Rating: 
Summary: At least it's well annotated...
Review: This version (Modern Library) gets two stars because it is very well annotated. The book itself only deserves one star.
Having now made it just more than halfway through this book, I have a theory as to why "no one reads the classics" anymore. It is probably because they were subjected to this turgid, boring book in high school, and came to the erroneous conclusion that all old books are this slow, long-winded, and tedious.
How sad. Because of all the classics I have read (and they are legion), this is by far the slowest, windiest, and most tedious.
One of the first rules of writing is "show, don't tell." This rule has applied as far back as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis. Well, Hawthorne is of the "tell until you are about to lose your reader-then show a bit to string him along" school. He is wordy beyond description. His paragraphs are constructed of endless run-on sentences that contain more side trips than a sorority girl's recounting of her weekend in Fort Lauderdale. In the first 43-page chapter, only two or three paragraphs have anything to do with the story (I'm not kidding).
Once we get into the story, the pace picks up-but only slightly. Rather than following a conventional story structure that balances character development, dialog, and plot with passages of narrative description, we are presented with a series of long and endlessly wordy "sketches" that DESCRIBE the characters, their environment, and how they feel, and that bludgeon you with overt symbolism. We are TOLD all about the characters' internal and external conflicts, but we are SHOWN none of it. Again and again, I find myself thinking, "This boring description could have been made into a really great scene." Instead, I find my mind numbly wandering as I wade through deep rivers of slow moving prose.
Just when I am about to give up all hope of action or plot and throw the book down in disgust, he injects a brief snippet of dialog that (barely) keeps me interested. But sadly, he uses these moments to make his characters melodramatic and cartoonish. Some examples: The evil physician is twisted, misshapen, and deformed; his face is dark, and a fire burns in his eyes. He speaks friendly words with sinister, hidden motives. (I'm surprised he doesn't twirl his moustache, too). Or, the tortured preacher is wasting away under his own inner conflict over the sin he has committed. He is weakening and clutches at a pain in his breast. (Gee, which sin could it be? Care to guess? Hawthorne pretty well telegraphs it so you won't be surprised when it's unveiled). Or, Hester feels a searing heat beneath her scarlet letter, and her daughter shows impish, devilish behavior-the living embodiment of Hester's sin. Okay, okay-we get the point.
In short, this book sucks. If you want to read a great American novel loaded with symbolism, read an annotated copy of Moby Dick. While it, too, is at times challenging, slow, and meandering; it is also deep, layered, complex, and structurally interesting, and it actually delivers the money shot at the end. Oh, Lord, how it delivers. With this turkey, the journey is so painfully slow and uneventful I'll never find out if it delivers. I just don't care enough to finish. I guess I'll have to watch the movie...
If this is your first classic and you are getting discouraged, don't. Quit reading it and try another one. There are hundreds of great books out there. This isn't one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe the book was cheated...!?
Review: Yes, I enjoyed this book. The STORY was good...I am sure you have an idea about it so I won't waste time with a summary. The SETTING was great...Hawthorne brought 17th Century frontier Boston alive with his stunning descriptions. The CHARACTERS were ok...yes, only ok, because I never found myself loving or hating any of them, which to me is evidence that the author was successful with his creation. But...The SYMBOLISM is what makes this book, what makes it a classic!...This book is a brilliant essay on how important it is to abide by a conscience. One mishap can lead you down a path towards destruction. BUT aiding in that destruction were Christians who were more unforgiving then the heathen around them...The christian who reads this book should learn that forgiveness was the #1 thing Christ taught and expects from us! (i.e. He who is merciful shall obtain mercy). BUT what I learned most from this book was how important it is to understand Gods grace! God is not some powerful ogre waiting to punish but a friend waiting to forgive. If this frontier town only could have known this how different their experience would have been!However, I think this book was cheated because I read it right after the stunning 'Grapes of Wrath' and it simply could not compare, overall, and therefore can not receive the elite five star status! Still a must read if you have never...!
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the book was cheated...!?
Review: Yes, I enjoyed this book. The STORY was good...I am sure you have an idea about it so I won't waste time with a summary. The SETTING was great...Hawthorne brought 17th Century frontier Boston alive with his stunning descriptions. The CHARACTERS were ok...yes, only ok, because I never found myself loving or hating any of them, which to me is evidence that the author was successful with his creation. But...The SYMBOLISM is what makes this book, what makes it a classic!...This book is a brilliant essay on how important it is to abide by a conscience. One mishap can lead you down a path towards destruction. BUT aiding in that destruction were Christians who were more unforgiving then the heathen around them...The christian who reads this book should learn that forgiveness was the #1 thing Christ taught and expects from us! (i.e. He who is merciful shall obtain mercy). BUT what I learned most from this book was how important it is to understand Gods grace! God is not some powerful ogre waiting to punish but a friend waiting to forgive. If this frontier town only could have known this how different their experience would have been! However, I think this book was cheated because I read it right after the stunning 'Grapes of Wrath' and it simply could not compare, overall, and therefore can not receive the elite five star status! Still a must read if you have never...!
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