I first read this book 19 years ago while a freshman in university. I loved it then, and still love it now. This is still one of my favorite books of all time. This time, I found myself totally engrossed in the characterization of Pearl & Hester and how the mother & daughter interacted. I did discover that Chillingworth's plan for revenge probably could have been a little more heinous, but the book is a classic for a reason. I won't give away the ending, but it was completely unexpected (at least the first time around, LOL). Apparently, so the story goes, Hawthorne's own wife hated the ending, but she couldn't have been much of a book critic.