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31st out of 682 books
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2,057 voters
Ethan Frome
Ethan Frome works his unproductive farm and struggles to maintain a bearable existence with his difficult, suspicious, and hypochondriac wife, Zeenie. But when Zeenie's vivacious cousin enters their household as a "hired girl", Ethan finds himself obsessed with her and with the possibilities for happiness she comes to represent.
In one of American fiction's finest and most...more
In one of American fiction's finest and most...more
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
October 25th 2005
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1911)
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spoilers?? what spoilers??
i have changed my stance on the cover. a) initially, i thought that it was showing an altogether different type of activity, and then b) when ariel called it a spoiler, i reinterpreted it to something else and was still wrong, and then c) everything that may potentially be spoiled is pretty much spelled out in the first ten pages. so is that a spoiler, or is that foreshadowing??
tomato, potato...
what is so excellent about this book is that it is not at all a depressing...more
Oct 30, 2012
Shovelmonkey1
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
for people who've got a little winters chill in their hearts
Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by:
1001 books list
I have been on a bit of a four-star roll recently and am beginning to fear that I accidentally pressed against my generous ratings button when I was slumped against the bookcase last week trying to figure out what to read next. It's cold and dreary outside and I was seeking something warm and fuzzy, maybe a bit light hearted or some sort of serial fantasy to see me through the onset of the winter months.... and then my hand brushed by the spine of Ethan Frome...
Which is clearly none of the thing...more
Which is clearly none of the thing...more
35 likes · like · see review
August 2012
(view spoiler)
Good news, everyone!
Or rather, good news, everyone who had to read Ethan Frome in high school or college and developed a fanatical hatred of Edith Wharton and all her works...more
(view spoiler)
Good news, everyone!
Or rather, good news, everyone who had to read Ethan Frome in high school or college and developed a fanatical hatred of Edith Wharton and all her works...more
15 likes · like · see review
This is a romantic tragedy that culminates in a sledding accident. I will just say a few brief words about that. First, there is probably a reason that sledding accidents don't figure more prominently in tragedies. Shakespeare wrote like 13 tragedies and to the best of my knowledge none featured a sledding accident (I have not read Titus Andronicus, so I can't be sure). If Shakespeare doesn't need to include a sled wreck, then neither do you.
I will also say that I found Ethan and Mattie's attemp...more
I will also say that I found Ethan and Mattie's attemp...more
60 likes · like · see review
If you told me this was a longish deleted segment of Winesburg, Ohio, I would totally believe you, even taking into account the fact that one of the books was written by Sherwood Anderson and the other by Edith Wharton. Like the stories in that much revered short story cycle (no not novel), Ethan Frome concerns itself with grim characters burdened by unfulfilled dreams, dreams unfulfilled because of the strictures of society or their own inability to truly sieze the day. A chilly atmosphere, a g...more
21 likes · like · see review
This book is a good one to read if you live with someone who has also read it. This way, any time there is a lull in the conversation you can talk about how depressing it is. Conversations between me and my roommate often go something like this:
"You know what I was just thinking about? Ethan Frome."
"GOD. That book is so depressing."
"I know, right."
The book is not only enjoyable, but also a great conversation piece. Do not read it if you cannot stand unhappy endings.
"You know what I was just thinking about? Ethan Frome."
"GOD. That book is so depressing."
"I know, right."
The book is not only enjoyable, but also a great conversation piece. Do not read it if you cannot stand unhappy endings.
30 likes · like · see review
Aug 30, 2007
George
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
drivers who don't use turn signals, people who talk out loud in a movie theater during the film
"Hey Mrs. Kinetta, are you still inflicting all that horrible Ethan Frome damage on your students?" - John Cusack, Grosse Pointe Blank
If you're looking for a book with an ever-increasing level of misery, this one is hard to beat. Try this test the next time you're with a group of your friends: just mention "Ethan Frome" out loud, and see how many of them groan audibly.
If you're looking for a book with an ever-increasing level of misery, this one is hard to beat. Try this test the next time you're with a group of your friends: just mention "Ethan Frome" out loud, and see how many of them groan audibly.
41 likes · like · see review
Feb 16, 2012
Susie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiftyfiftyme,
1001-books-list
Finally, I have the right word for this predicament: When a capable author uses her prowess to create a work whose sole purpose seems to be to depress the reader, it can be described as Frome. This word can also be used as a verb, noun, adjective (Frome-ish, Frome-ier, etc), adverb (Frome-ly), etc. to similarly describe the effect it has on the reader, (ie, "I was Fromed.")
An example used in a sentence may be: "John Steinbeck was clearly suffering from a touch of the Frome when he penned The Pe...more
An example used in a sentence may be: "John Steinbeck was clearly suffering from a touch of the Frome when he penned The Pe...more
19 likes · like · see review
Sep 09, 2008
Johnny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Johnny by:
William Chu
Shelves:
literature
Ever read a book as required reading (in high school or college) and then, rediscover it as an adult? Ethan Frome had receded to the dark recesses of my mind such that I had even forgotten that I had read it. I remembered reading Age of Innocence, but good old Ethan had left my mental building. When my youngest son left his retired textbook edition at my house (an old Scribner’s edition in trade paperback priced at $1.25 original price—oh for those days again!), I grudgingly put it on one of my...more
28 likes · like · see review
The image of two lovers driving a sled into a tree so they can commit dual suicide, but who in fact only end up severely crippling themselves, has not left me since I first read this book. I wouldn't recommend letting anyone under the age of 15 read this book purely for that reason (I mean, what kind of image is that to have floating around your head?). This novel is very claustrophobic and tragic. It was also the subject of my first-ever real, full-blown research paper, so it's intimately conne...more
5 likes · like · see review
May 01, 2010
Tatiana
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Tatiana by:
1001 Must Read Before You Die list
I love Edith Wharton, but honestly I don't understand why Ethan Frome is considered one of her best works.
Firstly, reading it, I felt like I'd already heard this story before. This novella about a man who is confined by his social status and unhappy marriage, and unable to realize his desires - be that a different profession or marriage to a different woman - is just all too familiar. Of course, Wharton's writing is as always remarkable, but the story itself is not impressive. Maybe my coldness...more
Firstly, reading it, I felt like I'd already heard this story before. This novella about a man who is confined by his social status and unhappy marriage, and unable to realize his desires - be that a different profession or marriage to a different woman - is just all too familiar. Of course, Wharton's writing is as always remarkable, but the story itself is not impressive. Maybe my coldness...more
6 likes · like · see review
Jesus H Christ but this is bleak stuff! Even the town name Wharton chose, Starkfield....holy shit, hide the guns, rope and knives!
I was born and raised in New England, wandering about the wooded, hilly landscapes of Massachusetts, Vahmont, New Hampshah and Maine for much of my youth. The Springs and Summers were green and alive. The Autumns and Winters were dark and dead. So half the year was glorious, good times and the other half you spent desperately trying to survive. Ethan Frome is solidly...more
I was born and raised in New England, wandering about the wooded, hilly landscapes of Massachusetts, Vahmont, New Hampshah and Maine for much of my youth. The Springs and Summers were green and alive. The Autumns and Winters were dark and dead. So half the year was glorious, good times and the other half you spent desperately trying to survive. Ethan Frome is solidly...more
19 likes · like · see review
A brutal little novella, mean, sad and despairing, evocatively told - but too short (i.e., character- and detail-scarce) to pack the kind of wallop that House of Mirth did. Wharton's capacity to create a downward arc for her characters (view spoiler) is singular, and the furious engine that burns at the heart of her books.
8 likes · like · see review
Ethan Frome is the story of Ethan Frome, a young man settled in an unhappy marraige who falls in love with his wife's young cousin Mattie Smith.
This story was terrible. My AP English class ate it up, but in my opinion, all the charectors are self-centered and think only of themselves. They are incapable of realizing what they are doing to eachother because all they can think of is themselves. Each charector is also extremely weak and lacks self control. Bottom line, This book is not a must read.
This story was terrible. My AP English class ate it up, but in my opinion, all the charectors are self-centered and think only of themselves. They are incapable of realizing what they are doing to eachother because all they can think of is themselves. Each charector is also extremely weak and lacks self control. Bottom line, This book is not a must read.
8 likes · like · see review
Hated, HATED reading this in high school. Upon a re-read a decade later: I don't hate it anymore, but the story, being domestic misery itself -- misery: unattractive, mundane, and absolutely suffocating -- is no walk in the freaking park. I'll concede that Ch. 8's conclusion is pretty stunning in laying out in a few sentences the hopelessness of Ethan's situation, and the ending has a similar effect. The wintry atmosphere is extremely well-done, and from the many over-the-top metaphors (but what...more
5 likes · like · see review
Nov 30, 2007
RachelAnne
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people wanting to commit suicide but in need of more motivation to end it all.
Shelves:
historical,
novels
HATE! Wharton as usual writes well enough to make you sympathetic with characters forever imprisoned in bleakly miserable lives with no hope of redemption. One would inflict this on oneself willingly WHY?
Elegant version: The overall story and the characters seemed to embody a cautionary tale, and I'm not even sure of the point of the whole thing. It seemed to merely exist without a clear direction, and wallowed in its own bleak misery. It is akin to listening to a broken man mumbling to himself while not being certain that he's even aware that you are listening to him.
Rude version with spoilers and cursing: (view spoiler)...more
Rude version with spoilers and cursing: (view spoiler)...more
4 likes · like · see review
If you're looking for a punch in the gut that matches the solar plexus thumping you got from "Of Mice and Men," this is where you want to be.
Reading the other reviews that are listed here, I'm glad I never got assigned this in school. That apparently ruins the book.
Ethan's easy to judge. He's not perfect, and he blames fate for his situation when he should be blaming himself. Sure, he grew up on the Baltic-Avenue part of the board, and he has to farm, and his wife's a witch and stuff. But nobod...more
Reading the other reviews that are listed here, I'm glad I never got assigned this in school. That apparently ruins the book.
Ethan's easy to judge. He's not perfect, and he blames fate for his situation when he should be blaming himself. Sure, he grew up on the Baltic-Avenue part of the board, and he has to farm, and his wife's a witch and stuff. But nobod...more
7 likes · like · see review
Edith Wharton is certainly one of my favorite author. I remember I was first captivated by her short story called “Roman Fever” and then amazed by “The age of Innocence”. What fascinates me about her is how well she narrates her story. The language may seem easy compared to other works in her time, but is certainly beautiful and flowing. Her works is always a fast-moving page-turner for me.
I just love how she describes the bleak-winter-rural area of New England in "Ethan Frome". The atmosphere...more
I just love how she describes the bleak-winter-rural area of New England in "Ethan Frome". The atmosphere...more
9 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In spite of her apparent recurring theme of forbidden love, I may never get enough of Edith Wharton. Does anyone write so beautifully?
In any case, Ethan Frome - the man - is a tragic character to whom I am drawn. He wanted more of life. I wanted more for him. The first chapter...more
She pronounced the word married as if her voice caressed it. It seemed a rustling covert leading to enchanted glades.As I have professed being non-romantic, why is it I keep finding myself drawn to such delicious quotes?
In any case, Ethan Frome - the man - is a tragic character to whom I am drawn. He wanted more of life. I wanted more for him. The first chapter...more
4 likes · like · see review
Haaaaaate. Though I will say this for Edith, it's not entirely her fault. A lovely**** woman named Carol A. Powers holds much of the responsibility for my grudge against this book. Not all, but a good amount. The book does suck on its own merits.
Let me tell you something. While I have no professional training in education, I can say this with absolute certainty: the way to teach teenagers literature is not - I repeat, NOT - to force them to memorize it.
This book does have a small place in my hea...more
Let me tell you something. While I have no professional training in education, I can say this with absolute certainty: the way to teach teenagers literature is not - I repeat, NOT - to force them to memorize it.
This book does have a small place in my hea...more
5 likes · like · see review
I just read this book for the first time because it seemed like the kind of thing that one should have read prior to becoming an English teacher. First of all, Edith Wharton was born in New York, lived in Paris, was nee Jones, as in the family from which the expression "keeping up with the Joneses" was derived -- why the f#ck is she writing about blizzard-stricken Western Mass.? And second of all, this entire book reminded me of the Annie Hall shtick about the horrible and the miserable. First h...more
This is such a sad, sad story. Oh Ethan, saddled with a wife who's convinced she's chronically ill, poor, and running a farm that barely shows a living let alone a profit, the one bright light in his life is Mattie, his wife's cousin. And when Zeena decides she's just that much more ill that she needs even more help around the house, she wants to send Mattie away and replace her with a "hired" girl. Ethan, in love with Mattie from perhaps the instant she arrived in his life, feels torn between r...more
Aug 17, 2007
John Wiswell
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Literary readers who love the depressing stuff
Bleak fiction for bleak fiction’s sake about a miserable man in an inescapable, loveless marriage and his desire for another woman. Hollow and myopic, easily one of the most disappointing experiences I’ve ever had with a supposed classic. Other gothics would earn their tragedy, but this is just cold. If it has any merit it is an argument against theodicy, for look what gods we make when we play as authors.
Don't bother reading Ethan Frome. Go sledding instead.
Don't bother reading Ethan Frome. Go sledding instead.
10 likes · like · see review
At first, I was expecting this to be a boring read because it is a Classic and a bit older. Turns out, I was very wrong! This book is told by an unknown narrator who becomes extremely interested in Ethan Frome's life. He learns Frome had been in a horrible accident about 20 years ago, which everyone calls Ethan's "smash-up." When a huge snowstorm hits New England, the narrator is forced to stay overnight in Frome's house, where he learns the details he's been looking for. Then the book flashes b...more
1 like · like · see review
Pretty good. :) I loved the writing style; the descriptions were very vivid. I didn't exactly "like" the characters, but I "believed" them, which I guess is more important. There were times when I felt like Wharton was sort of beating us over the head with symbolism, but I liked the realism and that it didn't end the way I expected. So, over all I liked it.
2 likes · like · see review
ok, so Friar gets major props on this one...I loved it! It's a short read so there isn't much to review....well, there is LOTS to review...but to do so would give too much away....I shall instead say only that this reminded me of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson....well it remind me of it all except for the fact that I hated "The Lottery" and I LOVED THIS ONE!!!! I will instead include a few quotes for your reading pleasure.....Let me tell you, Edith Wharton really knows how to string words toge...more
Ethan Frome is more of a novella than a full length novel. However that is not to say that the story lacks any of the depth of longer novels. No indeed as the precise and yet beautiful language aids to promote a very deep and in many ways chilling tragedy of a tale.
If I were to subtitle Ethan Frome it could read something like: 'or why not to marry a hypochondriac wife and then allow a young attractive girl to board at your house.' Of course I suspect the subtitle would be rather long, be impra...more
If I were to subtitle Ethan Frome it could read something like: 'or why not to marry a hypochondriac wife and then allow a young attractive girl to board at your house.' Of course I suspect the subtitle would be rather long, be impra...more
4 likes · like · see review
[Isn't this just the most delicious cover ever!? Source]
Ethan Frome
I read Ethan Frome for the first time in college and immediately fell in love. This book is written unlike any of Wharton's other books, but still contains some of the same themes of isolation and redemption. We read it with Our Town. Over the years I've taken to called this unit the Small Town Unit, as we explore the plusses and minuses of small town life and the gloriousness of being alive through these two works. I've...more
2 likes · like · see review
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who else sympathised with Zeena? | 15 | 48 | Mar 17, 2013 02:05am | |
| What do you think about Wharton's subject matter? | 1 | 11 | Mar 15, 2013 06:19pm | |
| review | 28 | 102 | Mar 14, 2013 08:09pm | |
| Gina Berriault's Short Story | 1 | 9 | Feb 17, 2013 10:37am |
Edith Newbold Jones was born into such wealth and privilege that her family inspired the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses." The youngest of three children, Edith spent her early years touring Europe with her parents and, upon the family's return to the United States, enjoyed a privileged childhood in New York and Newport, Rhode Island. Edith's creativity and talent soon became obvious: By the a...more
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“I want to put my hand out and touch you. I want to do for you and care for you. I want to be there when you're sick and when you're lonesome.”
—
9 people liked it
“He seemed a part of the mute melancholy landscape, an incarnation of it's frozen woe, with all that was warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface; but there was nothing nothing unfriendly in his silence. I simply felt that he lived in a depth of moral isolation too remote for casual access, and I had the sense that his loneliness was not merely the result of his personal plight, tragic as I guessed that to be, but had in it, as Harmon Gow had hinted, the profound accumulated cold of many Starkfield winters.”
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5 people liked it
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