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

Although it's technically competent and thematically marvelous, even Robert Jordan's most copious tangents don't come close to Nathaniel Hawthorne's mind-numbing detours. And unlike James Joyce, he's not even funny or whimsical about it.

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leanneymu's review against another edition

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challenging slow-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

3.0

A compelling story that is almost completely obfuscated by Hawthorne's impenetrable prose. I'm glad I read it, but I didn't enjoy the act of reading it.

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erins_bookshelf_'s review against another edition

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Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

If I am being completely honest, I only actually read the first half of this and a few chapters in class, but the final four or so were me reading the cliffsnotes summaries because reading this was just so tedious. I didn’t hate it and I kind of liked the story (I love when things call out religious hypocrisy) but it was just okay. I know it’s an older book and a classic so the language and pacing wasn’t exactly like how books are now, but there was far too much description of things for me to handle. The chapters (and the book) would have been much shorter if Hawthorne had just cut out about half the descriptions. The story itself was interesting and pretty good, but it was a bit difficult to get through (hence the use of cliffsnotes towards the end).

ALSO if Dimmesdale was really feeling that guilty WHY DIDNT HE JUST CONFESS like he ranted about “oh Hester you’ve had it much easier than I” and blah blah blah as if he wasn’t the most beloved man in the town while she was shunned by literally everyone 🙄
Honestly, Pearl was my favorite part of the book because she was funny and just the most relatable (yes I know she’s 7)- doesn’t like people, hates affection unless it’s from someone she’s close to/ affection she starts, prefers to play with animals/ by herself rather than other children, etc. Pearl is the best and everyone else can go away (Hester can stay cus she’s her mom and also she pushed through everything so she’s cool)

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