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Carol's Reviews > Ethan Frome
Ethan Frome (Signet Classics)
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Because Edith Wharton was born in 1862 and this novel was written in 1911, I’ve always resisted reading the story fearing that it might contain florid prose and descriptions, which are often mind-numbing for me. Not only did I love it, I was reminded of one of my all time favorite novels, Stoner.
Ethan Frome was a mostly money strapped farmer in a miserable marriage while Stoner was raised by hard-working farm people. Both men were married to wives that were cold hearted, passive-aggressive and cruel.
Zenobia "Zeena" Frome is a hypochondriac but also cunning; and, she uses her obscure ailments to derail Ethan’s love affair with her young and beautiful cousin, Mattie Silver.
Stoner’s wife Edith, also demanding and manipulative, converted Stoner’s den into her art studio in order to deliberately thwart the shared time with his beloved daughter, Grace while he worked and she did her homework.
Ethan Frome and William Stoner were both wonderful characters in literature. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found the story compelling. But, I adored Stoner. My rating only reflects that this one suffers by comparison...not that it wasn't well-written and absorbing.
Ethan Frome was a mostly money strapped farmer in a miserable marriage while Stoner was raised by hard-working farm people. Both men were married to wives that were cold hearted, passive-aggressive and cruel.
Zenobia "Zeena" Frome is a hypochondriac but also cunning; and, she uses her obscure ailments to derail Ethan’s love affair with her young and beautiful cousin, Mattie Silver.
Stoner’s wife Edith, also demanding and manipulative, converted Stoner’s den into her art studio in order to deliberately thwart the shared time with his beloved daughter, Grace while he worked and she did her homework.
Ethan Frome and William Stoner were both wonderful characters in literature. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found the story compelling. But, I adored Stoner. My rating only reflects that this one suffers by comparison...not that it wasn't well-written and absorbing.
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Jul 28, 2019 08:17PM
Wonderful review, Carol! I was fortunate enough to purchase Edith Wharton's entire catalogue in one eBook volume for $1.99 - and this novel is one that some of our friends recommended reading first. I am so glad to see that you enjoyed this one so much - and now I need to find a space to bump it into! :)
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Jaline wrote: "Wonderful review, Carol! I was fortunate enough to purchase Edith Wharton's entire catalogue in one eBook volume for $1.99 - and this novel is one that some of our friends recommended reading first..."Thank you, Jaline. Great to have you back in action on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ! This isn't much more than a short story so it won't be hard to squeeze it into your space. :)
I love both books, but it's hard to compare anything to Stoner or Eventide, isn't it? I think it was Robin who mentioned in her review of this one that she approached it as a novella than a novel, and I think that sums it up nicely. If I have attributed this incorrectly to Robin, then I apologize, but she's wicked clever and deserves the credit either way!Poor Ethan! What a life.
Julie wrote: "I love both books, but it's hard to compare anything to Stoner or Eventide, isn't it? I think it was Robin who mentioned in her review of this one that she approached it as a novella than a novel, ..."Thanks for commenting, Julie. Someone did mention those two novels...not sure if it was Robin. She did have a "spoiler" that made me laugh. Yes, Ethan was certainly in a jam. It made me glad that divorce is an option nowadays. :)
Wonderful review Carol! I absolutely loved both books!
I can't remember if Robin has read Stoner, but I think her point was that Ethan Frome felt like a novella to her, rather than a full-fledged novel, so she reviewed it slightly lower, on that merit. Perhaps I should go look at her Ethan Frome review, so I'm not paraphrasing wrong here! (Or maybe I can summon her. . . Robin. . . Robin. . . Robin. . . please respond).In conclusion: I think you made perfect sense here!
Karen wrote: "Wonderful review Carol! I absolutely loved both books!"Thank you, Karen. Yes, both books were a pleasure to read!
Hello my darling Carol and Julie! I’ve been summoned I see. How wonderful! Julie is right about my rating of Ethan Frome, though the longer I think about it the stronger it resonates in my memory, and I think of it more in terms of five stars.
BTW I have read Stoner and loved it so I understand your rationale, Carol. Great review!
What a wonderful review, Carol! I loved the comparison between Ethan and Stoner.
Great comparison Carol. I read this one aeons before "Stoner", so I couldn't compare, but I guess I'd have rated it similarly if I had...
Robin wrote: "Hello my darling Carol and Julie! I’ve been summoned I see. How wonderful! Julie is right about my rating of Ethan Frome, though the longer I think about it the stronger it resonates in my memory, ..."Ha! I'm impressed with Julie's power of persuasion, Robin! I do remember your fine review; and, that "melodramatic" sledding image still makes me grin. Thanks for commenting on my review!
Robin,We need those rings that the Wonder Twins used to have. . . you press your ring and it lights up and the other twin appears.
Or perhaps you could just live in between Carol and me, in Denver? We could gather at your place for snarky book discussions.
I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve not read either but I enjoyed your comparisons. I’ll have to make a point of reading both.
Fabulous review, Carol. I'm currently reading Stoner and loving it to bits. Perhaps I should read this afterwards. Still to read Edith W.
Laysee wrote: "What a wonderful review, Carol! I loved the comparison between Ethan and Stoner."Thank you, Laysee. I've just perused a few of your reviews and I'm flattered that you've commented on mine.
Dolors wrote: "Great comparison Carol. I read this one aeons before "Stoner", so I couldn't compare, but I guess I'd have rated it similarly if I had..."Thanks, Dolors. I appreciate your comments!
Tammy wrote: "I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve not read either but I enjoyed your comparisons. I’ll have to make a point of reading both."Thank you kindly, Tammy. I plan to re-read Stoner. It's marvelous!
Katie wrote: "Fabulous review, Carol. I'm currently reading Stoner and loving it to bits. Perhaps I should read this afterwards. Still to read Edith W."Thanks, Katie! Your reviews are special so I'll be sure to circle back once you've finished Stoner.
Well, you said the magic word when you said it reminds you of Stoner. Will be adding this one to my list. A very fine review, Carol.
Zoeytron wrote: "Well, you said the magic word when you said it reminds you of Stoner. Will be adding this one to my list. A very fine review, Carol."Thanks for your terrific comments, Zoey! This is a novella so quick read.
Great review, Carol. Ethan Frome is a wonderful book and Wharton a fantastic author.
Dan wrote: "Great review, Carol. Ethan Frome is a wonderful book and Wharton a fantastic author."Thanks for commenting, Dan. My first novel by this author but not the last.
Such an interesting review. The comparison with Stoner has put this one further up my "to read" pile!
John wrote: "Such an interesting review. The comparison with Stoner has put this one further up my "to read" pile!"Thank you for commenting here, John. I hope that I haven't lead you astray.
I'm happy to take the risk Carol, based on the strength of your review!
A wonderful comparison with Stoner, Carol. I also enjoyed that book. It was terrible the way he was treated by his wife.
Elyse wrote: "Wow.... I loved EVERYTHING you said about this book ( I relate to her first couple of sentences too)...And you’ve soooo inspired me, Carol. THANK YOU!!!"
Well, thank you, Elyse! This isn't very long so not much of a time commitment.
Paula wrote: "A wonderful comparison with Stoner, Carol. I also enjoyed that book. It was terrible the way he was treated by his wife."No kidding! In both of those stories. Thank you for commenting, Paula!
