The Scarlet Letter

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Release Date: 1850-12-30
  • Genre: Classics
Score: 4
4
From 4,892 Ratings

Description

An Apple Books Classic edition.

Hester Prynne lives in infamy. After committing adultery and bearing a child with a man whose name she refuses to divulge, the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel is forced to wear a scarlet A to mark her shame for all to see.

Hawthorne’s American classic reflects the Puritan mindset of Boston in the 1600s, where public humiliation was acceptable punishment for a woman who bucked the norms. Never mind that Hester’s husband was widely believed to have died at sea and that Hester and her daughter are living a quiet life of good deeds in their little cottage outside town. Someone wants revenge-and will stop at nothing to get it.

The Scarlet Letter incorporates supernatural elements with historical fiction. It’s a dark tale of sin and redemption with an unforgettable heroine whose story continues to fascinate readers and inspire film adaptations.

Reviews

  • Read it

    5
    By bienclaro
    Beautiful!
  • Good book

    5
    By Jaden Nakao
    I liked how interesting it was.
  • Excellent!

    5
    By Leelaandfriends
    I loved this book! It had very good characters, themes, and a good story line. It was a little slow, but still very enjoyable. I also loved getting exposed to older English. Pearl is so cute! Honestly, she was the highlight of the book for me.
  • Hard to understand

    5
    By PuppyGamersOG
    I have to read this for school and it’s a bit difficult because most of the things they say are too difficult to understand like “Sayest thou so” or “Speak thou for me!” Like…. what are they talking about?
  • Good ending, but a little slow sometimes

    4
    By MamaReadsHerBible
    Good story. A bit slow at times, but has a good ending. Good morals and lessons to be learned.
  • Adorned language

    3
    By Campina2013
    The extra descriptive language lost me sometimes, but it also allowed me to imagine the scenes better. It tells the story of a woman who conceived a child out of wedlock and all the lifelong repercussions that brought.
  • Strong Prose

    3
    By Jamion3
    I wasn’t the most enamored with this but it was a worthwhile read. Maybe I can come back in a few years and this will hit different.
  • Romantic

    5
    By Amanda J. Green
    I fell in love with every character in this book. It's a read you'll remember. Savor every word!
  • 😁

    5
    By joley🥰
    Provides a great lesson to readers of all ages.
  • Classic

    5
    By bluegiraffeHCD
    Had to read it for school and I enjoyed it! The writing’s a little outdated but I could still understand it. Pearl is so cute I love her!!!!! But I hate Dimmesdale he’s the worst character in the whole book. Not for everyone but overall a great read totally recommend!!!
  • Love it!

    5
    By sarahh297
    Read this for english class was not expecting to be so invested. A classic I’ll always reccomend!
  • no

    1
    By Holdenrocks3
    terrible
  • Amazing

    5
    By mckaylag23
    I loved it! Read it for English class and was not expecting it to be good. It has a good plot line and I love the purpose of the book. 10/10 would recommend.
  • Good book, if you can get past the old english

    3
    By StephanieMonique
    It’s a classic for sure. It’s just difficult to concentrate with the dated language.
  • Amazing!

    5
    By tdhop
    To an old man who was never forced to read this in his youth, The Scarlet Letter is revealed as an absolute masterpiece. Incredibly rich language is mixed with a twisted tale and a moral both poignant and modern. Hardly a tale of Puritan ascendance but instead one of love, sorrow and redemption. Fantastic!
  • Not amazing, but a good read

    4
    By Disappointed owl😢
    The writing style can get a bit convoluted, but I found the characters to be interesting and unique. Once you get used to the style, the story is interesting and not as frivolously descriptive as others of its era.
  • The Scarlet Letter is outdated

    1
    By lauhgingemoji267
    The Scarlet Letter is the most outdated book to read in the school. Do not use this as a book to read for your students; as they will hate it and tell others how bad it is. Read this if you enjoy reading centuries old literature.
  • Good

    5
    By mistborn addict
    It’s relative to the world back then but it still does have an affect today, but just not as powerful as back then.
  • Not what I expected

    5
    By Matt8385727
    It took me a while to get use to the way it was written and what the book is actually about. I found it to be very deep and poetic. It’s not so much a book of action but more about the situation as a whole. I can’t say it was “exciting” but very much so a really good book to read.