Rating: 
Summary: The Scarlet Letter
Review: Said to be one of the first psychological novels ever written, The Scarlet Letter still captivates its readers. Nathaniel Hawthorne knew how to characterize his characters beautifully. Reading his work is like experiencing that character's life.
The story is set in colonial New England. The plot of the story revolves around the lives of three individuals who lived in Puritan Boston. Hester Prynne, a brave, fierce woman bearing her sin in silence, Reverand Arthur Dimmesdale, a very respected member of the community who suffers with his guilt, and Roger Chillingsworth, Hester's husband who wants revenge, are the three characters of Hawthorne's novel. As the story unfolds, so do the intricacies of the characters and in the end the truth is proven to be the best solution.
Reading this classic novel was harder to accomplish than I expected. The story starts off slow and, from my point of view, the wording of the book is hard to follow and understand. What I liked best about the novel was the underlying meanings you can take from reading the book. A person's passion for revenge and the clash between a person's private life and public life are hidden meanings shown throughout this story. The portrayal of human nature was also done wonderfully. Sin, guilt, pentinence, and lust are some of the main feelings in this book. The Scarlet Letter is a classic that continues to be read by all ages of readers and the story can teach people valuable lessons about life if read carefully.
Rating: 
Summary: Critique of American Culture?
Review: This book is highly informative in helping one understand what makes American culture tick. There is a moral strand in American culture that is traceable to Puritanism. Even today, it's hard to understand American culture apart from Puritanism and Puritan theology. This book encapsulates the American public life and culture on open society levels.
Rating:
Summary: Please try again
Review: This is for all the kids out there who have had to read this book for school and then written awful reviews of it here. Take a few years and PLEASE TRY AGAIN! You will not be sorry. Hawthorne is a wonderfully subtle author, and while his writing might seem tedious at first, it will reward you. This is not just a book about adultery punished by a repressive society- it is about guilt and love, secrets and integrity, personal demons and responsibility. The story has true relevance in today's world. And Hawthorne's language is amazing. If anything he writes seems obvious, look again. He may not have said what you first thought. He often shows many sides of a situation and lets the reader draw his own conclusions. I never had to read The Scarlet Letter for school, but I have read it twice and will probably read it again soon. It is one of the few books that have really stuck with me and made me think. Like other great works of art, it will keep coming back to you. What it lacks in swift and exciting action, it more than makes up in the author's great understanding of and compassion for his characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh god kill me now, this book is BAD.
Review: This is my mom's account. I had the pleasure of reading this book in English this year. I can honestly say, it is the single most boring book I've EVER read. You will NEVER find someone my age that enjoys this story. It has no action! No suspense! It isn't deep! Things don't symbolize anything. If they do, then you're thinking too hard. This book is not a classic. It is the worst. I'd recommend copying a dictionary before I'd ask you to read this pile. DO NOT EVEN THINK OF BUYING THIS.
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE.
Review: This is probably the most painfully boring novel I've ever had to suffer through. The characters are annoying, the plot is uninteresting and it is overdeveloped.
Basically, Dimmesdale becomes suicidal and physically ill due to the guilt he has for not admitting his sin, as he allowed Hester to take all of the blame. Admit your sins as Hester did, live a happy life. The end. You don't need to suffer through the whole book.
Rating:
Summary: Depth
Review: This isn't your book if your looking for adventure or swordfights or any of that sort
I had to read this for my English class and my first impression was from all the other rumors about it.. "it's boring" and etc. As a result, when I began reading I held that in my mind. However as I kept reading, I discovered Hawthorne's character are so 3 dimensional in their personality and who they really are. Hawthorne does an AMAZING job of describing his characters and giving them life I couldn't help but begin to really love the book
The only problem was when I had to give my presentation on it.. Hawthorne took all my insight..hahaha
Rating: 
Summary: Strengths and Weaknesses
Review: This story has been synopsized repeatedly on this item page, and I'll not be redundant. Instead, I'll move directly to explaining the four-star rating I gave it.Strengths
1. It is, from a technical standpoint, very well-written.
2. It paints a clear picture of the era.
3. It describes, and questions, the social mores regarding infidelity and adultery.
4. It describes the consequences of adultery, not just for the unfaithful spouse, but for all affected parties. Weaknesses
1. "The Scarlet Letter" is very detailed and descriptive, and can be boring at times, especially in the beginning.
2. Many adults think this is a great book for teens to read. Most of the teens I've discussed this book with do not agree; they find it boring, wordy, and irrelevant.
Rating:
Summary: Not one of my favorites. . .
Review: Well, I didn't like this book too much at all. All of the other reviews that I have read say that it's great, it's a classic, a timeless tale! And maybe it is. For me, I found it really hard to get into. There's not much dialogue, or action. The only exciting part comes at the end, with the Reverend Dimmesdale & his confession. Maybe I'll enjoy it when I'm older. I'm only 13 right now, and I don't think I could stand reading it again. My friends know me as a generally fast reader, but this book took me 8 weeks, maybe more, to finish! I found it very boring. I've been reading several books at once, and after a couple pages, I found it too much to keep reading, so I picked up another book that I had previously thought boring, and it seemed like non-stop action! And a lot easier to read, too, than the wording of Nathaniel Hawthorne. However, I will admit that The Scarlet Letter DOES convey a message of guilt, revenge, cowardice & bravery, and the terrible wrong that is sin. For that, I give it 3 stars. I would rate it higher, but, like I said, I found it extremely boring and tiresome. I recommend this book to people who love to read, who don't get too frustrated with tough language, and who have a LOT of time on their hands!:) I'm sure I'll try to read it again someday, but as of now, I need a break from Hawthorne's beautiful, intricate, meaningful, yet difficult words.
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