The Scarlet Letter

By: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrated by: Sandra Andes

"Nathaniel Hawthorne's astounding book is full of intense symbolism and as haunting as anything by Edgar Allan Poe" -Robert McCrum ; The Guardian

The Scarlet Letter: A Romance is a work of historical fiction by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850.

Set in Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne who conceives a daughter through an affair and then struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Containing a number of religious and historic allusions, the book explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.

The Scarlet Letter was one of the first mass-produced books in America. It was popular when first published and is considered a classic work today. It inspired numerous film, television, and stage adaptations. Critics have described it as a masterwork and novelist D. H. Lawrence called it a "perfect work of the American imagination".

Public Domain (P)2023 Books on Deck

Performance Ruins a Masterpiece

Hard as it is to believe, the beauty of this classic was drawn down significantly by very large number of word mispronunciations. One would think that producing company would vet the product more substantially.

the end was sad and not expected at all

I loved the book It was easy to read mostly easy to follow along with and and you learn more and more throughout the story.

Perfect Prose Performed Poorly

The Scarlet Letter is an inspirational masterpiece that speaks to my soul in a way that warrants frequent re-readings. However, the screech of nails that is this rendition successfully removes all awe, except at the audacity that one might even consider charging for such a performance. This is due not only to frequent mispronounciations, but to a strange cadence of speech (with frequent pauses and emphasis), which gives one the impression that perhaps the narrator might, in fact, be an otherworldly creature donning a human suit for their first time. I would sooner listen to a symphony performed by untrained toddlers than to listen to one more moment of this atrocity.