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wistyallgood's review against another edition
5.0
Ok, so I started this a very long time ago; I read the first short story back in October!
I've already read [b:Ethan Frome|5246|Ethan Frome|Edith Wharton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389822254l/5246._SY75_.jpg|132919] and was not in the market to be depressed again, so rather than rereading the whole thing, I skimmed through some of my favorite parts. I really bought this for those four short stories at the end, and they didn't disappoint at all.
The Pretext (10/9/19)
A classic Edith story, depressing and romantic and wonderful and sad!
Afterward (10/19/19)
Just goes to show Edith's versatility, this was like a gothic ghost story that actually gave me the chills.
Legacy (12/13/19)
My least favorite of the bunch, but still great.
Xingu (1/25/20)
This was actually the funniest thing I've ever read. It was a total satire of these people who sit there and try to be cultural but actually know nothing. It was truly, truly brilliant.
I've already read [b:Ethan Frome|5246|Ethan Frome|Edith Wharton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389822254l/5246._SY75_.jpg|132919] and was not in the market to be depressed again, so rather than rereading the whole thing, I skimmed through some of my favorite parts. I really bought this for those four short stories at the end, and they didn't disappoint at all.
The Pretext (10/9/19)
A classic Edith story, depressing and romantic and wonderful and sad!
Afterward (10/19/19)
Just goes to show Edith's versatility, this was like a gothic ghost story that actually gave me the chills.
Legacy (12/13/19)
My least favorite of the bunch, but still great.
Xingu (1/25/20)
This was actually the funniest thing I've ever read. It was a total satire of these people who sit there and try to be cultural but actually know nothing. It was truly, truly brilliant.
bibliophiliac's review against another edition
5.0
I am sure I read Ethan Frome in high school. The story is vaguely familiar. But reading it now with more detailed knowledge of the time period in which it was written and in which it is set, and perhaps the wisdom of many more years and experiences, was a joy. I mightn’t have noticed the exquisite detail in Edith Wharton’s writing back then, but made an impression this time. I won’t say more. My book club is discussing this book this Friday.
she_reads_alot's review against another edition
4.0
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I read this collection last month, and I was impressed.
This fist story, Ethan Frome, was great . It’s about a man (Ethan), his sickly wife Zeena, and her cousin/aid Mattie. It’s a triangle of a tragic love story—-but the last paragraph is just **chef’s kiss** perfect !!
“There was no way out—none. He was a prisoner for life, and now his one ray of light was to be extinguished.”
I also enjoyed the next story titled The Pretext.
It’s about an aging woman in a dull marriage living in a conformist atmosphere . A younger man comes to town, meets her, and is smitten, but must return home to England + fiancé .
This pretext liaison is so ironic and I flew through this story .
“What had happened was as much outside the sphere of her marriage as some transaction in a star. It had simply given her a secret life of incommunicable joys, as if all the wasted springs of her youth had been stored in some hidden pool, and she could return there now to bathe in them.”
The third story, Afterward, was pretty good. It is a ghost story and I was shocked to find it here, but eerily happy to read it on Halloween.
“Life’s too short for a ghost who can only be enjoyed in retrospect.”
The subsequent story, The Legend, was okay—but it was difficult for me to read. My mind kept wandering and I kept losing interest. Just about a man—and everyone keeps explaining the legend to the actual legend.
The final story, Xingu, is excellent, and definitely my favorite from this particular assemblage.
It’s about a group of privilege, snooty women in a lunch/book/social club. They have read a particular story and the author is coming to chat. An excluded and mocked member steals the show and the others are left baffled .
“Why not look it up?”
I am so impressed with Wharton’s writing that I have ordered her #pulitzerprize winning novel, The Age of Innocence.
#qotd : Have you discovered any favorite new (to you) authors this year ??
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#ethanfrome #thepretext #thelegend #afterward #xingu #shortstories #edithwharton #barnesandnobleclassics #classicstories #classicbooks #firesidereading #bookquotes #readmorebooks #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookreview
I read this collection last month, and I was impressed.
This fist story, Ethan Frome, was great . It’s about a man (Ethan), his sickly wife Zeena, and her cousin/aid Mattie. It’s a triangle of a tragic love story—-but the last paragraph is just **chef’s kiss** perfect !!
“There was no way out—none. He was a prisoner for life, and now his one ray of light was to be extinguished.”
I also enjoyed the next story titled The Pretext.
It’s about an aging woman in a dull marriage living in a conformist atmosphere . A younger man comes to town, meets her, and is smitten, but must return home to England + fiancé .
This pretext liaison is so ironic and I flew through this story .
“What had happened was as much outside the sphere of her marriage as some transaction in a star. It had simply given her a secret life of incommunicable joys, as if all the wasted springs of her youth had been stored in some hidden pool, and she could return there now to bathe in them.”
The third story, Afterward, was pretty good. It is a ghost story and I was shocked to find it here, but eerily happy to read it on Halloween.
“Life’s too short for a ghost who can only be enjoyed in retrospect.”
The subsequent story, The Legend, was okay—but it was difficult for me to read. My mind kept wandering and I kept losing interest. Just about a man—and everyone keeps explaining the legend to the actual legend.
The final story, Xingu, is excellent, and definitely my favorite from this particular assemblage.
It’s about a group of privilege, snooty women in a lunch/book/social club. They have read a particular story and the author is coming to chat. An excluded and mocked member steals the show and the others are left baffled .
“Why not look it up?”
I am so impressed with Wharton’s writing that I have ordered her #pulitzerprize winning novel, The Age of Innocence.
#qotd : Have you discovered any favorite new (to you) authors this year ??
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#ethanfrome #thepretext #thelegend #afterward #xingu #shortstories #edithwharton #barnesandnobleclassics #classicstories #classicbooks #firesidereading #bookquotes #readmorebooks #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookreview
evamadera1's review against another edition
3.0
I did not enjoy this book. However, my lack of enjoyment was much different than the lack I just wrote about in my review of "The Good Soldier" by Ford Maddox Ford.
The primary reason that I did not enjoy this book was the incredibly depressing nature of the primary story, "Ethan Frome," and the morbid slant of the other stories included in the collection.
Wharton created a fluid narrative free of confusion that admirably tugged at the reader's heartstrings. That much is true about "Ethan Frome." I cannot say the same about the other short stories in the collection. I continue to not be a fan of short stories, especially when the author dives into the story with not attempt at backstory. The lack of reference to anything else leaves the stories like hanging chads.
This is definitely a story ("Ethan Frome") that should be read by all those who wish to be proficient in the classics. Other than that, I have no inclination to recommend this book and a distinct disinclination to recommend the other short stories.
The primary reason that I did not enjoy this book was the incredibly depressing nature of the primary story, "Ethan Frome," and the morbid slant of the other stories included in the collection.
Wharton created a fluid narrative free of confusion that admirably tugged at the reader's heartstrings. That much is true about "Ethan Frome." I cannot say the same about the other short stories in the collection. I continue to not be a fan of short stories, especially when the author dives into the story with not attempt at backstory. The lack of reference to anything else leaves the stories like hanging chads.
This is definitely a story ("Ethan Frome") that should be read by all those who wish to be proficient in the classics. Other than that, I have no inclination to recommend this book and a distinct disinclination to recommend the other short stories.
geckers's review
3.0
I don’t believe I read this at the right time. I didn’t enjoy Ethan Frome or the short stories - though I only finished a couple - but I don’t blame the book. Context matters. I truly feel that something within this collection could mean the world to me in five years.
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