I read somewhere that trying to read Hawthorne is like trying to run through mud. This book is no exception. I couldn't get through two pages without falling asleep, and I NEVER fall asleep while reading. Absolutely nothing but character development happened until the last three chapters... and most of the character's weren't worth that much development. Some may be a fan of his fantastic use of words to paint a picture, and while I agree it is fantastic, it is also boring. ( )

I enjoyed the story although at times the digressions were annoying. Very well written though and at times over written. ( )

The gloomy mansion stood for hundreds of years in its small New England toen, Sheltering generations of the sane unhappy family. Then Phoebe, the youngest member, comes to stay and bring happiness to the family at last.

The story is about womn is live in old house was built colonel pyncheon. I don't like story because boring

The house of the gables was built by colonel pynchon but the same day he finished the house he died in his chair.was this because of a wizards curse?

The house of the seven gables was built by person, but the same day he finished the house he died in his chair. ( )

The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hawthorne’s gothic tale is a study in original sin, moral corruption, and redemption. Several generations of the Pyncheon family are cursed by an ancestor’s obsession with wealth and power. Each new generation falls into a common pattern of greed and manipulation, bankrupt of the redeeming qualities of love and humility. Redemption is won when a few simple and pure members of the family overcome the baser urges of their kin, banding together to care for one another.

This is not a book to speed through. There are no quick characterizations. There is no rollercoaster plot. Hawthorne’s prose, while dense and slow, is rich and absorbing. He meticulously designs his characters, sometimes pausing for whole chapters to pore over one person’s thoughts and feelings. The resulting experience is engrossing, with the dark mood of the story folded into every line.

Bottom line: An absorbing and moody read, rich in meticulous detail and ( )