Rating: 
Summary: I only gave it a star because I had to.
Review: This was the worst book I ever read. I was lost and confused and that was only in the first sentence. You would think that classic had to have some level of goodness, but this book was the worst piece of filth I had ever read in my entire life. It's no wonder that Hawthorn locked himself in his mothers attic, he was mentally ill before he ever wrote the book. If you are a high school student,like I am, you know the hell that I had to go through and I am guessing you never want to put yourself through it again. And to you who have no read this book, don't. You have not, or never will commit enough sin to be put in to the type of hell that this book offers the reader. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. Oh, and by the way who decided that this was a classic romantic book, there is nothing romantic about this novel, nor anything good. If you are in the mood for a good romance shoot for Nora Roberts or Sandra Brown, they can actually write!
Rating: 
Summary: Scarlet Letter Review
Review: One of the American classics, THE SCARLET LETTER tells of a woman named Hester Prynne in late 17th century who committed the then-unforgivable sin of adultery. She had been living in Boston for two years and had been found guilty of bearing a child (Pearl) by an unknown father. As punishment for her sin, Hester was forced to wear a scarlet A (adultery) on the bodice of her dress and to stand on a public scaffold before Boston's townspeople. The opening chapter "Custom House" seemed irrelevant to the rest of the novel the first time I read the book. It was not until a couple of years later I found it not true when I re-read the novel. I do have to admit that Hawthrone's writing style can drag at times, the once-seemed boring opening chapter significantly set the mood for the rest of the novel. "Custom House" does not seem to be an integral part of the story; yet the passage in which Hawthrone tells of having discovered, in the Salem Custom House, the faded scarlet A and the parchment foolscap sheets containing the facts which he says he used as the basis for this novel. The two landmarks mentioned at the beginning: prison and cemetry, point to the central themes of punishment and death, which will be combined in the climax of the novel. Prison might symbolize how Hester Prynne, who wore that scarlet A on the bodice, was forever locked in by her sin. This entire tale is filled with symbolisms. The prison is described as "the black flower of the civilized society". The tombstone at the end of the book implies that crime and punishment may well bring about the death of such civilized life. The most popular and conspicuous symbol that is well sustained throughtout the book is the scalet A that is worn by Hester Prynne. Initially it is a red cloth letter which is a literal symbol of the sin of adultery. But the author makes the symbol A much more richly symbolic throughout the rest of the tale. The scaffold is not only a symbol of the stern Puritan code, but also a symbol for the open acknowledgment of personal sin. Night and day are symbols for concealment and openness. The sun symbolizes happiness and freedom of guilt. The list goes on and on.... Arthur Dimmensdale, Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne, and Pearl themselves, are symbols as well. They reflect certain view of sins and effects on humans and society. The book might take strength and effort to read; but it's not quite a bad read.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story muddied by complicated writing
Review: The first time I tried to read this book I had to keep looking in the dictionary, which was very distracting, and the last thing you need when you read this book is distraction; besides, I was too young to really understand this, anyway. I picked up the book again recently and this time, the first thing that comes to my mind is whether a person like Hester really existed, and if all the things she had to go through without losing her serenity and aplomb happened the way it happens here. Hester Prynne is a married Puritan woman who was condemned to wear a scarlet letter A embroidered in her clothes at all times, to remind everyone of her sin: having a child, Pearl, with another villager whose identity she will not disclose. Being publicly recognized as an adulteress, Hester is a victim of her neighbors' scorn and the authorities' suspicion, even threatened to have her daughter's custody taken away from her, and in the midst of this, she discovers her husband's designs of revenge on the man he suspects of being her lover. Hester's personality and her suffering are superbly described, but the story in itself drags on excruciatingly from the beginning to about the middle of the book, and even from that point on, the prose is still very complicated and full of arcaic words and florid descriptions, that's why I say distraction is the last thing you need when reading it; you have to really want to read this book, but it will pay, if what you want is something that keeps you thinking about it well after you finish reading; I don't know why it is required reading in some schools and I certainly would not reccomend this book for occasional readers.
Rating:
Summary: The Fiery color of passion
Review: Passion, greed, lust and denial are all the ingredients that make The Scarlet Letter a novel that caused much controversy back the days where women would not even think about having committed adultry, but Hester Prynne did. In the Scarlet Letter, passion justifies nothing, while its denial that justifies all. The reason why I rated The Scarlet Letter so highly was because it was very rare that a book so racy in its content would be written in the eighteen hundreds and still be good. The reason why this book was so intriguing was because there was a psychological approach to destruct; dealing with the controversy that surrounds The Scarlet Letter that I found really refreshing and more interesting because its always better to read about a person loosing their mind rather than mere violence such as fighting. I recommend this book to people who like to read about deception and mind games to destroy the guilty.
Rating: 
Summary: This book REALLY sucked!
Review: I had to read this book for my advanced English class. I am in the 11th grade. It sucked REALLY bad! I mean, who would want to read a bunch of "thee"s and "thou"s. It was so confusing! After I read the first chapter about 10 times, I went to Cliff to help me out. I love that Cliff Notes book. It helps a LOT! And I suggest that if you have to read this book for school, I would go get the Cliff Notes. I really could care less about a woman who sleeps with another man while she is married (or is she?). If I wanted to hear about that kind of thing, I would turn on a soap opera. And the whole letter thing is just stupid. Like she would really care that she has to wear the letter "A" on her clothes. I mean, most of us could go through life with big spagetti stains on their shirts and not care at all. The book is totally irrelevant when it comes to times today. We study history to learn from others' mistakes yet today if we make the mistake of adultery, it's called DIVORCE. I would have given this book a flat out 1 star but I decided to be nice since it related to my favorite soap opera. For anyone that just feels like reading a book, I don't recommend this one. For anyone who wants to be MAJORLY confused and utterly bored to death, enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad a plot...
Review: If you're looking for a quick, fast paced, leisurely read, MOVE ON! Because this is not the book for you. When I finished the book, my expectations were fulfilled. The book is written in puritan plainstyle and has virtually no dialouge for you to enjoy... But the book creates great emphasis on sin and adultery. Hester Prynne commites adultery and is condemned throughout society. Basically this book deals well on the subject of bravery, courage, the Puritan ethic, and the way society ran in New England (it also implied how women are strong enough to brave humiliation and condemnation in society and how men can be spineless cowards). Even though it's not a book you can absorb and finish in one reading, after I read it I got some insight on the Puritans and why Hawthrone wrote the way he did. Read it only if you think you'll enjoy it. Slightly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book with a capital G and a capital B
Review: I just read this book for the second time, at age 43. The first time was at age 15, as a school assignment, and boy, did I not get anything from it back then! But this time, I was enthralled. I gasped, cried, jumped up out of my chair. I read it in ONE SITTING. It is exquisitly written, deliciously horrifying, agonizingly suspenseful, overwhelmingly compelling. Afterword, I could not start another book for days while I thought about the experience I had just had. Read this book as an adult. It is a true great of literature. It is a life experience that everyone should have. And now some warnings: It is set in Puritan America -- not the most relevant setting for modern readers. Those looking for universality may find the setting remote and hard to relate to. Also, the first chapter, The Customs House, is really an introduction, rather that a chapter contributing to the story. It is forgivable to skip it.
Rating:
Summary: The Scarlet Letter Review by Tazmania
Review: I think that the book was ok. The only thing that I didn't like about it was the fact that there wasn't enough talking amoung the characters in the book. Even though I couldn't understand some of the words in the book, I recommend this book to people who like a good, challenging book.
Rating:
Summary: paralyzing fear
Review: The pain brought on by this archaicly verbose peice of literary kindling is so great that, while reading, I was greatly tempted to gouge out my eyes to prevent any future encounters with Mr. Hawthorne's "work". Please, for the love of all things sacred USE CLIFFNOTES!!! It will save you from years of therapy. I am scarred for live. My soul will be tormented after death and i will be forced to walk the earth in search for reconciliation.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely A Must Read
Review: I thought this book was an excellent piece of writing. The symbolism surrounding such objects as the "A" itself, the blacken weeds, and the sign in the sky make the story deep, and leave much of it open for interpretation. Hawthorne's use of details was also very good. His descriptions added so much to the plot and setting, but mostly to the symbolism of the book. I think the book is definitely a "must read."
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