that I actually liked and enjoyed reading.

Don't read this book! The book was too short to tell the story that was so long. The author was cleary trying to fulfill a publishing quota and didn't put the effort or thought that is necesary to create a good novel.

Edith Wharton is a wonderful author, but this is definitely NOT one of her better works. The story is not of her norm, and in my opinion she should have stayed with her standard story. The characters are not realistic: Mattie is perfect for Ethan, and Zeena is too overbearing and just plain evil. This book, although short, seems too long once you start reading it. Don't bother with this book.