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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm glad I read Ethan Frome, because it is considered a classic and it wasn't a long, drawn out read at all, however, the story seems somewhat irrelevant and insubstantial. Ethan is annoyingly hesitant and indecisive, and the female characters seem dim and unlife-like. I have never read any Wharton before this, but I am planning to read The Age of Innocence, which has a suspiciously similar love situation according to the synopsis. Still, I am happy I read it, even if it was underwhelming. It goes towards my yearly reading goal and is another classic I now have the knowledge to discuss.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ethan Frome portraits relationships in a very dark but interesting manner. The bitterness of the wife and the loss of cheerfulness of the young girl after the tragedy mark this story. He is between their worlds or love, resignation and resentment.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A story of resigned reasonableness and painful sparks of hope
It pays to be patient with Ethan Frome as its melancholic conflict doesn't truly take hold until the breaking of a pickle dish. From that moment on, author Edith Wharton wrings a towel of tension tighter and tighter as an unassuming and pathetic farmer works up the nerve to escape his domineering and ailing wife. And then, when we've settled into one expected outcome or another, the author snaps the one wet end of the taught towel, hitting us with an unfulfilling but ironic twist.
The appeal of this timeless and tragic novel can only be explained by a never-ending audience of people who can relate to Frome's circumstances. He has made his bed and expects to lie in it for better or worse, mostly worse. Setting the story against the harsh cold of a New England winter only underpins his misery. He is a man who works an unproductive farm, shoulders additional burdens for his neighbors, and supports a hopeless marriage to an unappreciative spouse.
Is it any wonder that Frome will fall for his wife's life-in cousin after being granted the smallest of courtesies and kindnesses? And is it any wonder that he would struggle with making even one bold move toward his happiness? And is it any wonder that his crime of indecision should solidify a life sentence? The real tragedy is that Ethan Frome, even after 110 years, is not alone.
The appeal of this timeless and tragic novel can only be explained by a never-ending audience of people who can relate to Frome's circumstances. He has made his bed and expects to lie in it for better or worse, mostly worse. Setting the story against the harsh cold of a New England winter only underpins his misery. He is a man who works an unproductive farm, shoulders additional burdens for his neighbors, and supports a hopeless marriage to an unappreciative spouse.
Is it any wonder that Frome will fall for his wife's life-in cousin after being granted the smallest of courtesies and kindnesses? And is it any wonder that he would struggle with making even one bold move toward his happiness? And is it any wonder that his crime of indecision should solidify a life sentence? The real tragedy is that Ethan Frome, even after 110 years, is not alone.