Reviews

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Only show reviews with written explanations

urfavlotte's review against another edition

Go to review page

no idea what I’ll rate this one so I’ll just not

erishti's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional inspiring reflective

4.0

kaylisbookshelf's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

The story, while boring, was endurable. However, the detail was unreadable.
"Hester stepped with her right foot, then her left. Why does life repeat like footsteps? One in front of the other..." for five paragraphs until she makes it fifty feet. -My impression.

I like how Hester is a stubborn girl and I guess I liked the 'mystery' (in quotations because honestly it was pretty obvious to me) but I wouldn't read it again unless someone made me. 1.5 stars.

osynligabarnet's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

brisingr's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Such a disappointment! This is the first book that I have to read for my english class and I was so excited to start reading it! I knew nothing of the subject and so I allowed myself to be hopeful, but it fell flat. This is the american version of all those old boring romanian books, about the simple lives but full of drama of some normal people. The themes and the happenings in these kind of books are not current anymore, so we can't emphasize with the characters and neither fully understand how and why those things are happening.
I read it in english, of course, and the old language used for it was just another proof of why this book is not of any real use to me right now, as a 21st century human.
Some things were exaggerated too much, especially how much witches and elves were brought in the discussion. I felt like it was the author's obsession to make all the things related either to Satan or God, and unfortunataly, the world isn't only black or only white.
I didn't like any of the characters because the author didn't exactly worked on developing them and I feel like all their discussions were forced. The only character I liked turned out to be the bad guy, and sometimes I ask myself, why do I even try with school books anymore.

Maybe I am harsh, but I am angry most than anything and tired and sick of this book. I'm so done with so called classics that write boring things about things I don't care even the slightest about.

wolfgold's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

hinabooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Oh wow. I have so many thoughts.
Firstly, if you had told me a month ago that I would be reading The Scarlet Letter, I would have been shocked. I never had any intentions to read this book, ‘cause I had never heard anything good about it. But then I watched a lil movie adaptation from 1995 starring Demi Moore, Gary Oldman and Robert Duvall and was shooketh to my core (“Freely adapted from” might be the biggest understatement of the century). I could go on and on about that crazy movie, but this is a book review. The movie got me interested into the source material, so I read the first chapter of the novel on my phone. And I was immediately sucked in. I don’t think I have ever gone out and grabbed a physical copy faster.
I have one thing to say: LANGUAGE. This novel might have the most beautiful and rich prose I have ever read. Now yes, there were some moments that dragged, and I had to put it down a few times to give my brain a break. And while I’m talking about critiques, it’s necessary to acknowledge the negative, vile stereotypes regarding indigenous peoples in this book—I mean this is a book that takes place in a Puritan colony in the 1600s that was written by a white man who born over 200 years ago. And there were some interesting takes on womanhood. Like most classics, it is a product of its time.
Back to the pros: I do not annotate my books—meaning, I don’t write my thoughts in them. But this book changed that for me. Reading this book got the cogs in my brain tuurrrrrnnniiiiinngg.
The characters: Arthur Dimmsdale! Man, I don’t like you! What a conflicted, tortured man.

After all that you said to Hester in the forest, and all that strength she gave you, couldn’t you have at least thanked her if you weren’t gonna tell her you loved her??!! What a hypocrite.

And my QUEEN Hester Prynne. She is an OG bad bitch. God really gave her strength to deal with the bullshit of men and mankind.
And Chillingworth? Nah, I won’t give him the time of day.
All in all, what a read. What an experience.