Book Review of “Ethan Frome” by Edith Wharton

By  Nell Simon

The novel Ethan Frome was inspired by a sledding accident that Edith Warton heard about in Massachusettes in 1904.

Ethan Frome opens in a fictional New England town, “Starkfield”, with a description of “a ruin of a man”, a state he has been in since his “smash-up” years earlier. For the first few pages, the narrator collects pieces of Ethan Frome’s story and then puts them together for the reader. Not only does the story focus on Ethan, but it also focuses on his wife Zeena and her cousin Mattie, with whom Ethan becomes very close.

Although slow-moving at times, his story contains secrecy and a forbidden affair which ends in tragedy. The book is captivating and it is also a quick read.

Ethan Frome is considered a classic American novel and is well-deserving of that reputation.