Ethan Frome is the sort of book that I am glad I never had to read in high school. It isn't that it's hard to read, or boring or anything. As a matter of fact, I liked it a lot. I liked it so much that I threw it across the room when I was done. It seems strange how often I throw books across the room. Pretty unprofessional behavior for a librarian... I didn't throw it out of anger, but rather because I had wanted something more. I felt so deeply for Ethan. And there is no way that he was a cute as Liam Neeson. I think he looked more like Farmer Hoggett from "Babe". Poor pathetic Ethan...
The reason I am glad I never read it is because I think I would have found it much more frustrating as a younger person. Plus - I thought that if I weren't already married, I would be horrified at the thought of marriage and perhaps scarred for life by this book! Of course, you are young, you'll probably forget the terror before you get around to finding a spouse. So be brave - read it!
At any rate - I don't want to give too much story away so I will give you the blurb I found on an excellent website from a Wisconsin librarian:
Ethan Frome, a poor, downtrodden New England farmer is trapped in a loveless marriage to his invalid wife, Zeena. His ambition and intelligence are trodden by Zeena’s cold, conniving character. When Zeena’s young cousin Mattie arrives to help care for her, Ethan is immediately taken by Mattie’s warm, vivacious personality. They fall desperately in love as he realizes how much is missing from his life and marriage. Tragically, their love is doomed by Zeena’s ever-lurking presence and by the social conventions of the day. Ethan remains torn between his sense of obligation and his urge to satisfy his heart’s desire up to the suspenseful and unanticipated conclusion.
So there you go future sophomores. One down five to go. And it's only the first day of summer vacation. This summer reading is going to be a piece of cake!
No comments:
Post a Comment