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taun 's review for:

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
3.0
challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

 
Ethan Frome stomps through the snow, lost in his imaginings of her arm tucked securely by his side, her warm smile and flushed cheeks turned up towards him, the glow of the dance still lingering in her steps as he escorts Mattie back home.

Stomping the snow off of theirs boots, Ethan opens the door to let Mattie through, only to find the sickly pallor of his wife waiting in the cold shadows of the kitchen.

Starved for the smallest hint of affection, destitute both in terms of money and love, Ethan Frome has lived a life of hardship. One tragedy builds upon another until one frosty night when longing pushes him to the limits of the human heart.


A mercifully short classic, with elements of forbidden love, a touch of mystery & a cast one cannot help but pity. This little book is set in the depths of a Massachusetts winter, making it the perfect book to cuddle up under a blanket with, preferably with a hot cuppa at hand.