Hawthorne Nathaniel
Hook younger readers on early American history with this engaging collection of interlinked stories from literary master Nathaniel Hawthorne. Using a recurring motif of a beautifully crafted antique chair, Hawthorne weaves together tales of the founding days of New England and the United States.
The residents of the Blithedale farm wish to make it into a modern Arcadia, free from the pollution of society. But they form such a varied, self-interested group, that their efforts are in vain. The misogynistic Hollingsworth wants to turn it into a sanctuary for reformed criminals; the exotic feminist Zenobia is helplessly attracted to Hollingsworth; and the narrator is an unreliable dandy with voyeuristic tendencies. Henry James called The
...The Scarlet Letter was originally published in 1850 and was a bestseller at the time. This powerful American story of secret love and sin, of spiritual hypocrisy and moral courage, and of female bravery during a time when women were rarely respected, resonated with readers then and continues to do so now.
Set in the staunchly Puritan world of 1600s Boston Hester Prynne has committed adultery and given birth to an illegitimate daughter,
...The famed author of quintessentially American works such as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne also wrote a series of books designed for younger readers. Tanglewood Tales is a collection of Greek myths charmingly retold for young American audiences.
In an old, gloomy New England mansion, a woman opens a shop to support her brother, recently returned from prison. She takes on a border, and a distant relative—a beautiful, lively young woman—comes to live with them as well. The fragile bond between this group is shaken by the secret history of the house and their wealthy cousin who wants to take it from them.
Hester's husband had been lost at sea years earlier and was presumed dead, but he reappears in time to witness Hester's humiliation on the town scaffold. Upon discovering her deed,...