Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

At 157 pages, this was a quick read and could likely be done in one sitting.

Well, you just know from the first page that Ethan has met his reckoning day and may be taking others along for the miserable ride. Young love, ignorance, and poverty are the ingredients for the ultimate of disasters.

Set in the fictitious town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, the dreary tale is narrated by an unnamed out of town engineer who unfolds the story slowly and meticulously as he and the reader learn the facts simultaneously.

Ethan Frome is a man not meant to live a happy life. The death of his father leads to the end of his education followed by his mother’s illness and subsequent death that results in his obligatory marriage to her caregiver.

Ethan’s wife, Zeena seems to live a wretched life parallel to her husband. Knowing she is in a loveless marriage, she spends her time and what little money is available on medical care for illnesses that are most likely imagined.

Zeena’s cousin, Mattie Silver comes to the Frome home to assist in the household and allow Zeena to get the rest she is presumably prescribed. The palpable chemistry between Ethan and Mattie leads to an ultimatum followed by a devastating accident.

I wouldn’t know where to begin with Ms. Wharton…author, landscape designer, traveller, animal lover. It seems she certainly lived her life to its fullest. Of course, I’d want to chat about her writing methods and would invite her for a garden party for two.

My rating for Ethan Frome is a 9 out of 10.

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Next up , Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho…