Sunday, January 17, 2010

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Unusual among Edith Wharton's work is Ethan Frome, a dramatic tale that takes us into the most private recesses of a remote New England village. Remarkable for its beauty and simplicity, this story of great love shadowed by tragedy has become an authentically American classic. (Taken from back cover)

Surprisingly, I loved Ethan Frome. I was really curious about this book, because I've never read any of Edith Wharton's work and my teacher hinted that this book would be about an affair. And it was actually very good. The book was written in 1911, so it wasn't too long ago. It's extremely short and gets to the point quickly, which I like. There is a lot of imagery and description in some parts, but it's written so beautifully that I didn't mind. The plot moved at a decent pace, the characterization was good, the ending was surprising. There is a bit of a twist that I wasn't expecting, which was refreshing because I usually can predict the endings of books pretty well. If you ever need to read any of Edith Wharton's work, whether for school or for fun, I would definitely recommend Ethan Frome.

7 out of 10.

3 comments:

Robby said...

I've always been interested in Edith Wharton's books. Maybe I'll pick up a few. :]

chocowafer said...

Since I've read The Age of Innocence, I've been wanting to read another novel by Edith Wharton. Ethan Frome sounds like a good pick! Thanks for the review! :)

Simply_Megan said...

I'm glad I could help!