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messia's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5
Really glad to have finally read this classic of American literature. The storytelling, with adresses to the reader, is well done. It feels as if someone is telling us a cautionary tale by a campfire, with a new turn in each chapter. However the extensively descriptive style was sometimes a bit much and would get me out of the story.
The characters, the New England setting, the plot, the depiction of Puritanical hypocrisy and of women’s treatment, all make for an interesting read.
Really glad to have finally read this classic of American literature. The storytelling, with adresses to the reader, is well done. It feels as if someone is telling us a cautionary tale by a campfire, with a new turn in each chapter. However the extensively descriptive style was sometimes a bit much and would get me out of the story.
The characters, the New England setting, the plot, the depiction of Puritanical hypocrisy and of women’s treatment, all make for an interesting read.
vuch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emmajarvis's review against another edition
3.0
After you get through the first 40 pages the book is actually pretty good.
oribee25's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.5
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.