The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 5 March 1998
by Edith Wharton
At first, the stark atmosphere and style of telling in this book reminded this reader a great deal of Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Unlike that gloomy book, however, Wharton's describes a passionate and frustrated romance with a vivacious life. Ethan, married to a shrewish invalid, feels hopelessly trapped until the appearance of his wife's cousin Mattie. She shines a light of life into his meager and snowy existence, and their quiet passion grows. Still, Ethan is bound by social limits and obligations to his wife. The only escape appears to be that of a Shakespearean tragedy. Wharton has a terse but certain flow to her writing, and evokes the New England winter and frustrated romance. Her characters' simplicity is, however, often somewhat forced.
Also by Wharton: [Summer] [The House of Mirth] [The Age of Innocence]
See Also: [Edith Wharton by Louis Auchincloss]