Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Scarlet Letter: Large Print

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Scarlet Letter: Large Print by Nathaniel Hawthorne

7 reviews

gaypoetree's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

4 stars: I liked it better than expected and would read it again!

Who decides what is wrong, and for whom? What is the “right” way to approach guilt? What are the consequences of accountability, and lack thereof? Can (and should) one take “accountability” for a wrong that wasn’t even all that wrong? These are the questions that most compelled The Scarlet Letter for me.

I’ve read some people talk about this book in terms of the relationship between the supposed sinners; to me, that may be the least important part. The narrative begins after the affair is concluded because, for Hawthorne, scandal is the least interesting part of the story; what he really cares about is interested parties cope afterward. I think that perspective is what makes this book worth reading over 200 years later. The scale of Hester Prynne’s sin seems even more minute now than it did in 1850. If anything, I think that helps the experience. In an age where everything is online forever, a metaphorical scarlet letter can get pinned to anyone at any time; the question of how harsh a treatment such a person might deserve, as well as how to go about living with it, is an important one to consider.

Content Warnings

teatunesandtales's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark 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

2.75

Finally finished. While the chapters were short, the book as a whole was a slow crawl. Hawthorne's excessive use of details created lengthy paragraphs that was easy to get lost in the story, and not in a good way. And I've never been more ready to finish the book, and never read the word "ignominy" again.

Puritanicalism is not for the faint of heart. If you can't be perfect, you won't make it in their world.

I loved Pearl's wild heart and imagination. It was a bright spot to the book.

Long love Hester Prynne's legacy.

Content Warnings

anoushka05's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

Content Warnings

kelisabeth's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

2.5

Content Warnings

bloopyfloopy's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

alix_the_book_witch's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

chalkletters's review against another edition

Go to review page

inspiring 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? No

3.0

Books like The Scarlet Letter make me wish I’d started writing reviews earlier; I’ve read it before, in 2013, but have almost no memory of my impressions of it, beyond a sense that I enjoyed the metafictional opening. I rated it two out of five stars, but that tells me nothing about what I thought of the story or the characters. As they say, the best time to start reviewing books is ten years ago, the second best time is now, so all I can do is try to capture my 2023 reaction so that, should I read The Scarlet Letter again in 2033, at least I’ll have something to look back on!

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s prose is trickier for a modern reader than Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell, but not quite as impenetrable as Rob Roy. Some plot points are heavily implied, without being outright stated, and are later referenced as if the reader is supposed to have been absolutely sure of them, which can be a little unsettling. The Scarlet Letter at least actually implies the important plot points, so in that regard its easier to follow than Madame Bovary or Tess of the D’urbervilles, where they’re left off the page entirely.

Even putting aside the metafictional introductory aside about working in the Post Office, The Scarlet Letter gets off to quite a slow start. The opening image of Hester emerging from jail and standing on the scaffold is impactful, but it’s followed by quite a long time where her feelings aren’t really explored and nothing much happens. The focus on Mr Dimmesdale is more effective, but even then it’s not obvious what the story is building towards.

Fortunately, The Scarlet Letter really starts to shine towards the end. As soon as she’s given a little agency, Hester becomes a very powerful character in how she responds to her situation and society. It’s a pity there wasn’t more of that, but what there was is worth reading the book for. Unlike some other literary heroines, Hester isn’t condemned by the narrative voice, which is sympathetic to her even at her most ‘sinful’ moments.

I hope that, looking back on this book, I’ll remember Hester more from my second read than I did from my first!

Content Warnings

More...