Ugh. Edith Wharton and her Ethan Frome nonsense. I am still bitter about reading Frome in high school, but a friend who is a fan convinced me to give Wharton another chance. I figured this tiny book with its two short stories would be a relatively painless way to do so.

My opinion has not changed. Reading along, I was holding the following two ideas in my head: 1) Certainly Wharton is a skilled writer. 2) I have little to no interest in reading these stories. Miserable stories about miserable people making miserable choices. I mean, the characters don't always start out miserable, but you can always feel the misery seeping in around the edges, ready to drown them. And what's the point? Am I supposed to be learning lessons? Well, what are they? Empathizing with misery? To what end? Coming to a new understanding of the miseries of the era? Already convinced, thanks.

I don't know. I may yet give Wharton another chance. But it may just be that she is not for me. ( )

My three star rating is not actually for "The Tell-Tale Heart," which is perfect for what it is -- a tightly composed narration of a mad act -- but, rather, for the collection I just read, No. 31 in Penguin's Little Black Classics series. The (short) book starts with "The Tell-Tale Heart," but also includes "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Cask of Amontillado." The "Cask," like "Tell-Tale Heart," is a story I read first in high school, and then a time or two since, and I know it made quite an impression on me when I first read it, as it's stuck with me all these years. Didn't grab me this time, for some reason, but I blame "The Fall of the House of Usher," which came before and bored the heck out of me. It just seemed like the build up lasted Forever, and the payoff failed to dazzle. The gloomy , isolated old mansion, with the dripping trees and miasmas, and the family curse were all awesome, but ... well. I think maybe the "hints" were just so clear that there was no surprise. ( )

This one bored me enough that I didn't even skim-read to the finish. The writing wasn't bad - it was more that I just didn't relate / wasn't interested in the content of The Reckoning. I did read the first short story in this book - a moving peice about ageing, loneliness and finding a connection to nature in New York of the 1950's. ( )

3.5 Stars

Full review to come! ( )