Ethan Frome, with eBook Audiobook

" Not much - not sure where the acclaim comes from. It was an almost demented story of Ethan Frome who is in love with his wife's cousin. It ends with the sledding accident that began the story. "

" I have read this book four times, and probably will read it again. Need I say more? "

" This is not at all what I expected after earlier exposure to House of Mirth and Age of Innocence. There are no vapid socialites or decadent lifestyles to be seen or subtly mocked. Essentially this novella is a morality tale with a twist...not quite Thomas Hardy, but on that same spectrum. It is eerie and absorbing and makes me wonder what kind of lonely and twisted life Wharton must have lived to develop an imagination peopled with the likes of Ethan Frome. "

" Poor Ethan Frome, wow what a tragic story. I am sad now... "

" Bland, dull romantic tale about a man cheating on his sickly wife with their mistress. It's such an uneventful and overly detailed novella that if one manages to get through the entire 80 pages (doesn't sound like much? Try reading it), he or she will have their eyes bleeding. Novellas are written to be read in one sitting. This took me four sittings, not counting the dozens of times I had to re-read to understand what on Earth was going on. (And I'm still flummoxed.) "

" Ethan's story is told, of his wife and the woman who comes to help out, whom he falls in love with "

" I read this again for book club and I would say that I appreciated it more than I liked it. I appreciated the beautiful language and crafted storytelling, but it didn't make a big emotional impact on me and I haven't given it much thought since. It's a classic for sure. But for Edith Wharton, I'd rather read The Age of Innocence. "

" Well written, actually was one that drew you in and you wanted to know what happened next (sometimes not the case with "classics"). Wish it could have ended differently. I'm not sure why the author decided on the ending chosen, unlike the ending in Madam Bovary or Anna Karenina. "

" Amazing ending. No wonder this book has stood the test of time. "

" Edith Wharton is one of my favorite writers. Ethan Frome is about impossible love and power. Her prose reads like poetry, sad, very sad poetry. "

" Sigh...another "classic" of a man married to an sick woman who (man) falls in love with wife's cousin...didn't finish this either on the recommendation of my sister who said it was totally lame (laughing.....) "

" I listened to the audiobook "

" Awesome. Ending just. . . Whoah. "

" Loved it, just completely different than most of her other stories. "

" First read this in tenth grade English--and several times over the last 20 years. It still makes me hold my breath! Neat to know my favorite author, Anita Shreve, was inspired by Wharton. If you haven't, pick up a copy of this classic!! "

" I don't think I'll be forgetting this book anytime soon- or ever. "

" A fantastic book with a surprise ending. Loved it! "

" This book will linger for a long time, if you enjoy misery and such sadness in a whole story of people this is for you. Make no mistake this is a great read and I loved it. "

" Memorable book. Very different from her others. Great ending! "

" I loved this book! Because it is so short, I read it very slowly and really savored it. My heart broke as the story reached its conclusion and I can't wait to talk about it at book club! "

" Had to read for class. Eh, it wasn't bad but I'll just wait to see if my teacher can make me understand its worth. "

" Seriously?? I couldn't tell if I loved or hated this book. I'm not one who generally needs a happy ending to enjoy and appreciate a good book. But this almost tested my limits on that one. Other then that, I thought it was beautifully written and I loved the characters. "

" Can't decide if I liked the ending or not, but it doesn't matter. This book was incredible. "

" I found Ethan Frome to be very bland. It was gloomy and uneventful and I would not recommend it. The kind of person that would enjoy this book would be one that could pick up on the various symbols and whatever "meaning" the book is intended to have. "

" This story reminded me of "Wuthering Heights" - maybe because of the similar beginning, maybe because of the atmosphere. I liked it, although it made me sad, sad, too sad for October! "

" Pretty much a downer of a book, but it's really well written. I read it because the library had it on display, and I tend to gravitate to the display table. It's a quick read so I didn't have to commit much time to the task. If you are looking for a pick-me-up with a happy ending, this is not it. "

" I didn't enjoy this as much as The Age of Innocence. I think I prefer her strong female characters. "

" Another book I was forced to read in high school and hated. "

" Curious, disturbing book. Subtle love story turned tragic. Maybe subtle is an understatement. "

" A very sad, rather depressing novel about a doomed love affair - this is my second Wharton (the first being The Age of Innocence). I like her writing - but this story is very painful to read. I don't think I was in the mood for it. "

" My favorite authors, favorite book, Anita Shreve. "

" A classic. Hard to get through the first 50 pages, kind of a slow start. Ending was good. "

" Well, that was uplifting. Not. Really good writing, though. "

" Although released in 1911, this story is timeless. A quick read but engrossing from the first page to the last. "

" The character Ethan Frome will break your heart "

" Good writing but depressing story, if I remember correctly. "

" This tale of the mundane, yet profound, tragedy of EDL is even better the second time around. Powerful stuff. "

" This book made me hate literary analysis, or at least the way it was taught in high school. "

" I did not care much for her writing, it was hard for me to really get into this story. It's only saving grace was my sympathy for Ethan although I am not sure he deserves it. "

" I loved the Ethan From portion. Someday I'll pick this up again and finish the other short stories. "

" The fact that Edith Wharton was unhappily married certainly comes through in this and other stories. Written with subtlety, its bleak imagery painting an outward portrait of the inner suffering of her characters. It's like the New England version of Sartre's "No Exit." "

" Fifteenth book of the school year. This was quite possibly the most depressing thing I've had to read in a really, really long time. That's about it. I really do wish I had something a bit more cheery to say about it, but one might notice when reading Ethan Frome that...it's not cheery. At all. "

" loved all but one of the stories in this collection. "

" Ethan Frome is probably the most depressing of her stories, although that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. Sad but memorable. The short stories that accompany the Frome novella range from OK to hysterical (Xingu being the best - one of the best things I've ever read of Wharton's). "

" Book Club required reading. I'm glad I did! "

" I like Edith Wharton's works, but I think my enjoyment of this suffered some from over-analyzing from the English class I read this in. "

" Great romance. The middle is sort of boring though. "

" I had to read this book for my English class, and I was surprised at how interesting and sad it sometimes got. Definitely a good and easy read. "

" Ethan Frome is my favorite Wharton novel and it us very different from her New York social life novels like The Age of Innocence. There were three or four additional short stories in the book that were not very strong. "

" I appreciated the writing, but wow, almost every thing in there was super depressing. (Ethan Frome being the piece that put the most fun in dysfunctional.) I think I need some Wodehouse. "