The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Are you reading any books for the Halloween season?  I was happy to recently read The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub.  It combined two of my favorite things – Halloween and Pride and Prejudice.

Lydia Bennet is the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter.  She has powers that are not shared by the rest of her family, except for her Aunt Phillips who is able to guide her as she grows into a young witch.  This novel tells Lydia’s background and then retells the story of Pride and Prejudice from her point of view. 

I thought this novel was very fun.  I loved that it was told from Lydia’s first-person narration through a manuscript she is writing to Lizzy to explain everything.  It is very funny and in character for Lydia. I was delighted to find out that Kitty Bennet is actually a cat and George Wickham, is literally a handsome devil or demon.  To me, it seemed like the entire novel was really about the love that Lydia had for her best friend and sister, Kitty, and the sacrifices that Lydia made to ensure her happiness.  Taub really captures Lydia’s voice.  A few of my favorite quotes:

“I suppose if this were a proper book, I’d begin it something like, ‘Miss Lydia Bennet, youngest of five daughters to a father hopefully entailed, had few advantages in life, but not too few to squander.’”

“La!  Imagine what Lizzy would do if she knew I made that spot on her chin pop back out whenever she vexed me.”

“This is the part, I suppose, where the novel would wrap up with a tidy boring moral, so I will say this: Love your best friends.  Forgive your worst friends.  Remember, always, not to judge people too hastily, for everyone is living out the story of their own, and you only get to read the pages you appear on.”

I was delighted to find out in the author’s note that she used real history, myths, and folklore for the novel.  I also loved that Miss Lamb from Sanditon is a character in this novel.  I always find her an interesting character and love her addition to the story. 

I laughed out loud when I read the first line of the acknowledgements, “Guys, I did so much damn research for this book.  I could write a 10-page bibliography.”

Overall, I thought this was an inventive, unique, and fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice perfect for reading during the Halloween season.

Book Source:  Review copy from Grand Central Publishing as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

QUICK FACTS

·       Title: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch

·       Author: Melinda Taub

·       Genre: Historical Fantasy, Austenesque Fiction

·       Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (October 3, 2023)

·       Length: (400) pages

·       Format: Hardcover, eBook, & Audiobook 

·       ISBN: ‎978-1538739204

·       Tour Dates: September 25 – October 9, 2023

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

A "wildly inventive and utterly addictive" (Julia Quinn) witchy reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, told from the perspective of the troublesome and—according to her—much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, Lydia.

In this exuberant retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves, Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat; Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would one expect from a demon? And if Mr. Darcy is uptight about etiquette, that’s nothing compared to his feelings about magic. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that for a witch, promises have power . . .

Full of enchantment, intrigue, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice—while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

 

PRAISE FOR THE SCANDALOUS CONFESSIONS OF LYDIA BENNET, WITCH

• “Funny and fierce as Lydia Bennet herself, this book mixes witchcraft lore with Austen’s story to make its own unique magic. I’ll never look at Kitty the same way again…” ―Claudia Gray, author of The Murder of Mr. Wickham, a Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery
• “Taub’s wit and creativity shines through. . . A delight for both Austen lovers and fans of magical adventure stories.” ―Kirkus Reviews

·       “Wildly inventive and utterly addictive. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm now 100% Team Lydia.” ―Julia Quinn

 

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | PUBLISHER | BOOKSHOP | BOOKBUB |    GOODREADS

 

AUTHOR BIO

Melinda Taub is an Emmy and Writers’ Guild Award-winning writer. The former head writer and executive producer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, she is also the author of Still Star-Crossed, a young adult novel which was adapted for television by Shondaland. (She also wrote that thing about the Baroness in The Sound of Music that your aunt likes.) She lives in Brooklyn.

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | X (formerly known as Twitter) | GOODREADS

The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan

 

Do you prefer a window seat or aisle seat when you fly?  I always love sitting in a window seat and getting to see what is happening when I am on an airplane.  I’m finishing up my summer reads and read The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan earlier this month. I always love reading Jenny Colgan’s novels.  I get swept away by the stories.

The Summer Skies is set in far northern Scotland.  Morag McGinty has been born into a family of pilots.  She works for a major airline, but after a near accident, she is working on being ready to fly again.   During this situation, she has finally found a man she thinks she has a future with, Hayden.  Together they plan on relocating to Dubai.  Morag decides she can be the co-pilot on long haul flights and won’t have to face her fear of being the pilot in charge again. The family business is flying a plane service from island to island in northern Scotland. When Morag’s grandfather falls ill, she helps out by coming back home to help with the flying.  Will she be able to overcome her fears of flying as the primary pilot again?

I always love how in Jenny Colgan’s novels, the primary character is a woman who is trying to find her way in the world.  What does Morag really want for her future?  She is not sure herself and it takes coming home and being put into a precarious situation that really makes her realize what is important.  I love her side characters too – as there were many new and unique characters in this book.  Another great element is the food. There is a mouth-watering description of bread in this book that made me want to go out and make my own home made loaf.  The settings are also wild and wonderful as well.  I really want to visit northern Scotland now.  I wasn’t sure where this story was going, and I enjoyed the journey. I also have always loved aviation and enjoyed the elements in this story. I hope that it is the start of a lovely new series.  I enjoyed reading this novel.

Book Source: Review Copy from NetGalley.  Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ashes in the Snow by Oriana Ramunno (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperviabooks for the review copy of Ashes in the Snow by Oriana Ramunno.

What is the most unique setting of a book that you have read?  Ashes in the Snow is a mystery that is set at Auschwitz.  It is the investigation of one murder amongst so many murders.

Dr. Braun, an eminent Nazi doctor working in Auschwitz, has been murdered.  Young detective Hugo Fischer has been sent to investigate the murder.  His number one witness was a young boy, Gioele, that discovered the body.  Gioele is a twin that lives in a special part of camp as he and his twin are experimented on.  Hugo discovers all the horrors of the camp but has to hold his sanity together to finish solving this crime.  Who killed Dr. Braun?  Hugo also struggles with how he and his fellow Germans had ended up living in a world where Auschwitz existed.

Ashes in the Snow is a powerful book.  It was an intriguing mystery and kept me reading far too long into the night.  The horrors of the camp were often really hard to read.  There was a particularly graphic scene involving the death of a baby at the beginning that will disturb readers.  I really liked Hugo’s reflections as he tried to rationalize how his actions and those of his fellow citizens could have led to Auschwitz.  The characters were all intriguing and many were much more than they seemed at first.    I found the ending of the novel to be very satisfying with a glimmer a good amongst the horror.

This novel was inspired by the author’s great uncle’s experiences in a concentration camp.  As a young man, the author interviewed his uncle and learned the horrifying details of his experiences.  This is explained in an interesting author’s note at the start of the novel.

Overall, Ashes in the Snow is a dark, but riveting historical mystery novel. 

The Royal Windsor Secret by Chistine Wells (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for the review copy of The Royal Windsor Secret by Christine Wells.

What type of book do you like to read to relax?  One type I like to read is more escapist historical fiction.  It’s a type of fun historical fiction with a bit of mystery, a bit of romance, and a high society life that I can only dream about.  It’s a stressful time of year for me and The Royal Windsor Secret fit the bill to help me escape and relax.

Cleo has grown up in Cairo Egypt at Shepheard’s Hotel.  Nicknamed “the princess” she has grown up with rumors that she is the daughter of the Prince of Wales.  She has the opportunity to travel to London in the 1930’s with Lord and Lady Grayson to make her debut.  She begins the search for the truth about her birth.  Is she the daughter of the Prince of Wales?  Who is her mother?  She also explores her true passion for designing jewelry and tries to decide if her childhood friend Brodie is more than just a friend.

The book alternated viewpoints at times with the French courtesan Marguerite Meller and how she became a courtesan and started a relationship with David, the Prince of Wales.  It was very interesting.  I didn’t realize she was a real person until the fascinating author’s note at the end of the novel. I had only ever heard of David’s relationship with Wallis Simpson. The novel ranged from World War I to post World War II from Egypt to Paris to London.  I loved the timeline and the settings.  It was an interesting story, and I was intrigued by the mystery aspect.

The Royal Windsor Secret was published on September 12^th.

COVER REVEAL - Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

Do you like fascinating historical fiction with great characters?  Then you may be interested in Natalie Jenner's historical fiction novels. I'm happy to share all that I know about this new novel and reveal the beautiful cover. 

QUICK FACTS

·       Title: Every Time We Say Goodbye: A Novel

·       Author: Natalie Jenner 

·       Genre: Historical Fiction

·       Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 14, 2024)

·       Length: (336) pages

·       Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook

·       ISBN: 978-1250285188

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls returns with a brilliant novel of love and art, of grief and memory, of confronting the past and facing the future.

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is at a crossroads in life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Vivien's last chance for theatrical success. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. There she finds a vibrant moviemaking scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeate the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also searches for the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the fate of her deceased fiancé lost in battle. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a bold and moving exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.

(Every Time We Say Goodbye is linked to The Jane Austen Society, & Bloomsbury Girls by characters, but is a stand-alone novel.)

ADVANCE PRAISE

·       “I’m in awe of Natalie Jenner’s new novel, which surprised me at every turn. At times it reads like the juiciest historical tell all, boasting cameos by enduring household names like Sophia Loren and Gina Lollabrigida, and featuring a party where Ava Gardner dances on the table. But most importantly, this is a story about damaged people who are still blinking into the light after the nightmare of the Second World War. This beautiful book balances and explores the most heroic aspects of humanity, and by extension the most evil. Every Time We Say Good Bye is a heartbreaking, engrossing, and thoroughly dazzling work of art that would make the filmmakers at the center of its story proud.” —Nina de Gramont, New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair

·       “Every Time We Say Goodbye welcomes back beloved characters from Jenner’s previous novels along with a new fascinating cast in Italy for the production of post-war films. Well-researched and written in a perfect blend of harrowing and heartwarming, this is another fabulous Natalie Jenner novel that historical fiction fans will adore!” —Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London and The Librarian Spy

·       “In her latest novel, Every Time We Say Goodbye, Natalie Jenner deftly weaves in elegant prose, the lives of the incredibly unique characters working to create a controversial war film at the Cinecitta in Italy, and the effects they have on each other and society. An emotionally poignant tale, that explores the human condition before, during and after war, and how those experiences change some while others remain unapologetically stuck. Ultimately, readers will find themselves swept along on a vivid journey through 1950s Italy, wading through the pains of the characters’ pasts and the sacrifices they made, in order to find a way to their hopeful future. Every once in a while, a story comes along that really grips you and inspires you to contemplate the choices we’re all given, and Jenner has done that here. An absolute page-turner, I couldn’t put this captivating book down.” —Eliza Knight, USA Today bestselling author of The Mayfair Bookshop and Starring Adele Astaire

 

A MESSAGE FROM AUTHOR NATALIE JENNER

Hello Dear Readers,

Every Time We Say Goodbye was the hardest book I will ever write, and the most rewarding.

It all started when I learned about the world-famous Cinecittà movie studio in Rome being used as a war refugee camp in the 1940s. People who had been stripped of everything—homes, possessions, even their most basic humanity—suddenly found themselves confined to life inside a “dream factory.” I decided to set my third novel during a very specific, very cool time in history—la dolce vita of mid 1950s Rome—while exploring the incredibly complex and haunting legacy of that city under German occupation during the Second World War.

I also wanted to know why Vivien Lowry, a character from my book Bloomsbury Girls, had been so angry all the time! I wondered if a woman could make the biggest mistake of her life and move past the regret in a way that benefitted her and the world around her. I never intended to write a dual timeline. I had been working on Every Time We Say Goodbye for nearly a year when the voice of a young female Italian resistance fighter codenamed la scolaretta—the schoolgirl assassin—suddenly showed up on the page one day. Having witnessed the bravery and sacrifice of so many to keep us safe during our world’s most recent challenge, I wanted to pay tribute to them. How fortunate am I, through the intimate and emotional power of historical fiction, to have the opportunity to do so.

I packed everything I could into this book: love and conflict, faith and religion, censorship and resistance, art and moviemaking, fashion and food, and cameos by favorite actresses such as Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner and characters from both The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls (I, myself am terrible at goodbyes!). 

I hope, more than anything, that Every Time We Say Goodbye gives readers the entertainment, inspiration and food for thought that nourished me throughout its writing.

Best wishes, Natalie

And the beautiful new cover . . . 

What do you think?

AUTHOR BIO

Natalie Jenner is the internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls, which have been translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer and career coach and once owned an independent bookstore in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

 

 

PURCHASE LINKS

 

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOKSHOP | ST. MARTIN’S PRESS | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

 

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

 

Title: The Many Lives of Mama Love:  A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing

Author:  Lara Love Hardin

Narrated by:  Lara Love Hardin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 59 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank you @simonandschuster #BookClubFavorites for the free books!

 

Do you like to read memoirs?  I love memoirs.  I feel like I learn so much from them about people from all walks of life.

The Many Lives of Mama Love was one of my favorite audiobooks from August, and honestly one of my favorites from this year.   Lara Love Hardin poured out her heart in this memoir.  She tells the story of her addiction, her incarceration, and her redemption as she pulled herself back out to the other side.  Lara was a mother living in a nice neighborhood, but underneath it all she was addicted to heroin and stealing her neighbor’s credit cards to pay for the habit.  She and her husband were arrested, and she ended up in jail.  While in jail she discovered the power structure within and the personal stories of her jail mates.  As a forty-something mother with a master’s degree, she is able to use her powers for good to help others and is nicknamed Mama Love.  She also decides that she is going to go clean for herself and her children.

After she gets out of jail, she becomes a successful ghostwriter of New York Times bestselling books.  I was amazed listening to how she was able to meet with people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dali Lama.  She still had setbacks and moments of doubt, but she persevered.

Lara Love Hardin narrated the audiobook herself and it made this a very personal story.  I felt inspired listening to it and how hard Lara fought for a new life.  This book really showed how addicting drugs are and that they can become more important than anything else.  It also showed how many people get stuck into the jail system and how hard it is to get out.  I loved that it was a story of redemption.  You can make a mistake in life, but you can change your life.

Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for the review copy of Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini.

Do you know if any women in your family went to work during World War I or II to help in the war effort?  My Dad was recently telling me a story about how my Great Grandma Godfrey went to work in a local factory and saved the money to put indoor plumbing in their home at the end of the war.

Canary Girls is the story of three women who worked during World War I in an ammunitions factory in London.  April is a maid when she learns from her friend about the higher wages and “more fun” that she can have by moving to London to work in the ammunitions factories, so she takes her chance.  Lucy is the wife of a famous football player, Daniel, who has left to fight overseas.  She takes a job to supplement their income and help the war effort.  Helen’s husband is the owner of the Thornshire Arsenal where April and Lucy work.  She is appalled by the conditions and works to help the girls have better work conditions.  The women work with TNT and start to appear yellow and have health problems. They are nicknamed the “canary girls.”  The canary girls also start their own football team and play across the country.

I liked the three different viewpoints in this novel by three very different women from very different backgrounds.  I enjoyed their personal stories, but I was horrified by the women working with this very poisonous substance and the health impacts.  In the author’s note, it’s stated that it is unknown how many women and men were poisoned or injured due to this dangerous work in World War I.

I loved the women playing football during World War I.  It reminded me of A League of their own, but with football (soccer) and in WWI instead of WWII.  I was sad to read in the author’s note that women’s football was banned in 1921 in the UK.  It wasn’t until 1971 that women were allowed to play professionally in the UK. 

I appreciate that author Jennifer Chiaverini is able to weave together so many interesting pieces of history into one fascinating story.  There is sadness and tragedy in this story, but I enjoyed that it ended on a happy note.

I love that Jennifer Chiaverini is a Wisconsin author based in Dane County which she also states in the acknowledgements. 

Favorite quote:  “And for the grieving widows and sisters and mothers, every shell was a blow for vengeance, smoldering and bitter and full of anguish and spite.”

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Title:  Carrie Soto is Back

Author:  Taylor Jenkins Reid

Narrated by:  Stacy Gonzalez, et. Al.

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes

Source: Checked out with Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

 Are you a tennis fan?  If so, who is your favorite player?  Growing up, my friend Erin was a tennis player and I feel that all I know about the world of tennis is from her.  I also think it’s cool that Erin pursued tennis in college and is now a college tennis coach. 

 Carrie Soto is back is the story of a fictional famous tennis player, Carrie Soto.  Her career was in the 1970’s and 1980’s and she retired after winning twenty slam titles and turning thirty.  Now that she is 37, her record is smashed by Nicki Chan.  She decides to come out of retirement to try to win back her record again.  With the help of an old love, Bowe Huntley and her coach father, will she be able to meet this new challenge?

 Carrie Soto felt like a conglomerate of many famous tennis players from back in the day, but I also felt flashes of Serena Williams as well.  Luckily, you don’t have to be an expert on tennis to follow along on Carrie Soto’s journey.

 Carrie Soto is Back was the July pick for the Page-turners Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  I sadly had to miss the meeting due to work commitments, but it worked out as I wasn’t able to get a copy of the audiobook through the library until after the meeting.  I ended up listening to Carrie Soto is back in August and it kept me very intrigued through many drives for work.

 Carrie Soto seemed like a cold person that grew up in the vacuum of tennis.  She seemed to have no personal relationships at all and to not be happy.  Her father gave her the love of tennis, but also made it so she didn’t have a normal childhood or teenage life.  For me, what I loved best about this novel was her growth and seeing her develop personal relationships by the end of the novel.  I also really wanted her to win and found her matches nail-biting.

 I also thought it was interesting that Carrie Soto was called a “battle ax” by the press and other worse things for being a woman who wanted to win.  This seemed very true to what I’ve seen female athletes face over the years.

 I loved how in this audiobook there are newsclips about Carrie Soto.  They are read by different narrators acting the parts and also have accompanying music.  It was very entertaining!! Stacy Gonzalez was a great narrator and was the voice of Carrie.

Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie

 

Title:  Death Comes as the End

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Emilia Fox

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Checked out with Hoopla through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

Do you like it when a favorite author tries something new?  While I do find comfort in authors staying the same, I really like it when they explore new areas.  Death Come as the End was intriguing at Agatha Christie decided to set her mystery not during her contemporary times, but 4000 years in the past.

In Egypt, 2000 BC, Imhotep, the ka-priest, has brought home a new young concubine, Nofret.  His adult sons and wives are already restless and wanting to have more responsibility.  Nofret sows more seeds of doubt and malice, until one day she is found dead at the foot of a cliff.  Imhotep’s daughter, Renisenb thinks Nofret’s death is suspicious and starts to investigate the crime.  Who murdered Nofret and who will be the next victim?

Death Comes as the End was the August pick for #ReadChristie2023 and I enjoyed listening to the audiobook last month.  The prompt for August was “Fall from a Height.”  Emilia Fox was a great narrator.  I have listened to several books narrated by her and found that she is on my list of favorite narrators.  I enjoy how she acts out the part and has a different voice for each character.

As usual, I thought I had this one figured out, but Agatha Christie surprised me again at the end.  I did like the bit of a love story that was involved in this book as well.  I enjoyed the Author’s note at the beginning of the novel that explains the time and place of the story as well as her inspiration from ancient texts.  I enjoyed this brief foray into ancient Egypt.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

Title:  The Scarlet Letter

Author:  Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrated by:  Robert Bethune

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 40 minutes

Source: Checked out with Hoopla through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

Did you read The Scarlet Letter when you were in high school?  I did and I admit that I hated it.  I was only 14 at the time so when @Deesreads picked the book for the August read-a-long, I thought maybe I should give it another chance.  I’m glad that I did.

Hester Pryne is an outcast and punished by her Puritan community for having a child, Pearl, out of wedlock.  She refuses to say who the father of the child is, so she is forced to wear the letter “A” on her clothing.  She had come to America by herself, and her husband was supposed to join her later.  Years pass and she assumes that he has been killed in a shipwreck.  As she is being punished before the town, she is surprised to see her husband in the crowd.  He now calls himself Roger Chillingworth, and he is consumed with finding out the identity of Hester’s illicit lover.  Arthur Dimmesdale is Hester’s pastor and suffers from an unknown affliction.  Chillingworth decides to help Dimmesdale and treat him for his condition. 

I enjoyed listening to this on audiobook, especially as the story was written in the 1800’s, but is using language from the 1600’s.  What I didn’t enjoy was that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s forward was 18% of the audiobook!  It was long and tedious with Hawthorne talking about his custom house experience, his inspiration for Hester Pryne’s story, and throwing in the names of his famous friends.  I think if I had to read the forward in high school, it would have sealed my thoughts on the book from the beginning.  Robert Bethune was a good narrator.

The audiobook got much better once you got into the story.  I thought it was an interesting look at how a woman could be vilified for adultery back in the day.  Hawthorne chose to make Hester perfect in every other way.  It made me think, what did happen to women whose husbands disappeared?  You just had to wait forever even though they could be dead, and you would have no way of finding out?  I also thought it was interesting that the townspeople seemed to think that Pearl was a rapscallion child because of her parentage.  I wish the reader could have learned more about Hester and her inner thoughts.  I do have a couple more books on my list to read this fall that will hopefully help with that.

As a Catholic, I didn’t like that anti-Catholic sentiments that were expressed in the book.  I know it was the times, but I was annoyed reading it. 

SPOILER ALERT

The big reveal is that the pastor, Arthur Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father.  The book seems to imply that it’s because he is weak and goes along with Catholic sentiment.  I wanted more of the relationship between Arthur and Hester.  I couldn’t tell from what is written what the attraction would have been for Hester for Arthur in the first place.  And why exactly did he die at the end?  I guess his guilt?  It seemed over the top with melodrama.

 I liked Hester’s idea that her, Arthur, and Pearl leave and start anew somewhere else.  I think they should have just did that to begin with.  No one somewhere else would know they were not a married couple. 

Chillingworth seemed like a despicable person and just seemed to stay pushing Dimmesdale’s buttons to get him to admit his guilt.

SPOILER END

The Scarlet Letter had a lot more going on in it than I remembered from my youth and I’m glad that I gave it a try again. The language was beautiful and there was a lot of great symbolism.  I do feel like the characters could have been more well rounded and I would have liked a better ending.