The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Title: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Pages: 272

Finished: October 25, 2018

First Sentence: A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments, and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.

Alternatively: It is a little remarkable, that--though disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friends--an autibiographical impulse should twice in my life have taken possession of me, in addressing the public.

Summary: Hester Prynne, a young woman in the end of the 17th century, is punished for committing adultery by wearing a scarlet letter A. Meanwhile, her actual husband comes back and promises to find out who committed this crime with her.

Thoughts: Wow... this one was tough. First and foremost, Hawthorne starts the story with a 40+ page introduction about the Custom House. It's (I think) primarily fiction even though the man worked at a Custom House. Full disclosure, after taking a week to get four pages into this, I gave up and moved on to the first real chapter. I got through the book with a mix of reading, sparknotes, and listening to the audio book and reading the book at the same time. In fact, that last method was the way I eventually did get through the introduction.

I liked the book, but it was rough. In particular, I liked how Hester Prynne decided, "Well fine, if I have to wear this letter, I'm going to make it the most beautiful letter ever and screw you all." I liked how she stuck to her convictions even if I didn't agree with her. Everything that happened to her was super unfair, but she was authentically herself. I liked how she managed to move past the letter to become the town advice woman at the end. Basically, I really liked Hester.

Not a huge fan of the doctor, but we weren't supposed to be a fan of him. I found Dimmesdale rather obnoxious and weak as well.

I'm also very grateful to shmoop.com for their chapter summaries and analysis. I'm very out of practice, and without the site, I don't think I'd have made it through.

The Classics Club 50 Question Survey

1. Share a link to your club list.
   My List
2. When did you join The Classics Club? How many titles have you read for the club? Joined in January of 2017. I've currently read 21 out of 50. 
3. What are you currently reading?
   I'm slogging my way through the Count of Monte Cristo. Outside of that, I have a children's fiction book The Children of Rookwood Castle happening as well as an adult Fantasy  novel called Little Big AND a nonfiction book entitled The Little Book of Hygge. 
4. What did you just finish reading and what did you think of it?
   Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - It was a slow start, but in general, I really enjoyed it. I thought it was interesting reading the book with the current political climate. I had an intense dislike for Farmer Boldwood. I described him to my parents as the guy you hit on at the bar who you realized you didn't actually like him, but now he thinks you owe him sex because you "lead him on."
   
   Also, not for the club: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This was a TOUGH read. Not before bed reading at all. When I had a really difficult time, I actually turned on the audio and read along with it. But I did enjoy the book quite a bit.
5. What are you reading next? Why?
   My next book is either going to be The Time Machine or The Woman in White. Both books are on my list for another challenge (Back to the Classics). The Time Machine is short, and I feel like I need that. However, I'm REALLY CURIOUS about The Woman in White. 
6. Best book you’ve read so far with the club, and why?
   Oh boy. The Once and Future King, Gone With the Wind, and Wives and Daughters. The first two really kept me thinking about them long after I finished, and I just really enjoyed the last one.
7. Book you most anticipate (or, anticipated) on your club list?
   Most anticipated that I've not yet read: Possession by A.S. Byatt and Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
   Most anticipated that I've already finished: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, and The Once and Future King by T.H. White
8. Book on your club list you’ve been avoiding, if any? Why?
   Don Quixote by Cervantes - long and daunting, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - long and Russian Literature
9. First classic you ever read?
   Tough to answer. My dad read us the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and a bunch of Children's Classics when we were younger. We listened to To Kill a Mockingbird as an audiobook on a trip somewhere when I was 10. First adult classic I remember reading was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte when I was in 7th grade.
10. Toughest classic you ever read?
    Portrait of An Artist As a Young Man by James Joyce for my English Literature AP course. The Theban Plays were really difficult too.
11. Classic that inspired you? or scared you? made you cry? made you angry?
    Inspired: The Once and Future King. Scared me: Fahrenheit 451. Made me cry: too many to list. Made me angry: again too many to count
12. Longest classic you’ve read? Longest classic left on your club list?
    Currently Gone With the Wind, though once I finish Count of Monte Cristo, that'll surpass it. Longest left on my list is, I believe, Don Quixote.
13. Oldest classic you’ve read? Oldest classic left on your club list?
    Either The Iliad or The Theban Plays. Left on my list, I think it's either Don Quixote or one of the Shakespeare plays.
14. Favorite biography about a classic author you’ve read — or, the biography on a classic author you most want to read, if any?
    The Real Jane Austen: A Life In Small Things was absolutely fantastic. I'd love to read The Man Who Invented Christmas about Charles Dickens
15. Which classic do you think EVERYONE should read? Why?
    Pride and Prejudice because it's such a lovely bit of social commentary. It's fun and funny, and I love it to death.
16. Favorite edition of a classic you own, if any?
    I'm fairly partial to my Everyman's Library edition of Pride and Prejudice.
17. Favorite movie adaption of a classic?
    The 1995 A&E adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Even with the changes and additions it added, I feel like it captures the spirit of the book and the personalities of the characters better than any other adaptation I've seen.
18. Classic which hasn’t been adapted yet (that you know of) which you very much wish would be adapted to film.
    Hm.... Everything on my lists has been adapted in one way or another and I can't think of another one off the top of my head.
19. Least favorite classic? Why?
    Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I do not like Heathcliffe. I do not like Cathy. They're both horrible people, and yet for some reason people LOVE them. I don't understand...
20. Name five authors you haven’t read yet whom you cannot wait to read.
    H.G Wells, Oscar Wilde, George Eliot (Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell). Parentheses are authors I hadn't read before I put them on my list, though I've since read them.
21. Which title by one of the five you’ve listed above most excites you and why?
    Daniel Deronda by George Eliot. I remember watching a mini-series of this on Masterpiece Theatre years ago and enjoying it. I kept the book in the back of my mind ever since.
22. Have you read a classic you disliked on first read that you tried again and respected, appreciated, or even ended up loving? (This could be with the club or before it.)
    I respect Emma by Jane Austen even though I don't like it. Emma is too similar to a friend I used to have and who I'm no longer friends with... I have never liked Wuthering Heights. I reread it every couple years because so many people talk about how it's their favorite book, and every time I find I dislike it just a little bit more. I'm curious what my reaction will be this next time around.
23. Which classic character can’t you get out of your head?
    I have admired King Arthur since I was a kid. 
24. Which classic character most reminds you of yourself?
    Jo March and Lizzie Bennet
25. Which classic character do you most wish you could be like?
    Marmee March
26. Which classic character reminds you of your best friend?
    Fanny Price
27. If a sudden announcement was made that 500 more pages had been discovered after the original “THE END” on a classic title you read and loved, which title would you most want to keep reading? Or, would you avoid the augmented manuscript in favor of the original? Why?
    No. I like the endings of most of my favorite books, so I don't want to know anything different.
28. Favorite children’s classic?
    Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I'm also partial to Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.
29. Who recommended your first classic?
    I don't think anyone did recommend a classic to me. I know my parents read a lot to me and I just wanted to read classics.
30. Whose advice do you always take when it comes to literature. (Recommends the right editions, suggests great titles, etc.)
    I tend not to take anyone's advice. I'm a librarian, so I often will search readalikes or other things for my own books. The few times I've taken advice from people, I've been disappointed with what I read.
31. Favorite memory with a classic?
    We read A Tale of Two Cities during Freshman year. I was the only kid who enjoyed the book. I remember reading ahead because I was so enchanted with the story. It was about 2 in the morning when I finished, and I was bawling my eyes out. The next day, I went into class and started ranting very loudly to my English teacher about my feelings. He had to shush me because no one else was at the end, and he didn't want me to spoil the book for anyone else.
32. Classic author you’ve read the most works by?
    L.M. Montgomery thanks to the Anne of Green Gables Series and the Emily Trilogy followed by Jane Austen.
33. Classic author who has the most works on your club list?
    Charles Dickens
34. Classic author you own the most books by?
    L.M Montgomery followed by Jane Austen
35. Classic title(s) that didn’t make it to your club list that you wish you’d included?
    I didn't know what I was doing when I made my first list and added titles willy-nilly. I don't have any specific titles, but I do wish I had included something by L.M. Montgomery. There's a couple of modern classics that I've been interested in reading as well that I wish I had added such as White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
36. If you could explore one author’s literary career from first publication to last — meaning you have never read this author and want to explore him or her by reading what s/he wrote in order of publication — who would you explore?
    I am currently doing this with Charles Dickens minus A Tale of Two Cities. I've done this exercise with Jane Austen as well. 
37. How many rereads are on your club list? If none, why? If some, which are you most looking forward to, or did you most enjoy?
    Fifteen! Really enjoyed Jane Eyre for the fifth time. I'm looking forward to The Handmaid's Tale
38. Has there been a classic title you simply could not finish?
    Catch-22. Did not finish and changed it out on my list for Fahrenheit 451.
39. Has there been a classic title you expected to dislike and ended up loving?
    The Bell Jar. I put it on my list because it felt like I should. But then it was labeled the female version of Catcher in the Rye... and I hated Catcher and the Rye. I identified with the main character so much that I couldn't put the book down.
40. Five things you’re looking forward to next year in classic literature?
    - Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge is a fun way to read more classics!
    - Reading Daniel Deronda.
    - One of the plays in our theatre subscription next year is "And Then There Were None," so I plan on reading that as well.
41. Classic you are DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year?
    Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
42. Classic you are NOT GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year?
    Don Quixote by Cervantes
43. Favorite thing about being a member of the Classics Club?
    The Classics Club Spin is unbelievably fun! I've enjoyed it every time, even when I wasn't so excited about the book chosen.
44. List five fellow clubbers whose blogs you frequent. What makes you love their blogs?
    Karen @ Books and Chocolate - I ran across her Back to the Classics Challenge right when I was trying to find motivations to read more adult literature. (I also discovered Classics Club through her). I enjoy reading her reviews and learning about books I've never heard of!
    Adam @ Roofbeam Reader - I started following Adam when he restarted the TBR challenge. I didn't join it at the time, but I've been following along, and I enjoy reading his perspective on lots of different books. As a children's librarian, I see a disturbing trend of boys not liking reading. And many times their dads also don't like reading. So it's nice to see that there are adult men out there besides my own father and brother who read.
    
    Those are the only two I actually follow, but I find myself on The Once Lost Wanderer occasionally. People who like lists are kindred spirits...
45. Favorite post you’ve read by a fellow clubber?
    Bad covers for Anne of Avonlea posted by Karen from Books and Chocolate.  I laughed so hard.
46. If you’ve ever participated in a readalong on a classic, tell about the experience?
    I participated in the Wizard of Oz readalong from Lone Star on a Lark. The readlong itself fell through, but I kept reading. Reading the books was a reread for me. I remember reading them before and being annoyed with many of the books in the middle of the series. Ten years later, I felt much the same way. That being said, I do believe I'd read them out loud to my child. Baum wrote lots of very strong girl characters at a time when girls weren't usually seen that way.
47. If you could appeal for a readalong with others for any classic title, which title would you name? Why?
    I feel like I would have appreciated a Readalong for The Count of Monte Cristo, as I feel I need some motivation. I also think a readalong for Don Quixote would be interesting.
48. How long have you been reading classic literature?
    My dad's been reading classic literature to us since I was a child, so with that caveat it would be about 25 years. If I count by the first piece of adult literature I've read, it's, 18 years.
49. Share up to five posts you’ve written that tell a bit about your reading story. 
    My first ever post on this blog
    2017 Back to the Classics Wrap-Up
    10 Books I wish I Could Read for the First Time
50. Question you wish was on this questionnaire? (Ask and answer it!) What made me choose my first classic?
    The first adult classic I read was Jane Eyre. I chose it because my parents always told me they gave me my middle name after Jane Austen. So when I decided to read a classic, I wanted to read something after my name sake, but I got Jane Austen confused with Jane Eyre. For some reason I thought they were the same and that's what I started with. Oops...

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Title: Shades of Milk and Honey

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Pages: 302

Finished: Stopped at page 27

First Sentence: The Ellsworths of Long Parkmead had the regard of their neightbors in every respect. 

Summary: Because I did not finish this, here's the discription from the flyleaf: Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane’s skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody’s suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right—and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

Thoughts: I found this title while searching for readalikes to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I LOVED Strange and Norrell. It was a fantastic Jane Austen meets Charles Dickens with fantasy infused. The wit and humor were there. The ridiculousness was there. It was a joy to read. So to find a book that mentioned both that AND Jane Austen (who is my favorite author) was amazing.

... Oh my goodness was the book underwhelming. The author, while clearly a fan of Austen, is not as good a writer as Austen. The sentences were clumsy and didn't read as true to the time. It was very clear the book was written in the 21st century. On top of that, even though I only read 27 pages, the characters were so suck in their stereotypes that I could barely handle it. Jane was a mix of Anne Elliot and Eleanor Dashwood while Melody was clearly a rehash of Marianne Dashwood. Also, Melody said "La!" at least three times. Enough that it was grating. The dialogue was uninspiring.

Perhaps this book is one that gets better as you go, but as I was hoping to use it as a break book for both Count of Monte Cristo and The Scarlet Letter, I'm not willing to do the work. Overall a grave disappointment.

October Reads

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - family book discussion

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Back to the Classics / Classic Club Dare

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal - Personal Reading Challenge

(The Time Machine by H.G. Wells - Back to the Classics)

I am going to finish Count this month. Even if it kills me. So with that being said, I'm going to try and keep the rest of my list small. Scarlet Letter is short, but even with the length, I expect it's also going to be a bit long. Shades of Milk and Honey looks like it's going to be right up my alley and I'm very excited for it. I might use it as my break book. 

If I finish the top three books, I hope to read The Time Machine to continue my Back to the Classics.