Download The Touchstone Audiobook

" Fantastic plot, long chewy sentences, surprisingly happy ending, published in 1900 and stands the test of time. "Genius is of small use to a woman who does not know how to do her hair." "

" Wharton's novella captures the psychological problems of a young man who should be happy but who destroys his own chances. Owning a Nook has led me to read more books which I missed when young. This return to authors from the past may be an unforeseen consequence of the E reader. "

" One of the best novellas ever written. "

" This is the first book by Edith Wharton that I did not love. "

" It was fascinating how the main character's guilt over his decision affected his whole life. That being said, it's not a book that I'm going to remember for long. It just didn't touch me. "

" One of the best closing lines of any novella ever written. "

" the big take-away from the touchstone is to see wharton on a smaller scale. the characters are all just as desperate as ever to hide their mortifying, and reputation-destroying, past. "

" I recommend any and everything written by Edith Wharton. "

" Okay, the emotional upheaval near the end gets a little unrealistic, or just confusing. "

" What can I say?!!! This writer is something else... Words fail to describe my sudden adoration of her deep style of emotional maturity. "

" Picked up from the library this afternoon. Such a slim novella, nearly missed it on the shelf. "

" Wharton in Jamesian mode again. She does it well. "

" Perhaps the ending was a bit... too much, but it was a quick and enjoyable read--slightly intense, as always with Wharton, it was emotionally-jarring and thought-provoking. You can tell after reading some of her later works that this was her first published novella, but nevertheless, well-crafted. "

" This was Edith Wharton's first novella. Interesting, well written exploration of guilt and honest discourse between a husband and wife. "

" 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. "