Book Forty-Four of the Book-a-Week QuestEthan Frome
by Edith Wharton (1911)
I read this book in ninth or tenth grade and remembered loving it. If someone asked me what my favorite book was, this would likely come to my mind. However, I hadn't read it in over a decade and I wondered whether it would hold up. Fortunately, it does.
Ethan Frome is a tragic love story set in the New England town of Starkfield in the late 1800s. The story's fairly simple. Ethan is married to the sickly Zeena whose constant pestering and bitterness irks him to no end. He begins to fall in love with Mattie, Zeena's cousin who has come to live with them in order to assist the somewhat invalid Zeena with chores. Mattie and Ethan both realize that any type of love affair between the two of them cannot come to fruition, however, they both long to escape the clutches of Zeena and run off together.
Anyone that's been reading this book-a-week blurbs knows that I'm not a fan of authors being overly descriptive. Wharton here is the exception. Her writing flows so effortlessly and elegantly. It'll sound silly, but she uses "common language," never pulling out the "big words" to make herself seem more important. Despite that (or perhaps because of that), there were certain passages in this book that I read over again because I loved the way she wrote them. I think another reason for enjoying the book as much as I do is that it's a love story (however unhappy it may be) told from a male perspective. That's a rare occurrence and it's pleasant to read.
I'm quite happy this book held up as well as it did for me. Now it's time to read something else by Ms. Wharton and see if I can claim another favorite author alongside Mr. Steinbeck.
Ethan Frome is a tragic love story set in the New England town of Starkfield in the late 1800s. The story's fairly simple. Ethan is married to the sickly Zeena whose constant pestering and bitterness irks him to no end. He begins to fall in love with Mattie, Zeena's cousin who has come to live with them in order to assist the somewhat invalid Zeena with chores. Mattie and Ethan both realize that any type of love affair between the two of them cannot come to fruition, however, they both long to escape the clutches of Zeena and run off together.
Anyone that's been reading this book-a-week blurbs knows that I'm not a fan of authors being overly descriptive. Wharton here is the exception. Her writing flows so effortlessly and elegantly. It'll sound silly, but she uses "common language," never pulling out the "big words" to make herself seem more important. Despite that (or perhaps because of that), there were certain passages in this book that I read over again because I loved the way she wrote them. I think another reason for enjoying the book as much as I do is that it's a love story (however unhappy it may be) told from a male perspective. That's a rare occurrence and it's pleasant to read.
I'm quite happy this book held up as well as it did for me. Now it's time to read something else by Ms. Wharton and see if I can claim another favorite author alongside Mr. Steinbeck.
So before I read your review, I saw the title and laughed while thinking a lot of the books youre reading i read all through school. its like reliving 7-12th grade all over again. thank you. and this was a good book too, i read it in 8th grade.
ReplyDeleteThat's me...reading all the books the high schoolers are reading...There are so many "classics" that everyone's read that I never did...
ReplyDeleteStill, I really love this book for some reason. It's not that it's a difficult read, but the way it's written is beautiful.