Reviews

The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne

lyssalovereads's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoy Nathaniel Hawthorne as a writer. He has a way of creating an intriguing story line with characters that you fall in love with, or can easily despise. I enjoyed this novel, and was not expecting the end! I'm glad I read it.

lenny9987's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

lizzieh96's review against another edition

2.0

There’s something about Hawthorne’s writing that makes it very hard for me to get invested in the plot. Or the characters.

earth_to_haley's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

leelulah's review against another edition

3.0

Another venture into United States' literature. The story of whether a socialist utopia seems to be realizable is the main point of this book.

I think the over the top Romantic style of the narrator can become tedious to some, but it shows us how turbulent and easily influentiable Mr. Coverdale is. At the same time, the conflicting notions of society and women's rights provide some insights about the real motives of the characters.

It's hard to like any of these people at all, except for the poor and fragile Priscilla.

clellman's review against another edition

3.0

read this for class (which i used to not count, but i'm in grad school now, and i do what i want)

masonng's review against another edition

4.0

it definitely inspires contemplation despite the ending realization making no sense. a great character study

sorceress_j's review against another edition

4.0

Rating: 3.8. Got into it a fair bit more than Moby Dick at least. I really liked how character-driven it is and how it goes into such depth. You never know for sure if Miles is just a bad judge of people or if he's a little bit accurate at all. I hated Zenobia until the end, when she drops the act that she's been maintaining. At least that's how I interpreted it. You'll know what I'm talking about if you read it. I was back and forth on Hollingsworth. And Priscilla...non-factor, honestly, you can just skim her lines.

However, what ruined it for me was 1. the Gothic element (didn't feel like it was as well-executed as it could have been) and 2. some overdramatics from certain main characters (Zenobia).

Other than that, not a terribly long read, and it's very immersive. Would still recommend.

ymziegler's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

strrygo's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

the drama !!!!!  not one of my favorites from Hawthorne (especially after reading his short stories) but not all that bad, think i would've enjoyed it more if i didn't read the introduction.. nd found out every major plot point before it happened :') but it's ok