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abbie_bryant 's review for:

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
3.75
challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

Book 41 in 2025 🅰️

The Scarlet Letter - Nathanial Hawthorne 

3.75⭐️ - Hester Prynne was not at all how I imagined her from my many viewings of Easy A. She is quiet, resolute, and pious. She took her punishment with silence and resilience, and I couldn't help but admire her for it, despite how frustrating it was to read at times. 

It took me a while to get into the book, and the beginning when they found the documents and manuscript seemed to go on forever. I honestly think that whole part is skippable. The narration keeps you at a distance from the characters, which was very effective at times, but occasionally felt a little dull. 

I think it would be really interesting to study, but it also seems a bit odd that it is on the syllabus in US schools, given some of the themes. 

The colonisation themes weren't as prominent as I expected them to be, and the racist overtones got a but much at times, even when taking into account when the book was written. 

All in all, though, I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to watching the movie adaptation (and maybe another rewatch of Easy A).