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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
Having never read Ethan Frome, or any of Edith Wharton's works for that matter, it occurred to me once I had completed it that there are many works of classic literature that have somehow escaped my notice. I've heard of many of them, of course, and could possibly even summarize their plots, but often, once they have acquired the cachet "classic", they only interest me superficially. I would like to read them so that I can say I've read them. I expect it to be a bit of a chore and a bit of a bore, and when I'm finished I'll feel obliged to rate a book with at least a Goodread's 4-star seal of approval even though in my head I'm thinking that at most it probably only elicits 3 stars.
When I had determined that Ethan Frome would make it onto my 2014 reading list, this was my mindset, and the copy I had checked out from the library went through a couple of renewal cycles without even a glance. (Those of you thinking that I'm a terrible library patron, rest assured that I always take care to see if other copies of a book are still available should someone want to request a copy.) Once I finally began to read the slim tale, I consumed it rapidly and rabidly, loving every word. These 4 stars are enthusiastically bestowed!
As molded by Wharton, Ethan is a simple man coping with a complex emotional situation, He grapples with society's norms and personal expectations pitted against his deepest yearnings. A romantic dreamer embodied in a coarse rawness, Ethan yearns for love and tenderness. Believing that it will be forever denied to him, he becomes convinced that a violent escape is the only answer and wrings a bitter fate from his unbearable circumstances.
When I had determined that Ethan Frome would make it onto my 2014 reading list, this was my mindset, and the copy I had checked out from the library went through a couple of renewal cycles without even a glance. (Those of you thinking that I'm a terrible library patron, rest assured that I always take care to see if other copies of a book are still available should someone want to request a copy.) Once I finally began to read the slim tale, I consumed it rapidly and rabidly, loving every word. These 4 stars are enthusiastically bestowed!
As molded by Wharton, Ethan is a simple man coping with a complex emotional situation, He grapples with society's norms and personal expectations pitted against his deepest yearnings. A romantic dreamer embodied in a coarse rawness, Ethan yearns for love and tenderness. Believing that it will be forever denied to him, he becomes convinced that a violent escape is the only answer and wrings a bitter fate from his unbearable circumstances.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading the introduction helped to put this one into context for me, for I've never formally studied Edith Wharton's works, merely taken to reading them these last few years and have just snatched up whatever was handy and read them in a rather random order, paying no attention to chronology. Looks like this was her self-avowed "Breakthrough" novel, the first time, she claimed, she became fully aware of her tools as a novelist and thus acts as a kind of watershed in her own estimation of her work. Be that as it may, and pace to her own fondness for the text given the satori that came with it, Ethan Frome fell a bit short of greatness for me, although it is quite effective tale and an affecting work of art in many ways.
Although I intellectually understand the frame narrative and the tale's intent at re-creating a certain sense of reality by giving us the tale in bits and pieces, as snatches of gossip and some sort of telepathic revelation achieved by simply spending the night in the Frome's farm--as critics have noted--most of the tale is told as if the narrator were there to see it all. Of course he was not there and no one who was there is likely to have told him any of the intimate feelings and visual details he tells us, so this narrative gesture toward some kind of realism didn't, for me anyway, achieve its aim. It just felt clumsy. I feel like the tale were better simply told in an omniscient voice as if it were there and saw it all with its 19th century narrative x-ray vision into human beings' hearts and minds.
Also, for the most part, the distance of this objective narrative voice's descriptions of the places, people, and events serves the tale well, making us guess at the motivations of the characters--with the exception of Ethan, into who's head the narrator often strays--and I actually loved the realism of that--for how often are we baffled by others' actions? Then, the most taciturn and mysterious character (Zeena) is suddenly described in an expository paragraph that both lays her motivations bare and felt contradictory, to me, to some of what we'd seen before and certainly what's to come in the denouement.
Still, despite a touch of clumsiness in the telling it's a mysterious and bleak tale of thwarted love full of empathy for the social class of which Mrs. Wharton (Nee Jones--of the "Keeping up with the Jones" Jones!) was not a member. Well worth a read!
PS I found it odd to have read two novels in a row with a female character named Zenobia, nickname Zeena. (The other was Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham. Then the introduction mentioned another one in Hawthorne's Blithedale Romance. probably should read that next to keep the steak alive...
Although I intellectually understand the frame narrative and the tale's intent at re-creating a certain sense of reality by giving us the tale in bits and pieces, as snatches of gossip and some sort of telepathic revelation achieved by simply spending the night in the Frome's farm--as critics have noted--most of the tale is told as if the narrator were there to see it all. Of course he was not there and no one who was there is likely to have told him any of the intimate feelings and visual details he tells us, so this narrative gesture toward some kind of realism didn't, for me anyway, achieve its aim. It just felt clumsy. I feel like the tale were better simply told in an omniscient voice as if it were there and saw it all with its 19th century narrative x-ray vision into human beings' hearts and minds.
Also, for the most part, the distance of this objective narrative voice's descriptions of the places, people, and events serves the tale well, making us guess at the motivations of the characters--with the exception of Ethan, into who's head the narrator often strays--and I actually loved the realism of that--for how often are we baffled by others' actions? Then, the most taciturn and mysterious character (Zeena) is suddenly described in an expository paragraph that both lays her motivations bare and felt contradictory, to me, to some of what we'd seen before and certainly what's to come in the denouement.
Still, despite a touch of clumsiness in the telling it's a mysterious and bleak tale of thwarted love full of empathy for the social class of which Mrs. Wharton (Nee Jones--of the "Keeping up with the Jones" Jones!) was not a member. Well worth a read!
PS I found it odd to have read two novels in a row with a female character named Zenobia, nickname Zeena. (The other was Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham. Then the introduction mentioned another one in Hawthorne's Blithedale Romance. probably should read that next to keep the steak alive...
Apparently this is a high school text in America. I assume that this is because it is so short and therefore easier to get the kids to read it than say Infinite Jest. But boy is this one sad tale.
Surely you know what this one is about? It often feels like the majority of Goodreads members consists of American teenagers so forgive me for the assumption. I do not believe that the following paragraph is a spoiler as it's pretty much spelled out in the blurb but if you are delicate to these things I advise skipping ahead.
There's this guy Ethan, he never really knew how to make friends, he was quiet and took some slight pleasure in being bullied because at least it was contact with other humans. You might have found him starring in that movie Elephant if his life was transposed to 21st Century America. He lives in some tiny village that gets snowed in an awful lot, this doesn't help his constitution and then he parents die and he marries his cousin because he can't stand to be alone. Turns out his cousin is a giant nutjob hypochondriac and will believe any old mystic herbalist put in front of her. Then his cousin/wife invites her cousin to come be her slave and a domestic love triangle late 19th Century style happens.
Ever since I heard Tellison sing about Edith Wharton knowing about love and sacrifice I've been intrigued by her writing and I admit to being both impressed and underwhelmed. For a while I didn't think I would find anything to say about this novel, it kind of left me nonplussed.
But in true Toby style I am claiming my references from cinema and the more I can compare the sad tale of Ethan Frome to Brief Encounter, Secrets & Lies, The Deep Blue Sea etc. the happier I become. All this repression is painted in such a manner as to leave you feeling claustrophobic and it is this that has the largest effect upon the reader. The surreptitious glances and slightest of physical contact, the desire to do something that you know is wrong but feels so right and the oppressive knowledge that none of them possess the strength to make themselves happy, these things combine to create a portrait of a sad man in a bad position of his own making and that is Ethan Frome. I find it no surprise at all that Terence Davies directed the movie adaptation of another Edith Wharton novel, [b:The House of Mirth|17728|The House of Mirth|Edith Wharton|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328729186s/17728.jpg|1652564], as his sensibilities are perfectly in keeping with those of the author.
The brevity of this piece is probably the major issue I have with it, I would like to have explored the relationships in a lot more depth so that the inevitible denouement carried more weight but you can't have everything and at only 77 pages Wharton manages to capture a lot more than you might expect from such a slight novella.
Surely you know what this one is about? It often feels like the majority of Goodreads members consists of American teenagers so forgive me for the assumption. I do not believe that the following paragraph is a spoiler as it's pretty much spelled out in the blurb but if you are delicate to these things I advise skipping ahead.
There's this guy Ethan, he never really knew how to make friends, he was quiet and took some slight pleasure in being bullied because at least it was contact with other humans. You might have found him starring in that movie Elephant if his life was transposed to 21st Century America. He lives in some tiny village that gets snowed in an awful lot, this doesn't help his constitution and then he parents die and he marries his cousin because he can't stand to be alone. Turns out his cousin is a giant nutjob hypochondriac and will believe any old mystic herbalist put in front of her. Then his cousin/wife invites her cousin to come be her slave and a domestic love triangle late 19th Century style happens.
Ever since I heard Tellison sing about Edith Wharton knowing about love and sacrifice I've been intrigued by her writing and I admit to being both impressed and underwhelmed. For a while I didn't think I would find anything to say about this novel, it kind of left me nonplussed.
"Find yourself somebody to love
Try to find somebody to love you back
Don’t keep your heart with a lock and key
Put all your trust in me"
But in true Toby style I am claiming my references from cinema and the more I can compare the sad tale of Ethan Frome to Brief Encounter, Secrets & Lies, The Deep Blue Sea etc. the happier I become. All this repression is painted in such a manner as to leave you feeling claustrophobic and it is this that has the largest effect upon the reader. The surreptitious glances and slightest of physical contact, the desire to do something that you know is wrong but feels so right and the oppressive knowledge that none of them possess the strength to make themselves happy, these things combine to create a portrait of a sad man in a bad position of his own making and that is Ethan Frome. I find it no surprise at all that Terence Davies directed the movie adaptation of another Edith Wharton novel, [b:The House of Mirth|17728|The House of Mirth|Edith Wharton|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328729186s/17728.jpg|1652564], as his sensibilities are perfectly in keeping with those of the author.
“They seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods”
The brevity of this piece is probably the major issue I have with it, I would like to have explored the relationships in a lot more depth so that the inevitible denouement carried more weight but you can't have everything and at only 77 pages Wharton manages to capture a lot more than you might expect from such a slight novella.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the book that made me love unreliable narrators -- and that isn't a spoiler, since the narrator sets you up for that from the introduction. I re-read this during the first big snowstorm of every winter, for reasons that will become obvious when you read it! You *can* read it just for the story, but it's best to read it when you really want to mull something over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Two of the main characters have physical disabilities and this is a major plot point. At one point, you will learn in detail how the disabilities began via injury . If you are triggered by suicide, you should be aware that as part of what's discussed in the previous spoiler, you'll read about two of the main characters unsuccessfully acting on a joint suicide attempt. One of the main characters considers suicide again at the end of the novella but then decides against it. Both of these themes are used as part of the broader themes of rural life, its difficulties, and the social pressures people in small communities live under.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is a perfect novella for winter reading.
I grew up knowing the title but not being familiar with the story itself. After reading it I can say it’s a frame narrative where our unnamed narrator is like “who’s this quiet guy Ethan with the physical disability? what’s his story?” The people in town tell him what they can but it’s not much. It’s not until Narrator meets Ethan when E attempts to drive him to a jobsite in the middle of a snowstorm and they have to spend the night at the Frome homestead that Ethan’s backstory unfolds.
I will leave it at that. The structure of the story works. The length of it works.
I grew up knowing the title but not being familiar with the story itself. After reading it I can say it’s a frame narrative where our unnamed narrator is like “who’s this quiet guy Ethan with the physical disability? what’s his story?” The people in town tell him what they can but it’s not much. It’s not until Narrator meets Ethan when E attempts to drive him to a jobsite in the middle of a snowstorm and they have to spend the night at the Frome homestead that Ethan’s backstory unfolds.
I will leave it at that. The structure of the story works. The length of it works.
My first work by Edith Wharton,and while I love how she writes and the way the story is set up, I wish there would’ve been more to make me care about the main character.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes