Scan barcode
sunsetsandstories's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
2.0
shannonscotteditorauthor's review against another edition
3.0
Ol' Nate really loved the word ignominy, didn't he?
sandybereading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this was a great story exploring themes of sin, purity (& how this is often viewed differently for men & women, with women being punished for things men get away with frequently), & religious tolerance, inspiring a lot of reflection on these topics. coming into this story with the knowledge of the puritans that i had really made this a more enjoyable read. unfortunately the book didn’t get 5 stars from me just because the plot moved kind of slow & the writing was super confusing/dense that i had to reread some chapters sometimes. other than that: love an 1850s slay!
lanterns's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
this was much better than the more recent film, that of which i watched prior to reading the novel. i think once you truly understand an author’s motives and thoughts through their characters, you can really appreciate what they’ve done. i’ve come to appreciate hawthorne’s romantic views and this experience has brought me to realize that, even if a story isn’t entirely compelling to me, once i understand and have broken down everything an author is trying to tell me through their work, it’s extremely difficult not to admire them. it’s extremely true that if there is any magic in this world, it is through the act of understanding someone sharing something.
jankyalias's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Man I hated this when assigned in High School.
Coming back to it years later, the things I hated - the saturated atmosphere, dense language, deep psychological explorations - just work.
A glorious piece of American fiction.
Coming back to it years later, the things I hated - the saturated atmosphere, dense language, deep psychological explorations - just work.
A glorious piece of American fiction.
lingualibri's review against another edition
3.0
*BE YE WARNED: SPOILERS AHEAD*
Allow me to save you from the first half of this book:
Pages 1-30: Hawthorne gets a job working with a bunch of old, lazy dudes. Finds the Scarlet Letter and an accompanying note. Writes novel.
Page 40: Ignominy
Page 50: Ignominy
Page 60: Ignominy
Page 70: Ignominy...and a kid.
Page 80: MORE IGNOMINY
Page 90: You can start reading here.
Hawthorne uses either too much description or not enough substance to make this a pleasant read. In short, "Get to the point, sir." Ultimately, I picked up a library book in the hope that the impeding due date would speed me through what I was already reading. It worked.
I'm sure many women would say either that Hester should have outed Dimmesdale as her baby daddy, or that Dimmesdale should have confessed at the beginning. I don't particularly blame either of them for their actions, though. I would elaborate on this, but at the current moment I am too apathetic about how this story turned out to do so.
So instead, here's what I took away from this book: Own your faults, and let people eventually forgive you. Saying "Yep, that was me. My bad." is ultimately better than keeping it all wrapped up inside of you. If you don't let your shitty human side show, it will literally kill you.
Allow me to save you from the first half of this book:
Pages 1-30: Hawthorne gets a job working with a bunch of old, lazy dudes. Finds the Scarlet Letter and an accompanying note. Writes novel.
Page 40: Ignominy
Page 50: Ignominy
Page 60: Ignominy
Page 70: Ignominy...and a kid.
Page 80: MORE IGNOMINY
Page 90: You can start reading here.
Hawthorne uses either too much description or not enough substance to make this a pleasant read. In short, "Get to the point, sir." Ultimately, I picked up a library book in the hope that the impeding due date would speed me through what I was already reading. It worked.
I'm sure many women would say either that Hester should have outed Dimmesdale as her baby daddy, or that Dimmesdale should have confessed at the beginning. I don't particularly blame either of them for their actions, though. I would elaborate on this, but at the current moment I am too apathetic about how this story turned out to do so.
So instead, here's what I took away from this book: Own your faults, and let people eventually forgive you. Saying "Yep, that was me. My bad." is ultimately better than keeping it all wrapped up inside of you. If you don't let your shitty human side show, it will literally kill you.
mdreadsandreviews's review against another edition
3.0
Once you get into it (Nathaniel Hawthorne doesn't make it easy, so this may take some time) it pulls you along quite rapidly but the lengthy digressions, Hawthorne is VERY attentive to detail, make it necessary to stop and revisit for understanding.
eveblunden's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hjswinford's review against another edition
4.0
This was a required reading for my Junior AP English class and the first time I read it that August I wanted to throw it into the garbage because I was so lost. After we spent a little time in class discussing it (and I peaked at the SparkNotes) however, I went back and read the whole book one more time and I found that I really loved it! Hawthorne's lanugage is like nothing else I've ever read; the closest that prose can come to the beauty and flow of poetry.
gandalf_a's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
Minor: Racism and Classism