Rating: 
Summary: Captivating.
Review: I am a 48 year old college student reading The Scarlet Letter for the first time. In fact, I have never read any of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works before--doesn't say much for my high school. Hawthorne's use of imagery and double meanings captivated me. ANALYSE ANYTHING--EVERYTHING HAS ANOTHER MEANING. I couldn't wait to read the next page and get to class to discuss it. When I read the passages again, I found more hidden meanings. I've gone on to read more of his works since and would now like to find out more about his family heritage. His family was involved in the Salem witch trials and the persecution of the Quakers during the 17th century. It has been suggested that this has influenced in his writings about guilt, shame, sin, & alienation.I loved his allegorical treatment of the emotional ramifications brought on by social, family, and religious situations. What was chillingworth's sin anyway? Who cheated on who? I would say that the "goody-two shoe" minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, was the real villain. He never confessed to save Hester and Pearl until his dying day; he had nothing to personally gain by keeping his secret. I "feel" for all the high school kids that do not appreciate or understand Hawthorne's stories. I suggest that you go to a quiet place, without interruptions--take the phone off the hook, and read. It will take time to get going; a little research would help. Coming to this site is a start. See what others think about his writing--BUT DON'T GIVE UP. You may even have to admit that you like it
Rating: 
Summary: If your looking to fall asleep than this is perfect 4 you !
Review: Well, im 15 years old and my english teacher assigned this book for the class. I read only 6 of the chapters and then gave up . Maybe if it was somewhat interesting I would read it - but it has nothing to do with modern life.And to assign such a book at this time in a teens life is just pointless. Like I really care about what happenes to Hester. I've failed all the quizzes that my teacher gave us and most kids from the class did the same. Its one of those books where you read 4 pages and all of a sudden you realized that you were thinking about what you wearing today. Then i have to read the pages all over again. The book is extremely boring !! - I do not recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: slowly falling asleep
Review: The book is boring if you try to read it without a good look at the movie first but it gets easier to understand once youre in class failing every single test your teacher gives you on it! Then she decides to explain what's going on to you later. It was boring and I fell asleep everytime I went to read it.
Rating:
Summary: I am going to bring Hawthorne back from the grave to hit him
Review: Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, this the worst book i've ever read, I consider myself open to all fine lterature but I absolutely hate this book. But the writing is superb!
Rating:
Summary: Long and Dry
Review: In writing the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne brought up a few good points. For example, there were many instances in which he describes the suffering of secret sin through the eyes of Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester's child's father. As Hester grows stronger throughout the novel as a result of her repentance, Dimmesdale, the man with whom she cheated, grows weaker and weaker until he finally gives in at the end of the story. To reach these fine conclusions from the book, however, one must stay completely focused and search long and hard for the evidence. Buried beneath Hawthorne's dull insignificant speeches on content that literally has nothing to do with the story, one may be able to find a moral. In saying this, I am referring of course to the 54 page introduction that is almost totally irrelevant to the entire story. He describes everyone that works in the custom house with him and what they wear and eat and do in their spare time, and then in the last 4 or so pages, he talks about the importance of the scarlet letter. What a waste of paper! With all of the trees that he killed writing his intro, you would think that it would actually serve a purpose. Overall, my opinion on the novel is that it could be summed up in about 3-5 sentences, although Hawthorne drones on for about 250 pages of frequent symbolism and aristocratic dialogue. If you really want to read a story about the shame and suffering of secret sin, then I highly recommend reading "The Minister's Black Veil", also by Hawthorne. This is a much shorter story with a lot more meaning and fewer words. It basically sums up all that he really wished to say in the Scarlet Letter in a different plot and setting.
Rating: 
Summary: Although it was hard to understand, I enjoyed the book.
Review: I thought that The Scarlet Letter was a very challenging book. In my opinion, it has been the hardest book that we have read this year. I am a big time daydreamer when I read, which is why I think it took me a long time to understand. If you can stay focused, go for it! It can be a really touching and interesting book, but if you daydream like me, get a few of your friends to read it, too. It may help you to understand it better. If my class did not have daily discussions on it, I would not have liked the book as much as I did!
Rating:
Summary: Avg. Rating too high
Review: I've bought this book, underlined every hint of symbolism, found all evidence of romanticism, followed every quote involving thematic oppositions, and noted every example of Pearl's rebellious nature and social alienation, but I cannot find one positive aspect of this novel that makes any of my hard work feel rewarding. The only way this novel could give me a warm feeling is if I place it in a furnace.
Rating: 
Summary: Really Hard to Follow
Review: This is another classic out in the book world but I find it extremely hard to follow. Hawthorne had a lot of good points in the book but I didn't understand them until they were pointed out to me. If you don't get into that Puritan time period of literature then I suggest you don't read it. There is a lot of symbolism in this book, too.
Rating:
Summary: It was a good novel...
Review: The story was great, but I read it in 11th grade and was unable to understand it very well.....it is very wordy and complicated but overall, it is a great book. It is a very profound tale of sin and public ignominy, it is definitely a classic for adults, but definitely not for teens... This but is not a masterpiece
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look into another time's mores
Review: Of course this is a classic of American literature, and, to my mind, with good reason. The story engages and puts one in the time. It requires a modern reader to stretch, but the exercise rewards.
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