The Scarlet Letter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:
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Member Reviews

  • Lord Manleigh
    3 of 3 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 4 stars

    A beautifully written parable. If you're looking for one book to illuminate the legacy of America's Purtitanical roots, it's this one.

    Lord Manleigh wrote this review Friday, January 25 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Meemee
    1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 5 stars

    Wonderful Book. Everyone should read this at least twice in their lifetime. If you are thinking about reading it for the first time JUST READ IT. You won't regret it.

    Meemee wrote this review Wednesday, June 25 2008. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink )
  • Joshua M
    1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 2 stars

    Hawthorne chooses every word. I wish he would have chosen less.

    Joshua M wrote this review Saturday, February 9 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Black Jackal
    1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 1 stars

    Though the plot is wonderful and the characters interesting, I cannot STAND Hawthorne's writing! His descriptions are far too superfluous and...can I say...BORING. I would never dare read another work by him unless I wished to try and bore myself to sleep or death. Such a pity that a cool story was thought up by him.

    The Black Jackal wrote this review Tuesday, February 5 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Mariana A
    1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 1 stars

    Boring!

    Mariana A wrote this review Friday, February 1 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • tiki k
    • Rated 3 stars

    I really enjoyed reading this book. At first it was really slow and i thought it was pretty boring, but as the story developed it got really interesting. My favorite scene in the book was when Hester and Dimmesdale met in the forest and were able to embrace each other, since they are not allowed to in society. I would reccomend this book to anyone who wants a good read.

    tiki k wrote this review 11 hours ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Jared P
    • Rated 2 stars

    As another class read for school, I was forced to read this book. At first, the prose seemed unique, and the plot was interesting, but throughout the novel, Hawthorne's Transcendental mind took over, and nature played a huge role in the theme. I found it annoying, boring, and like this was coming from the pages of a crack-head hippie's personal diary. Along with that, the story seemed unrealistic, and it gave me a headache. I usually dont say that about any book, regardless of its quality, but i will not be reading this one again....unless for school :(

    Jared P wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Katie
    • Rated 4 stars

    I had to read this book for my AP English 12 class, but I actually liked it a lot. The ending made me kind of sad, but on a whole I thought it was a good book. It depicts the Romantic era perfectly.

    Katie wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hoseon Y
    • Rated 3 stars

    Hoseon Yoo
    Ms. Fallahi

    The Scarlet Letter
    Nathaniel Hawthorne
    1850

    This book takes place in the 17th century in Boston, Mass.The main character of this book his Hester Prynn who has committed adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester Prynn has come public with her sin and wears the scarlet letter "A," which stands for adulterer. Reverend Dimmesdale keeps this a secret and is discomforted with guilt everyday. Roger Chillingworth, Prynn's husband, comes home to find out his wife has cheated on him. He swears for vengeance and searches for the man frantically. At the end Dimmesdale admits of his sin and on the tombstone of both Prynn and Dimmesdale lies the letter "A" for adulterer.

    The plot overall was fairly decent. However, I thought that in the middle of the book the story line dragged and became too quiet. There were too many fillers in this book and some parts seemed to take forever until it climaxed. I think what could be developed is the flow of the plot. I think too many fillers were used in this book and would be a lot better if it was shortened a little.

    At first i was unsure about the theme in this book because of its difficulty to comprehend. However, after some research i have found one. A theme in this book is quiet religious. It is that threw sin you gain knowledge. Going back to The Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were banished for eating the forbidden fruit. After they ate the fruit they gained knowledge. Likewise, after Hester Prynn and and Dimmesdale committed adultery they gained knowledge. Also another theme is that committing sin makes you grow affectionate. After Dimmesdale committed adultery he began to be more open-minded to other sinners. He saw that they too have made mistakes they regret and he should forgive them in his heart because that is what he wishes from others.


    Hoseon Y wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | view 3 replies | permalink )
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