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

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Scarlet Letter: Large Print by Nathaniel Hawthorne

21 reviews

duarshe's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

"On a field, sable, the letter A, gules"

Ok, so... this book really tested by attention span. Spoiler, my attention span is BAD. I could not keep focus on an entire single chapter without dettaching two lines in. And the chapters were not even long, so imagine that. I do believe that the major reason for this is the way that this book is narrated, because there were lines that would last for ten lines without a single full stop, just a load of commas and hyphens. I was SUFFERING. At least until I gave up and decided to listen to the audiobook whilst reading the book. Best decision ever, if I'm being honest. Listening to it while reading helped me to understand way more, to keep myself focused on the story and to actually enjoy it more. Moreover, it helped me finish this way faster than I would've if I just kept on reading/dettaching. And don't even get me started on "The Custom House"... that was UNREADABLE. Meaning, that if the book was entirely like that chapter this would be a 1-star reading.

Regarding the story... it was juicy and messy and I loved that. Although I think if it was written in this century, the juiceness would've been exploited to the max, which would've made this way more entertaining. Also, there were many chapters that just were boring. In my opinion, the enjoyable parts of this book are the very beginning, the chapters of Hester speaking with Roger and Arthur, and the very end. Speaking of Roger, his last name being Chillingworth really IS significant, because that man needs to chill. With all the herbs he keeps on recollecting in the forest for remedies, he might as well find something to help him calm the f down...

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marthadude's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

Actually really good. Hester really is that girl

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minary's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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gaypoetree's review against another edition

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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.

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leonislame's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? Yes

2.0

Had to read this for school. Maybe if I read the modern translated version it would have been better, but I just could not understand anything going on in this book. It really is a sign of the times, and probably one of the best classics written, but I personally just could not get behind it. Maybe you’ll like it if you like old English classics 😭

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kristinetp's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

Would I read it again? No

I love Easy A so thought I'd give the book a go. I did like some parts of it, but I wouldn't really care to read it again. Really enjoy some of the themes though. I also just really felt for Hester the whole time.

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