Book Review
According to Goodreads, the novel form of Ethan Frome receives 3.3 out of five stars, saying "In one of American fiction's finest and most intense narratives, Edith Wharton moves this ill-starred trio toward their tragic destinies. Different in both tone and theme from Wharton's other works, 'Ethan Frome' has become perhaps her most enduring and most widely read novel."
Movie Review
The Los Angeles Times says, "Edith Wharton's 1911 novella 'Ethan Frome' is a powerhouse downer. In a little less than 200 pages, she conveys a sense of bleakness so complete that it borders on sadistic. Wharton's finely limned sentences are deceptively decorous; she uses her sensitiveness to spook you." In regards to the movie, the reviewer says, "'Ethan Frome' is so bare to begin with that it may have survived its transfer to the screen if the filmmakers had sought to express the lyricism in Wharton's stark, dark moodiness. Instead, they opt for dank, dogged realism. You watch these people suffer without wanting to suffer right along with them."
Personally, I enjoyed Ethan Frome in the form of a novel much more than a film because Edith Wharton is really able to evoke deep and meaningful emotions of love that can not always be put on screen. It is always wonderful to see a story come to life, which is why I love the film as well for its ability to bring the physical and emotional characteristics of each character onto screen.