A review by deegee24
The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne

4.0

If you only read one Hawthorne novel, it should be The Scarlet Letter, but this one is nearly as good. I like it better than The House of the Seven Gables. It is a very acid take on the communal life of a group of transcendentalists, modeled after Hawthorne's own experience at Brook Farm. This book is probably the best example of what Hawthorne meant when he described himself as a writer of romances. The characters are symbolic and larger than life, but also drawn with subtlety and insight. The main plot involves a self-consciously overwrought love triangle that ends in suicide. The governing philosophy and daily routines of the commune, and its relations with the neighboring farmers are compelling.