Ethan Frome

By: Edith Wharton

Narrated by: George Guidall

When young Mattie Silver arrives at her cousin Zeena Frome's farm in the New England village of Starkfield, no one could have imagined the tale of sublime and thwarted passion which ensues. Starkfield, like so many New England village communities, is a place where the emotional terrain resembles the physical: stony, hard, and snow covered much of the year. Ethan Frome - "the most striking figure in Starkfield" - ekes out a bleak living from his ungenerous farm, until Mattie brings love and a dream of escape. The powerful sway of obligation and duty and Ethan's inherent dignity make this novel a great American tragedy.Public Domain (P)1993 Recorded Books, Inc

Critic reviews

"Guidall's clear, well-modulated voice transports the listener to the stark, cold world of a New England winter." (Washington Post)

Read it again

I read this in college and, 40 years later, gave it another go. A different perspective makes this a different story. Also, George Guidell could read a thesaurus and I’d be willing to listen

An Alluring Book about a Tragic Life.

Tragedy, Misery and Witticism combine for a beautiful read. I never include story synopses or spoilers in my reviews, and I am finding this book very difficult to review with those constraints. So this review may be short. But I do have a few comments to make.

Ethan Frome is a tale of tragedy -- and that story grows more difficult with each page. He is a man who wants to escape the obligations of his life at home with a wife he doesn't love, and to do that with her cousin whom he does love. As the story progresses he struggles more and the misery grows. It is difficult to watch him spiral and I found myself rooting for him to escape. I am a married woman -- almost 21 years -- and rarely would I root for a character to leave his wife, but here I did. Ethan seemed lighter and more likable when he was apart from her. He seemed happier. And I found myself hoping that he would run away. Here is the hard part ... I cannot say whether I got what I cheered for without ruining the book, and so I will not.

I will say this: Edith Wharton's facility with the English language is a thing of beauty. She tells this story of misery with lovely words that sometimes made me back up to reread simply because of the allure and artistry. I felt about her book much the same as I feel about the books of Pat Conroy... which is to say I loved it.

A wonderful classic, beautifully read

I had read this book many years ago, enough to forget much of the plot.
It was a pleasure to rediscover this masterpiece, also thanks to the thoughtful performance.

Chapter Increments

The chapter increments in this are all off it says there are only 4 chapters total when in reality there are much more.

Excellent narration and story

The narration for this story is done very well. It helps the reader differentiate the various characters. I am reading many modern American novels for a class and listened to the book and wrote the paper the same day. It is a wonderful story and was brought to life by the narrator. I highly recommend it!.