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A review by duarshe
The Scarlet Letter by Cindy Weinstein, Nathaniel Hawthorne
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...
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...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Infidelity