Zeena: A Novel

by Elizabeth Cooke, Edith Wharton (Original Novel)

In Zeena, Elizabeth Cooke's stirring retelling of Edith Wharton's 1911 masterpiece, the tragic characters and stark New England winter of Ethan Frome are reborn. Though she remains faithful to the original story, Cooke is determined to let Zenobia Frome speak for herself for the first time, and what results is an eloquent, moving, and compelling portrait of a woman trapped by her circumstances and by her own dreams.
We see Zeena as a young girl, then a young woman, forced too quickly into adulthood by her mother's death. We see a father as withdrawn and isolated - and yet as much a part of Zeena's character - as the chilly and stolid New England town of her childhood. We see the beginning of her relationship with Ethan, when she's called to take care of her mother's cousin, Ethan's mother, and the course the relationship takes. And we see what happens to Zeena after the terrible coasting accident, after everything she'd hoped for is crushed at the bottom of that dark, icy hill.

Genres: Fiction

323 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book although it didn't quell my fury for Ethan Frome.

[Josh Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of things I liked about this, but I'll be honest, I am definitely missing things from never having read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. The book is structured around its opening, with the titular Zeena taking care of a girl named Mattie when her husband, Ethan Frome, returns with a guest. Zeena hates both Mattie and Ethan for very good reason, and you can't help but wonder, "How did it come to this?"

And you don't actually learn how that incredibly messy situation in the beginning came about (I'm figuring that is the plot of Ethan Frome), BUT you do see how the relationship between Zeena and Ethan formed and got to the point where Zeena hates him. In general, the drama in their relationship is a lot less crazy than the horrific "love" triangle the book begins with, but it certainly has its share of twists and bumps.

This is a literary book so if you're going to read it, it should be for the prose which is excellent. Lots of great descriptions of the landscape, of the characters, of the various emotions the ebb in and out of the scenes. This is one of those books that does non-traditional dialogue structures right, and I'm a sucker for those. In a similar vein, I think the book works well as a piece of historical fiction. It's very focused on the details of living in the time, and I feel like from reading it, I've gained a lot more knowledge on the various tiny "hows" of living during the 1870s. You can tell how well researched the book is.

And while I did really love the story of Zeena and how she came to where she did.... I was really sold on that really messy drama in the beginning. The main story never quite reaches the ridiculous levels of the initial premise it is trying to give context to. That's not to say there isn't some interesting stuff going on, but it never quite captures the same level as the hook it sells you on.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great twist on Ethan Frome. Who knew Zeena actually was capable of human feeling?

[Kat Zachary]

Excellent book. Beautiful work told from a new perspective on Ethan Frome. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Ethan Frome.