Poor farmer Ethan Frome endures yet another harsh winter in Starkfield, Massachusetts, caring for his constantly ill wife Zeena. His life is bleak and miserable until the arrival of Mattie Silver, a cousin of Zeena's hired to help the Fromes around the house. Ethan finds himself attracted to the lovely Mattie, and even considers having an affair while his wife is away from home. When Zeena returns and decides to send Mattie away, the two would-be lovers make a pact that ultimately ends in tragedy.
A brutal and unforgiving look at the lives of everyday people in a small New England town, Ethan Frome was declared "a compelling and haunting story" by the New York Times. Edith Wharton's piercing insight into the eternal conflict between passion and duty makes this her most celebrated work.
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