Ethan Frome

By: Edith Wharton

Narrated by: Jim Killavey

Ethan Frome is a 1911 novel by Edith Wharton, set in turn-of-the-century New England, in the fictitious town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. It is the story of a poor farmer, lonely and downtrodden, his wife Zeena, and their pretty and vivacious cousin, Mattie Silver. This is a short but powerful and engrossing drama, and although it is the least characteristic of the author's novels, it has become her most celebrated book.Public Domain (P)1988 Jimcin Recordings

Sad but Wonderful

I gave it five stars because Wharton is a fabulous writer, but the story is about as grim as one could be. If you are interested in this book it's probably for a class or a book club. I picked this edition of the many available because of the price but I was not disappointed.

Killavey reads in a careful almost plodding manner on the narrative parts but really makes the dialogue come alive. I thought his style of reading fit the narrative quite well, but it might seem too slow for some listeners.

I would never choose this book unless, as it happened, it was a book club selection, but I found it very engaging. I enjoyed it even though the author reveals in the beginning that the ending won't be a happy one. It seems an accurate picture of the hard life on a New England farm back in the day, told through the eyes of an engineer from the modern world visiting the area to work on a project about twenty years after the main part of the story.

The audio seems to have ghost voices

The story was great it’s a classic I highly recomend it. It’s a short read!

Great writing...so sad

This is such an well written book. Characters were so helpless.... and realistic for the times. In spite of the sad circumstances I had to finish listening.

A Dark Story

This is the rather depressing tale of Ethan Frome, a man trapped in an unhappy marriage to a sickly, morose wife and at the same time in love with their young, lively house guest. The writer's characterizations are astute and her language powerful. However, the quality of writing was much higher than that of the narration which I found slow and very stilted. To the narrator's credit I will say that the diction was clear, probably a result of his very pronounced, unnatural style. Even though I was able to appreciate the book itself (I'd give 4-5 stars to the actual writing)I suggest you listen to the sample clip before committing to this!

Wharton's Ethan Frome

I love Edith Wharton's writing and wit, and her social sensibilities, and I believe this book lives up to my expectations there. But the reading is so slow and lifeless that I began to find the book rather tedious. There is no expression and no change in pace in the reading, no tonal modulation at all, so that after a while one's eyes would glaze over if the story were not so engaging.