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teresatumminello's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for first read; 3.5 for second
In late September I toured the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts. Our guide, a knowledgeable and entertainingly wry young man, spoke of two additions made to the house after the woman who bought it decided to turn it into a tourist attraction: a room to emulate Hepzibah’s little shop and a secret stairway not mentioned in the text that Clifford must’ve used to be able to suddenly appear the way he does. The latter intrigued me since I didn’t remember anything along those lines, so I decided upon a reread.
As I got further into it, I realized only the beginning seemed familiar and I started to wonder if perhaps I hadn’t finished the book that first time, though that didn’t seem right either. Perhaps it’s just that the beginning, with its legend of the Pyncheons and the Maules, and then its description of poor Hepzibah setting up shop are still the most memorable scenes. The middle is a lengthy setting-the-stage for a rather anticlimactic denouement, completed with perfunctory explanations, some of which is apparently known of due to mesmerism. I understand why I remember liking it more the first time I read it, as at times I felt that same frisson of ‘gothic-ness’ I felt while reading [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415357189s/89724.jpg|847007].
Our guide had mentioned he’d read the book numerous times, adding in a hushed tone that it wasn’t all that great, apologizing when I told him I’d read it. I think I also reread this to prove him wrong, but I’m unable to do so. The main feeling I’ve come away with—that Hawthorne struggled with inherited guilt due to the actions of his ancestor, a ‘hanging’ judge presiding over the ‘witch’ trials—is what I discerned in that brilliant beginning.
And what of Clifford’s mysterious appearances? There’s really only one, but it is an important one; and a bit later there’s the mention of another relative having had “secret access” to their uncle’s room: Curiosity satisfied.
As I read my old paperback copy, the edges of both the front and back covers shed pieces. (My 1985 edition has a picture of the house on the front; that cover seems to have been removed from Goodreads, though it was here not too long ago.) Last night, as I settled in to finish, the back cover fell completely off the spine. And if I count in a certain way the spaces left behind from the triangles that fell from the front cover, they number seven.
In late September I toured the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts. Our guide, a knowledgeable and entertainingly wry young man, spoke of two additions made to the house after the woman who bought it decided to turn it into a tourist attraction: a room to emulate Hepzibah’s little shop and a secret stairway not mentioned in the text that Clifford must’ve used to be able to suddenly appear the way he does. The latter intrigued me since I didn’t remember anything along those lines, so I decided upon a reread.
As I got further into it, I realized only the beginning seemed familiar and I started to wonder if perhaps I hadn’t finished the book that first time, though that didn’t seem right either. Perhaps it’s just that the beginning, with its legend of the Pyncheons and the Maules, and then its description of poor Hepzibah setting up shop are still the most memorable scenes. The middle is a lengthy setting-the-stage for a rather anticlimactic denouement, completed with perfunctory explanations, some of which is apparently known of due to mesmerism. I understand why I remember liking it more the first time I read it, as at times I felt that same frisson of ‘gothic-ness’ I felt while reading [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415357189s/89724.jpg|847007].
Our guide had mentioned he’d read the book numerous times, adding in a hushed tone that it wasn’t all that great, apologizing when I told him I’d read it. I think I also reread this to prove him wrong, but I’m unable to do so. The main feeling I’ve come away with—that Hawthorne struggled with inherited guilt due to the actions of his ancestor, a ‘hanging’ judge presiding over the ‘witch’ trials—is what I discerned in that brilliant beginning.
And what of Clifford’s mysterious appearances? There’s really only one, but it is an important one; and a bit later there’s the mention of another relative having had “secret access” to their uncle’s room: Curiosity satisfied.
As I read my old paperback copy, the edges of both the front and back covers shed pieces. (My 1985 edition has a picture of the house on the front; that cover seems to have been removed from Goodreads, though it was here not too long ago.) Last night, as I settled in to finish, the back cover fell completely off the spine. And if I count in a certain way the spaces left behind from the triangles that fell from the front cover, they number seven.
spaceisavacuum's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
"Be cheerful! Whatever may happen, be nothing but cheerful!" Chipper is another strong emotion that can resolve gloom. 🏝️ They have lived in the House of the Seven Gables for so long, they feel shut in, no sunlight comes through, it smells of mildew, the interior is musty and the archaic wood begins to mold. They've laid their roots on a grave, perpetuated by the wizardly Matthew Maule, and here Hepzibah and Clifford Pyncheon have had a daughter, Phoebe, and the ghosts on their ancestry haunts these walls. And yet, 'Ghost-stories are hardly to be treated seriously, any longer.' So the revenant ectoplasmic banshee rearranging stuff, to my mind, is an anomaly of a deranged and frightened mind. The gloomier cast of the day, the more abhorrent the halls. 👻
"But ancient superstitions, after being steeped in human hearts and embodied in human breath, and passing from lip to ear in manifold repetition, through a series of generations, become imbued with an effect of homely truth."
November elections are coming up, and the Lord of the House, Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, is running, though himself a miserly thumb, stifled and curmudgeons the ambitions of his kin. 🩸They couldn't set adrift in the world, throw caution to the wind, and abandon this man's chimney parlor, for the lei-line could take absolve them of their diminutive land, the wider world awaits just on the other side of that leap of faith. Then there's many more tomorrow's, but the dinner of Today is what counts for most, and to stay where your roots have been lain, so that not to wander too far astray from support, and certain substantial meals, but leaving sometimes is what we happen to do, whether by intention or accident, so that whatever compels us to leave compels our nostalgia to remain.
"If I had done so, I should feel as if Providence was not bound to take care of me; and, at all events, the city wouldn't be! I'm one of those people who think that infinity is big enough for us all-an eternity long enough." ♾️
Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of those writers who I always considered the most logorrheic and sharpened novelists, with the most excellent diction and delectation of the Romantic period.
"But ancient superstitions, after being steeped in human hearts and embodied in human breath, and passing from lip to ear in manifold repetition, through a series of generations, become imbued with an effect of homely truth."
November elections are coming up, and the Lord of the House, Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, is running, though himself a miserly thumb, stifled and curmudgeons the ambitions of his kin. 🩸They couldn't set adrift in the world, throw caution to the wind, and abandon this man's chimney parlor, for the lei-line could take absolve them of their diminutive land, the wider world awaits just on the other side of that leap of faith. Then there's many more tomorrow's, but the dinner of Today is what counts for most, and to stay where your roots have been lain, so that not to wander too far astray from support, and certain substantial meals, but leaving sometimes is what we happen to do, whether by intention or accident, so that whatever compels us to leave compels our nostalgia to remain.
"If I had done so, I should feel as if Providence was not bound to take care of me; and, at all events, the city wouldn't be! I'm one of those people who think that infinity is big enough for us all-an eternity long enough." ♾️
Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of those writers who I always considered the most logorrheic and sharpened novelists, with the most excellent diction and delectation of the Romantic period.
quintusmarcus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
OMG what a crashing boor. I get it, 19th century classic, Puritans, guilt, etc. But still, Hawthorne’s style is just so unbearably tedious. About as subtle as a sledgehammer, and NH never says in a few words what he takes hundreds of words to spit out. Ok, so your great grandfather was a witch-hanging judge in Salem, get over it, dude.
Content Warnings
Could be triggering for witches.
iusmani's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.25
caidyn's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Hm, I expected this to be a bit more gothic based on the description. But, it was still pretty good!
kitresa's review against another edition
1.0
This book was so boring to me. I had a hard time paying attention.
3zr4v45q's review against another edition
4.0
Less moving than the Scarlet Letter, it's a good ghost yarn that reads quickly.
stingo's review against another edition
2.0
While I liked the book at the beginning, it got to be a slog toward the end. Hawthorne's formal style does not help matters much - extending could be said in a single short sentence into a chapter. While there are some good parts in the story, there's lots of story in between the good parts. I read it, but don't see myself revisiting the tale.
txikimandy's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It feels very weird to rate and review a classic, but here we are.
I really loved The House of the Seven Gables! I haven’t read a classic in a long time, so I did struggle with paying attention to the prose. On the flip side of that coin, I was a little bit surprised by the humor in the narration. I laughed out loud several times, which was not what I expected to happen with an old classic like this for some reason.
The ending is one part wrapped up with a tidy bow and one part left frustratingly open. The resolution of a few things was great and pretty, but I wish there were just a few more answers.
I liked all of the characters, for the most part, and the idea of appearance vs personality is very interesting to look out for.
I was very grateful for the notes/glossary of terms at the back of the book, there were references and words I wouldn’t have understood correctly without it!
I really loved The House of the Seven Gables! I haven’t read a classic in a long time, so I did struggle with paying attention to the prose. On the flip side of that coin, I was a little bit surprised by the humor in the narration. I laughed out loud several times, which was not what I expected to happen with an old classic like this for some reason.
The ending is one part wrapped up with a tidy bow and one part left frustratingly open. The resolution of a few things was great and pretty, but I wish there were just a few more answers.
I liked all of the characters, for the most part, and the idea of appearance vs personality is very interesting to look out for.
I was very grateful for the notes/glossary of terms at the back of the book, there were references and words I wouldn’t have understood correctly without it!