A review by wohnjick
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

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? Yes

1.0

There is nothing to like here.  Ethan Frome is a loser who's entire purpose in this book is to cheat on his sick wife Zeena (who's also his cousin, just for funsies) because she isnt as cheerful as her cousin Mattie who's arrived as a housekeeper. All three of these characters are unlikable: Ethan is a cheating loser, Mattie is a merciless homewrecker, and Zeena (who is perhaps the only character who isnt an outright loser) is also just annoying and rude. I also dont understand the moral of the story: Ethan ends up with a worse life than he did before, Mattie becomes bitter and helpless, and Zeena gets burdened with taking care of them both; nobody wins and nothing changes except for the worse for everyone (yet neither Ethan nor Mattie are ever condemned by Wharton for their actions?). Wharton's prose is also subpar; never are there flashes of brilliance and I found her way of attempting to write in a southern accent annoying and shoehorned. The only thing this book has going for it is that it's short, so at least it ends quickly