The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, this novel tells the story of a woman who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. She is forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her dress as a sign of her adultery while her lover, a revered local minister, remains unnamed and unpunished. Throughout the book, themes of sin, legalism, and guilt are explored.
The 57th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1850
- Nationality
- American
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 200-300
- Words
- 63,500
- Original Language
- English
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following lists:
- 2nd on Famous Authors Name Their Favorite Novels(from 1915) (New York Times)
- 3rd on Quintessential American Fiction, According to the Rest of the World (Literary Hub)
- 9th on The Celebrity Reading List (Gardiner Public Library)
- 10th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 20th on The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
- 29th on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 34th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 41st on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 54th on Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books (Harvard Book Store)
- 55th on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 82nd on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 126th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- The Best Classics (The Times)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Best Books (Fiction, Prose) : Experts Choose Their Favourites (The Book "Best Books")
- The Guardian's Essential Library (The Guardian)
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- Best Books Listed for High School Students (William J. Bennett)
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)
- 100 Best Novels in the World (Published in 1899) (The Daily Telegraph)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- Books That Shaped America (Library of Congress)
- The Well-Educated Mind (Book)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Great Books (The Learning Channel)
- The Graphic Canon (Book)
- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
- How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Reading List (Thomas C. Foster)
- 100 Best Novels Written in English (The Guardian)
- The Dream of the Great American Novel (Book)