欧宝娱乐

I actually came to---I won't say like---but appreciate at least, this book when I read it again recently. You do make a good point though.

I feel like there is a backhanded compliment in there! Witty and wily, you are. Part of the genius of Hawthorne's work is the chronicle of the English language, and the society it represented, within a context of the time period - and the ability to transport the reader.

It's not unreadable, but the sentence structure and thinking is very advanced, not the most accessible, but completely coherent and meaningful. There's a time to be that challenged and a time to read something easier.

So awesome. I love your response. Should I praise it for a couple pages?

I didn't find it difficult to read at all. I think you just needed a bit more practice reading books for grown-ups. Maybe you can return to it now that you're older :)

I don't know why they get high school kids to read this, I think only a small handful of them can understand it. Something like To Kill a Mocking Bird can be appreciated by anybody at any age but still has a profound meaning.

right..i had difficulty with his sentence structure too..

Lol! I am listening to the audio version which is somewhat bearable....

Bailey wrote: "I find the irony in this review uncanny. Is it meant to be one long sentence with four or five thoughts, as you accused Hawthorne of doing?"

Yeppo. This review was deliberately ironic. For fun. :-)

sooo true haha xD

Yes,i had to read it with spark notes to understand it,got it in german now,see if that will be easier.

Grow a brain

Jeremy wrote: "Grow a brain"

Thank you for your succinct, punctuation-free reply to my review. However, I do not object to all punctuation marks. For instance, the period is helpful in indicating the end of a sentence.

I believe that this book was very good and if you didn't understand it then go back and read it.......

Angelica wrote: "I believe that this book was very good and if you didn't understand it then go back and read it......."

You're entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. I can tell from your comment that you don't have a problem with poorly composed sentences so I can see why you would defend this book. I will say Hawthorne did it with more flair...

I like sentences with 4-5 thoughts and I understand them because containing complex thought in sentences communicates the meaningful relationships among them.

I'm personally not a fan of sentences that are quite long and have so many thoughts in them. I'm fine with complex sentences, but there should be a limit. It's not that I couldn't understand this book, but I had to reread all those long sentences to understand their point. I spent too long a time reading this book due to having to go back and reread sentences. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is the only book for which I've had to do that constantly.
Anyways, I agree completely with your point. I thought it was a good story, but the sentence structure took away some of my enjoyment of this book.

to me it's the other way... the style is fine and the book well written, the story on the other hand resulted a complete melodramatic crap...

And I DO kinda like paragraph long sentences with 5 or more thoughts in it

Oscar wrote: "And I DO kinda like paragraph long sentences with 5 or more thoughts in it"

To each his own. Imagine what the library wait lists would be like if we all liked the same thing. Book clubs would be pretty boring, too.

"What did you think about 'That Book?'"
"I liked it".
"Me too."
...
*crickets chirp*

It's a good tactic to make absent minded readers focus.

You're using the same gimmick, and incorrectly at that.

That's the point... ^

Haha love your comment and I agree!!

I started using sparknotes while I read each chapter...then I just put the book down and read sparknotes.

I agree that the style Hawthorne uses makes it harder to understand. The thoughts are not straightforward which is a good and bad thing. It's good because it allows the reader to think more and find a hidden meaning. It's bad that it does take more time and concentration. I wouldn't call it an easy read but I do think the story line is good. Once you get past the wording, the novel is interesting.

Brandon wrote: "I feel like there is a backhanded compliment in there! Witty and wily, you are. Part of the genius of Hawthorne's work is the chronicle of the English language, and the society it represented, with..."

Brandon wrote: "I feel like there is a backhanded compliment in there! Witty and wily, you are. Part of the genius of Hawthorne's work is the chronicle of the English language, and the society it represented, with..." I totally agree with this thought. Hawthorne's writing style is key to this novel because it takes the reader back in time. The story wouldn't make sense or be fitting if the language and wording was not Old English. This is the time period of the story and of Hawthorne's time, which is why it only increases the plot and storyline.

Hi Emily,
I've read quite a few books written in centuries old Modern English, but they each still have their own style. Personally I didn't care for Hawthorne's style. The fact that the story was just so-so for me might have influenced that. I'll take "A Tale of Two Cities" over this book any day.

Well said! At times the prose seem pretentious almost like a nagging. Frustrating

In this day of television and movies for books, most people can't read beyond a 4th/5th grade level. I suspect the readers of Hawthorne's time had no problem with the book and enjoyed it.

陌 need a smmury of the 12first chapter of the scarlet letter pliz any one help me i have an exam and am bragnet am sick really i didnt go to unversity so i dont have any idea about what they study only i know that they are dealing with this story 馃槶馃槶馃槶

I think it鈥檚 an acquired taste. Have you read Tolstoy or Victor Hugo. They are much much worse. There the books witch from politics to the story line to politics to the story line. Hawthorn to me was a breeze compared. I actually couldn鈥檛 put The Scarlet Letter down and I鈥檓 surprised that it has so many negative reviews. Perhaps all of you prefer easier reading that doesn鈥檛 require much thought? I prefer a challenge to be honest, and really can鈥檛 find fault in his style of writing.

Amanda wrote: "Perhaps all of you prefer easier reading that doesn鈥檛 require much thought? I prefer a challenge to be honest, and really can鈥檛 find fault in his style of writing."

I do find myself preferring the ease of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare and the like. At first I thought someone finally gave a dissenting opinion without an insult, but no, there's the insult. Thanks for alleviating the need to type out a long post addressing your points. I love a nice debate but quickly lose interest when mud starts being slung.

I disagree. I think that the style is perfectly normal, especially considering the time period that it is written in. I personally don't think that the story would have been the same and had the same effect if it were written how I am writing this comment.

I just re-read this as an adult鈥� Torture.

100,000 words to convey one thought.

Cliff S Rebelo wrote: "I just re-read this as an adult鈥� Torture.

100,000 words to convey one thought." Why do you feel that way? I feel like there is more to the story than what you think.

Louise wrote: "It's not unreadable, but the sentence structure and thinking is very advanced, not the most accessible, but completely coherent and meaningful. There's a time to be that challenged and a time to re..."

I very much agree!! I feel that to fully comprehend and form a cohesive thought on this book it would need to be read more than once due to the language that is within it.

I completely agree. Hawthorne is over verbose and annoying to read. I can't believe hes considered a good author. He has a good plot and story line but absolutely cannot write it well! Horrible style but decent story. I'm glad I'm not the only one who shares this opinion!

I think this says a lot more about you than Hawthorne.

Holly wrote: "I completely agree. Hawthorne is over verbose and annoying to read. I can't believe hes considered a good author. He has a good plot and story line but absolutely cannot write it well! Horrible sty..."

I honestly don't think that this is a problem. To fully understand the way that the work is written, you have to be able to put yourself in that era. It is an old book, so it is not unusual that it is written in an old type of style. I think it is underappreciated simply because we are not used to the style, making it hard to read.

I think the book has not aged well. Hawthorne had a way with words. If only he had broken his sentences up more so I could have appreciated those words.

Very accurate. Once I got over all the words and began understanding the sentence structure, truly a great novel. Just so hard to follow.

getting pissed at authors for using stylized prose is such a weak criticism. if this novel wasnt written so poetically it would be useless, all of the emotion and meaning comes from the structure ur complaining about.

Both the writing style and story are completely anti-transcendentalist...

I really love the way he put words together and long sentences often do not bother me at all. Having said that, like some of you, I have to reread sentences more than once to grasp the meaning. I don't chase time as reading is similar to an enjoyably slow pastime lol.

Oh boy. It seems like reading The Scarlet Letter will be a similar experience to Moby Dick, albeit much shorter and less fluff. I guess this makes sense, considering the time periods of both novels.

I recommend the audiobook version. The reader's inflections make it easier to understand.

I see what you did there 馃き馃ぃ

i鈥檓 only one chapter in and thought, 鈥渨tf did i just read??!鈥� then i see your review and yep- makes sense. thanks for saving me time! 馃檶

Love 鈥渇luff鈥� in Moby-Dick and The Scarlet Letter