The Scarlet Letter

by John Escott (Adapter), Nathaniel Hawthorne

Scarlet is the colour of sin, and the letter 'A' stands for 'Adultery'. In the 1600s, in Boston, Massachusetts, love was allowed only between a husband and a wife. A child born outside marriage was a child of sin. Hester Prynne must wear the scarlet letter on her dress for the rest of her life. How can she ever escape from this public shame? What will happen to her child, growing up in the shadow of the scarlet letter? The future holds no joy for Hester Prynne. And what will happen to her sinful lover and#150; the father of her child?

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Audiobook

179 pages, Audio Cassette

Published October 20, 2004

About the author

John Escott started by writing children's books and comic scripts, but now writes and adapts books for students of all ages. He especially enjoys writing crime and mystery thrillers, and is a member of the British Crime Writers Association.

With Oxford University Press John has published London for the Oxford Bookworms Factfile series; Agatha Christie, Woman of Mystery, Star Reporter, Girl on a Motorbike, The Fly and Other Horror Stories, and The Scarlet Letter for the Oxford Bookworms Library series; The Magician, Time for a Robbery, Star for a day, Tomorrow's Girl, and The Man with Three NAMEs for the Hotshot Puzzles series; and A Pretty Face for the Dominoes series.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't realize there is a completely separate short story at the beginning of The Scarlet Letter. Didn't care for that, but I enjoyed the storyline of the actual book I set out to read. Glad to mark a classic off my reading list this year.

[Stephanie The Book Nerd Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reread. I originally read it in 10th grade English.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

AudioBk-B, Libby, original @ 1850, released 12/13/10, Listened 11/18/21, Narrators - Tavia Gilbert and Christopher Price, Approx. 10 hours. Fiction Classic Literature, Historical, Forbidden Love, Sin, Hypocrisy, courage and bravery. Hester Prynne, Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth are the major characters in this Literary Classic. It deals with betrayal, guilt, revenge and humiliation, and how those elements affect a community in the Puritan world of America in the 1600's. I remember reading this way back in high school, probably 50 years ago. Back then, it was hard for a naive teenager to understand, and I remember being somewhat bored. I think my maturity, and the fact that I listened to it instead of reading it myself, helped to make it a bit more palatable. 3☆'s = Good. Still wasn't craze about it, but glad I gave it another chance.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Free version: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/25344...

[Nickol Velasquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tenía una expectativa muy alta sobre este libro, al final, no me decepcionó pero esperaba un poco más. Siempre es bueno recordar que ninguno está libre de pecado y cada acción trae su consecuencia.

[Destiny Varnado · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Scarlet Letter serves as a timeless reminder that while society loves virtue, it has a fierce appetite for scandal—ironically, the letter 'A' might just stand for 'Attention-Seeking'. Hawthorne knew how to spell drama in more ways than one, turning sin and shame into a riveting saga worth reading (or, for some, a great excuse to flunk their English class)."

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in high school and didn't like it. I think I'll give it another try!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to think about concerning repentance, forgiveness, "overdone" Puritan values, love, joy, etc.