How could you not like this unique story? It's very dark, but despite that, to read about what American society was like when people actually took adultery seriously is almost reading like a different world. It's weird that everyone knew everyone else's business to the point that the word "privacy" didn't really have the meaning it does today. The punishment of a free person being forced to wear a symbol would raise hell today.
I remember seeing some of an adaptation of this story in a movie, but I barely remember it. I thought the book would go into the relationship between the "adulterers" prior to them becoming a secret item. Instead, this book is all about what happened after. My understanding of it was that Hester thought her much older husband had died, and then found comfort in a minister who, in turn, fell in love with her. That must have been from the movie adaptation because none of that is ever discussed in the novel! I wasn't disappointed though, I just realized how wrong my perception was of the story. The story focuses on the struggle of the two main characters in dealing with their actions as opposed to what led to it. Hester dealing with being a social outcast and the mother of a wild, illegitimate daughter named Pearl. And a minister dealing with his day to day feelings while trying to fulfill his spiritual and religious duties.
I enjoyed this. It's the first Nathaniel Hawthorne book I've read. Not my favorite classic, but definitely worth reading..even if you heard the story before.
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