Ethan Frome

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Summary: Powerful moral lessons, but no entertainment value
Review: This classic by Edith Wharton features two powerful lessons for young people: 1) Don't be in any rush to get married - someone better might come along, and 2) Suicide is not necessarily the free ride that people make it out to be. These lessons aside, there really isn't much to the story. Ethan is a proud New Englander torn between his loyalty for his sickly, antagonistic wife, and the fresh and desirable young Mattie with whom he is falling in love. Overall, the story moves pretty slowly, building towards one final, selfish act. There really isn't a lot of subtle insight into Ethan's personality - he's far more one-dimensional than is commonly recognized, and the novel suffers from being overripe with melodrama. This book might be popular among teen-aged 'drama queens' who may be impressed with the way that Ethan's deeply felt emotions and weakness for the Grand Gesture echo their own personal longings for a passionate life (or possibly mate), but many readers will find this story either pointlessly depressing (the romantics), or an exemplar for brutal divine justice (the moralists). With its excessive seriousness and self-importance, no wonder so many high school students are turned off by classic literature. This story's setting seems as far removed from the 21st Century as Robinson Crusoe, and the plot scarcely merits more than a good short story. Understandably, the modern high school needs to teach books that make valid points and use literary devices, etc., but if these books completely fail to entertain, we risk raising a generation of young people for whom reading fiction is a tedious chore rather than a treasured opportunity.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely, breath-taking story
Review: You must read this if you haven't. This story is short, swift, and capturing. It is both unusual and realistic! I got so wrapped up in the characters, I felt as though I knew them. And the book's conclusion... my mouth was simply hanging open.

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Summary: JOSE COLON
Review: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is a pretty good book! Ethan marries Zeena, because Zeena was taking care of his sick mother. Ethan had no way of repaying her for her work, so he married Zeena. Zeena became ill and wasn't able to do any work around the house. Zeena sent to get her cousin Mattie to help around the house. As time goes by Ethan falls in love with Mattie. Zeena has some clue that their is something going on between them. She tells Ethan that she is going to send Mattie away and bring someone who is more helpful. Ethan doesn't want her to leave and he wants to leave with her, but doesn't have enough money. While Ethan is taking Mattie to the train station they stop and get on a sleigh one last time. There is a sharp turn at the hill and an elm tree in front, and they wanted to hit the tree and died. They did hit the tree but did not died. Zeena ended up taking care of both of them, and they all lived together in the farm!

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Summary: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Review: When my english teacher told us we had to read Ethan Frome, I believed that is was going to be boring. To my surprise it was interesting and caught my attention from the start. The book had a surprise ending because Ethan ended up living with both Zeena and Mattie. In the end it was ironic because all three turned into the person they disliked. Ethan became cranky just like Zeena, Mattie became paralyzed which meant she had to depend on someone like Zeena did in the start and Zeena had to take care of Mattie like Mattie took care of her in the start. In concluson I recommend this book to readers who like sad love stories. Another thing I liked about this book is that you could picture this happening to someone in the world or like this situation.

Rating:
Summary: Winter Love Story
Review: This story is the type that you could read when you are bored. "Ethan Frome" is intresting and you do get attached to the characters. The story plot is alright, but it could have expanded more. I liked the moral it was trying to teach. I got the idea that the moral of the story was to be careful of who you marry and marry when you are really in love. The ending had alot of irony in it. I mean, Zeena was barely capable of standing her own illness, and than she was left incharge of taking care of both Mattie and Ethan. If Ethan was smarter and would have thought of the situation more throughly, he and Mattie wouldn't end up the way they did. He has always lived a bitter, miserable life, and his actions with Mattie weren't any better. Overall, the story was pretty decent. I did enjoy it some what, but I really didn't like the ending.

Rating:
Summary: Winter Love Story
Review: Ethan Frome was one of those stories that you could sit down and read whenever you are bored. It wasn't all that intresting, but you do grow attached to the characters. You want to know what happens next to Ethan Frome, Zeena, and Mattie. The book is a sad, love winter story, with an ironic ending. I personally was rather surprised at the way the story ended. I was rather upset at the way Ethan learned how to handle his love situation. If he were more brighter and thought more, he wouldn't have based his life on his dreams. The story gives out a good message on love and life. Overall, the story is worth reading, but I expected more out of it.

Rating:
Summary: Sad Love Winter Story
Review: For starters, the beginning and ending of "Ethan Frome" were rather surprising. This story is ironic in many ways. It's based on love, yet the story itself is gloomy and depressing. This story can relate to how many humans are weak when it comes to love and life situations. I think that the plot of the story had good intentions. Yet this story was just too sad to be proclaimed as a lovely love story. The ending of the story was, in a way, kind of confusing. Yet let me not ruin it for the future readers and leave off by saying that "Ethan Frome" was an overall good story. It's very catchy and you become intrested into what will happen to the characters towards the ending.

Rating:
Summary: Just TOO depressing
Review: This book is just too depressing. But those who say (like Louis Gallo above) that Ethan would just have gotten a divorce are missing the point. The world was not always so free of social constraints as it is now and that is why the characters are stuck in their destructive situation. Today we all just do what we want free from strong senses of obligation but that was not the world that this book is taking place in!! One has to LEARN about the time setting and have some notion that the world has changed! But this book goes over the top for depressing and I would not read it again.

Rating:
Summary: The WORST book in the history of ink!!!
Review: Some people would say it's wrong to destroy literature but after reading Ethan Frome they might have to rethink their position. This is probably the most god awful book in literary history!! And if it disappeared from the face of the Earth I gather that nobody would miss it. It still boggles the mind why many English classes force kids to read this piece of garbage. Ethan Frome is a worm with no backbone who was afraid to stand up to his overbearing wife. Period!! The story is irrelevant to life in the 21st century. If you are unhappy in a marriage you'd get a divorce. This book is tedious, depressing and most of all it's BORING!! Take the money you would have otherwise flushed down the toilet on this load and go see Lord Of The Rings again.

I do have to say one thing though. If Ethan Frome and Edith Wharton hadn't bored me out of my skull I would never have discovered Japanese Anime or comic books. This is one book that actually DISCOURAGES people from reading. After reading this piece of garbage you'll wish you were illiterate!!.

Rating:
Summary: The WORST book in the history of ink!!!
Review: ... Ethan Frome is a worm with no backbone who was afraid to stand up to his overbearing wife. Period!! The story is irrelevant to life in the 21st century. If you are unhappy in a marriage you'd get a divorce. ... This is one book that actually DISCOURAGES people from reading. After reading this piece of garbage you'll wish you were illiterate!!.