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steph_maheux's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
smitchy's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Fair warning: Rant incoming!
I took ages to read this book because when I started reading the USA election cycle had just started and even though I am Australian the side-show circus that is American politics dominated our news. What does this have to do with this book? The themes and topics of this book (written in the 1800s and set in the 1600s): Misogyny, control of women's bodies, "familybullshit values", religion causing misery and inflicting its "morals" onto all around it, and witch paranoia (for modern times replace witches with gay people, or trans people, or immigrants) are once again raising their heads with a good helping of fascism to boot. Seeing the news and reading the world those men (and some women) would have American citizens return to in the name of "FREEDOM (mentally insert screeching eagle)" was too much for me. I took a break and hoped Americans could see what was happening to them. That was not to be.
As an outsider looking in I am torn between sympathy for all the women and girls who are facing a return to ideals that should have been consigned to the dumpster fire of history 400 years ago yet seem to be impossible to kill; and anger at those who stand aside and are willing to sacrifice half the populace (some of whom seem to think they will be immune to the consequences of their support for a religious theocracy due to wealth, privilege, or sheer stupidity). My rage at this trampling of rights in the name of a supposed golden past (that was only ever golden for those who were in the position to piss on all below them) trumped my ability to see any redeeming features in this rambling, misogynistic work of repressed characters and paragraphs of pointless description.
This is a book about the damage religion inflicts on everyone. The only reason to read it is to know what the past was like so we can fight to NEVER go back.
PS if you are a Trump stan FUCK OFF - I am not at home to your racist, misogynistic or religious justifications.
I took ages to read this book because when I started reading the USA election cycle had just started and even though I am Australian the side-show circus that is American politics dominated our news. What does this have to do with this book? The themes and topics of this book (written in the 1800s and set in the 1600s): Misogyny, control of women's bodies, "family
As an outsider looking in I am torn between sympathy for all the women and girls who are facing a return to ideals that should have been consigned to the dumpster fire of history 400 years ago yet seem to be impossible to kill; and anger at those who stand aside and are willing to sacrifice half the populace (some of whom seem to think they will be immune to the consequences of their support for a religious theocracy due to wealth, privilege, or sheer stupidity). My rage at this trampling of rights in the name of a supposed golden past (that was only ever golden for those who were in the position to piss on all below them) trumped my ability to see any redeeming features in this rambling, misogynistic work of repressed characters and paragraphs of pointless description.
This is a book about the damage religion inflicts on everyone. The only reason to read it is to know what the past was like so we can fight to NEVER go back.
PS if you are a Trump stan FUCK OFF - I am not at home to your racist, misogynistic or religious justifications.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Religious bigotry
hevlav's review against another edition
dark
reflective
3.5
Reading through this for the first time, I found myself viewing the story through both the modern lens and that of 1850 when the book was originally published.
Viewed modernly, this is a waxing, dated piece rooted in a racist, Anglo, Christian-centric world view. However, it does hold some level of self awareness that recognizes these truths.. sometimes.
Viewed within the context of its publishing date, I can very much see how this was a progressive piece for the time. The empathetic light - though fraught at best - Hester is cast in is far more than women in any other story I can think of for the time.
I found it surprisingly readable and interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Sexism
sdfallin's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Racism
gandalf_a's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
Minor: Racism and Classism
hjb_128's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Pregnancy
gaypoetree's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 stars: I liked it better than expected and would read it again!
Who decides what is wrong, and for whom? What is the “right” way to approach guilt? What are the consequences of accountability, and lack thereof? Can (and should) one take “accountability” for a wrong that wasn’t even all that wrong? These are the questions that most compelled The Scarlet Letter for me.
I’ve read some people talk about this book in terms of the relationship between the supposed sinners; to me, that may be the least important part. The narrative begins after the affair is concluded because, for Hawthorne, scandal is the least interesting part of the story; what he really cares about is interested parties cope afterward. I think that perspective is what makes this book worth reading over 200 years later. The scale of Hester Prynne’s sin seems even more minute now than it did in 1850. If anything, I think that helps the experience. In an age where everything is online forever, a metaphorical scarlet letter can get pinned to anyone at any time; the question of how harsh a treatment such a person might deserve, as well as how to go about living with it, is an important one to consider.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Pregnancy
impla77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
was it really that deep
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Racism
jwells's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
Read with the book club of Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone podcast.
I definitely got more out of it this time around than I did in high school. Interesting to see the distance between Hawthorne and the characters he's writing about.
It's hard to take the story seriously in terms of characters. It's constantly popping the reader up to the level of allegory or message, in a somewhat heavy-handed way. Chillingworth in particular is such a caricature of a villain.
Podcasters resisted discussing symbolism or character layers, and therefore didn't have much to say about the book. Lol
I definitely got more out of it this time around than I did in high school. Interesting to see the distance between Hawthorne and the characters he's writing about.
It's hard to take the story seriously in terms of characters. It's constantly popping the reader up to the level of allegory or message, in a somewhat heavy-handed way. Chillingworth in particular is such a caricature of a villain.
Podcasters resisted discussing symbolism or character layers, and therefore didn't have much to say about the book. Lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Racism
Briefly mentioned period typical racist attitudes toward Native Americans.eve81's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Torture