The Scarlet Letter

By Nathaniel Hawthorne,

Book cover of The Scarlet Letter

Book description

An "A" for "adultery" marks Hester Prynne as an outcast from the society of colonial Boston. Although forced by the puritanical town fathers to wear a bright red badge of shame, Hester steadfastly resists their efforts to discover the identity of her baby's father. The return of her long-absent spouse…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Scarlet Letter as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The Scarlet Letter is dripping with diction. Nathaniel Hawthorne chooses his words so carefully during certain descriptions that my language-loving self feels jealous about his precision. This classic explores sin, as well as the dark side of the soul. A vengeful old scholar is an unusual villain, but Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter is so smart and evil. 

From Brandon's list on with intelligent, demented characters.

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