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 ( )

Some thoughts...

This narrative, published in 1850, starts with a preface by Hawthone explaining his concept of the Romance, which is to be distinguished from the Novel because it provides the writer with greater latitude to takes risks. The Novel is somehow more straightforward, more conservative, less flexible as a vehicle for experimentation.

The first chapter gives us the backstory in a kind of lump sum. Most contemporary novelists probably write such a backstory but often cut it, since, lacking action and character, it can seem too schematic and impersonal. Hawthorne's backstory is perhaps no exception. But, it has the virtue of being 160 years old, and that, combined with its antiquated vocabulary, deftly wielded, combines to hook the reader. The backstory spills all the beans of this fantastic narrative, including the heinous crime, the resulting curse, the astonishing event at the housewarming--and the collective guilt that is said to course through each suceeding generation of the Pyncheon family.

When we reach the action of the present day, it's a particularly low moment in the Pyncheon family's fortunes. Hepzibah, the permanently scowling seemingly sole survivor of the line, is forced to open what was at the time known as a "cent shop" in a corner of the grand though decaying house. There's nerve-wracking suspense here. Hawthorne seems to wring it from every word. His mode of storytelling is simultaneously achingly and beautifully slow. There's one scene, for example, in which he lingers over a simple breakfast. Each item seems lovingly revealed; there's a sumptuousness to the language that seems to belie the meal's simplicity. The gaze throughout smacks of the voyeuristic; as if the dead, who are no longer permitted such pleasures, were narrating.

The narrative is marked by a number of oppositions in terms of imagery: gloom and sunshine, animal and spiritual, age and youth, ugliness and beauty, exhaustion and vitality. Clifford embodies many of these. He is put forth as the spoiled and decadent figure and symbol of the family's fortunes. He is obviously homosexual, something Hawthorne, working in the era he did, could only vaguely touch upon. Yet in the end he is mindful enough to turns this cliché on its head. For Clifford, it turns out, is not the "symbol" of the decaying family, but an individual, just one, from whose shoulders at the end of the book all unfair connotation seems justly lifted.

Clifford has an artist's sensibility without the artistry. He is a dilettante. The Daguerrotypist, how lives beneath one of the House's gables, is referred to as "the artist." The contrast is intentional. The fellow with the so-called artistic sensibilities is not an artist at all, but one who makes his living from a simple mechanical process. Clifford, by contrast, lives for beauty. It infuses his every happy moment. Without it he is corpse-like, almost inert.

I will revise and expand on these thoughts once I've had a chance to reread the Novel.

Another atmospheric read for the Halloween Group Read but this one evoked some mixed feelings. I was expecting the slow, deliberate pace of 19th century fiction, and certainly got it. It required a willingness to be patient with the unhurried exposition of characters and the frequent pauses for admonitory reflection, plus an acceptance of the fact that there aren't going to be any electrifying moments. I wasn't in any hurry and was able to relax and enjoy the trip.

What I didn't enjoy was the ending. After 290 pages of this slow trip, we get a sudden and very pat ending for our characters in about 50 pages. Yet, even at that, very little of the story's completion came as part of the plot through the offices of the characters. Instead, the narrator interjects himself for half of it to give us an "oh, by the way" explanation, clarifying what has happened. I was rather disappointed by all this.

In the end, I'm glad I read it, enjoyed it, and would mildly recommend it. If you don't look for modern pacing or excitement, it can be quite pleasant...like floating along on a slow-moving stream with a nice view. ( )

What can I say? I thought this book was a great Gothic novel that was very apposite for a Halloween read. One thing that contributed to this being a wonderful reading experience for me is now that I’m finished with the 999 challenge I really treasured the leisurely pace of the story and the long, lush sentences. I loved the way the characters were revealed bit by bit, often with little homilies on their quirks. For those who are looking for a fast paced thriller with twists and turns in the plot this is not the book to choose. If you enjoy stories that are built on atmosphere and character with some philosophy thrown in for good measure I recommend this as a fine example of that type of novel. I also have to admit, that sometimes I suspected that Hawthorn was writing with a little “tongue in cheek” attitude toward the reader and having a sly laugh on us—or perhaps inviting us to laugh with him. ( )

I was intrigued by the back cover and the promise of a ghost story and came away fustrated and disappointed. a great, creepy set-up in the early passages but the endless pages of minute descriptions were repetitious and interrupted the flow of the story. the supernatural elements appeared to be after thoughts crammed into the story rather than driving it. ( )

own, classic, suspense, gothic ( )

Read in high school in order to do a "research" paper. Had a difficult time getting through it since I didn't find the book all that interesting. ( )

Hawthorne is the equivalent of nudging someone and winking without actually thinking of anything interesting, risque, beautiful, or even useful. It is sad that a man with such a voluminous writing ability was seemingly devoid of any notion of what to do with it. ( )

I only recently discoverd this book after a tour of the House of the Seven Gables in Salem. This is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. The character development and the mixture of realism and fantasy really drew me in in way few books have. ( )

a classic -- must read!!! A++++ ( )

"This contrast, or intermingling of tragedy with mirth, happens daily, hourly, momently. This gloomy and desolate old house, deserted of life, and with awful Death sitting sternly in its solitude, was the emblem of many a human heart, which, nevertheless, is compelled to hear the thrill and echo of the world's gaiety around it."

The incredible detail of The House of Seven Gables left me feeling extreme pity one moment and laughing out loud to myself the next. This was just about everything I could ask for in a novel - a curse that spans generations, a haunted house and a wealth of description. A great read. ( )

This story is about a poor woman and her cousin.The house of the Seven Gables was built by Colnel,and same day he died. It was a little difficult for me to understand this book.But I like this book. ( )

This book was awarded to Janetta M.D. Henderson for perfect attendance at Auchterarder School for the session 1931/32. It is a book of little value but the award was to my mother. I wonder if she ever read it.

The House of the Seven Gables begins with a preface by the author that identifies the work as a romance, not a novel. That may be the author's preference, but I think most romance fans will be disappointed if they read this book. The book is a classic by a famous American author, so it deserves to be read. Once you finish the book and look over the complete plot, you can see how romantic love has healed a 200-year family curse. Therefore, in that regard it is a romance. However, the experience of reading the book is more like wondering through a dreary haunted labyrinth. I did not find it enjoyable to read.

I suppose the book can be considered a parable with a message aimed at the stiff necked 19th Century New England descendants of the Puritans. They are a people who behave in proper ways, but have an ancestral history of executing their neighbors on trumped up charges of witchcraft. They are haunted by a secret guilt of association because of the actions of their ancestors. The story told by this book is about the Pyncheon family that parallels this New England story at large.

The book's narrative comes as close as possible to being a ghost story while still remaining within the world of realism. I can imagine that a reader who believes in ghosts can come away from this story with the impression that it is indeed about ghosts. Likewise, another reader who doesn't believe in ghosts will say the story is about people who suspect that there may be ghosts in their lives who are intent on mischief. Either way Nathaniel Hawthorne skillfully weaves a family story filled with angst.

One feature of the book that surprised me was the role of Mesmerism (today we call it hypnotism). As described in this book it appears to be occult magic. Likewise, a lot of the melancholia described in this book would today be called clinical depression. Thank goodness for the character of Phoebe in the story. Her young sunny disposition is a breath of fresh air into an otherwise dreary environment. She’s a reminder of the eternal possibility of renewal brought by young people to human society.

Read in November, 2008 ( )

A classic ( )

need to be read again, after such a long time.....

Though Gothic in style, the comparative lightness of this book's themes (as opposed to The Scarlet Letter) allows the full wryness of Hawthorne to blossom. God, especially in the descriptions of Hepzibah. Don't get me wrong, there is full creepiness at some points, but it's light hearted in a way, as terrible things happen to the Pyncheons because they're Pyncheons, though they feel that that particular attribute—being Pyncheons—should be protecting them from such degradation and horror. ( )

The usual Hawthorne makes for some long sentences, but not necessarily unwieldy; it just takes a little more concentration than some. I enjoyed very much this story of an old house and the family that lives in (and through) it. It reminded me a little of Poe's Fall of the House of Usher. An enjoyable read, but just note that it's from an earlier era when we had longer attention spans. ( )

The house of the Seven Gables was built by Colnel, and same day he died. And for many years, the family is unhappy. But in the last they are happy. ( )

I suspect Nathaniel Hawthorne is nobody's idea of a light read. It certainly wasn't mine; I still have memories of struggling through The Scarlet Letter in high school. So, it came as a bit of a surprise to me that I actually found this novel to be quite fun.

The tricky bit, however, as with a lot of 19th Century fiction, is that the pacing is really slow. It can be frustrating at first, but I found when I relaxed and accepted it, it made for a fun reading experience. At the risk of sounding twee, the slow pace made everytime I sat down to read feel like a little mini-vacation. It helps that Hawthorne does write quite beautifully, so there is quite a bit to appreciate during those long passages that don't really seem to go anywhere.

As for the plot, well, The House of the Seven Gables tells the story of the present-day (at that time) descendants of the Pyncheon line. A certain curse has apparently hung over the family since their ancestor had a man executed for witchcraft and then took his lands to build his large family house (with seven gables). What remains of the line are four descendants: an old maid and her brother, young cousin Phoebe, and Judge Pyncheon, who bears a striking resemblance to the ancestor and is rumored to share his ruthlessness.

House is in some ways a gothic novel. You've got many of the elements: the accursed line, the ancient dwelling in which ghosts linger, the greedy usurper. It is interesting to see those elements placed in an American context. Though generally not that atmospheric for a story with a haunted house at the center, there are some nice moments of real spookines and tension.

Anyway, bottom line is if you have an interest in stories about haunted houses and accursed lines, and have the patience to relax and accept a slower pace in your fiction, than you will probably get some enjoyment out of this book. ( )

this book talk about house became bad house because of wizards curse
ali
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