Reviews

The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne

propamanda's review against another edition

2.0

Meh. Good commentary on the many Utopian-seeking communities that sprung up around Hawthorne's time, but it was kind of a struggle to get through. I prefer more character driven stories and while the cast in this book shows good promise, Hawthorne really doesn't flesh them out.

eab7680's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

mitrajiyan's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

A surprisingly readable and relatable classic novel. What is especially intriguing is the knowledge that this novel was heavily inspired by Hawthorne’s own time at Brook Farm. The plot itself can be very predictable and tedious to get through (especially in the middle of the book, where everything gets a bit slow), but there are many interesting dialogues and ideas presented in the novel. Some parts are even funny in a way that’s surprisingly timeless.

notenoughnewts's review against another edition

mysterious 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

scottsterpa's review against another edition

5.0

After several years, I re-read this book as part of a volume of Hawthorne's novels from the Library of America: [bc:Collected Novels: Fanshawe, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, The Marble Faun|12306|Collected Novels Fanshawe, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, The Marble Faun (Library of America #10)|Nathaniel Hawthorne|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347237730s/12306.jpg|7069790]

A full account of my thoughts coming soon; I am writing this on the mobile app that does not have access to the tools I need.

lukescalone's review against another edition

3.0

Before reading this book, I saw Nathaniel Hawthorne more as a crotchety old Puritan, likely due to the influence of [b:The Scarlet Letter|12296|The Scarlet Letter|Nathaniel Hawthorne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404810944l/12296._SY75_.jpg|4925227]. This book, in contrast, is perhaps equally dark, but it feels "light." This novel places Hawthorne much more in a mid-19th century Romantic school and the influence of Massachusetts transcendentalists is palpable.

The story itself was thoroughly predictable and unremarkable, but we can feel Hawthorne grasping with the same themes that are so prominent in The Scarlet Letter--namely the ubiquity of humanity's sins in quasi-utopian projects (of which Puritan settlements are one example, and socialist communes another--really, there are few institutions as American as utopian settlements). I appreciated Hawthorne's attempts to come to terms with these themes, but the story itself left much to be desired.

doppeldan's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious slow-paced

3.0

crowyhead's review against another edition

4.0

This is a dense, but fascinating, novel about a writer who joins a utopian community. It's plenty sordid, and it should be required reading if you're interested in the utopian communities that sprang up in New England during the 19th century.

njauf's review against another edition

4.0

Lowkey hilarious 

anacarol's review against another edition

reflective 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

3.25