The House of the Seven Gables / Nathaniel Hawthorne

The House of the Seven Gables
by Nathaniel Hawthorne

fiction, classic, ... Gothic romance ?

copyright 1851
read in August 2015

rated 7/10: well worth reading

There's an awful lot of words -- and very little happens. And yet, it is well worth reading. What little happens -- is quite gripping.

In between the action is a whole lot of description. Okay, it sets the mood... When people are happy we are given detailed descriptions of the sun shining and the garden growing. At a darker time there is -- of course ! -- a detailed description of a storm. It works, it's a lot of words, it's easy to read.

It's also interesting to gain insights into life at the time of the novel. I'd never considered, for example, that the first morning chore would be to roast the beans for coffee ! Social attitudes are also interesting... Not everything is better in modern times.

At one stage the main characters blow soap bubbles. Children in the street chase the bubbles... Today I was at a fair. I watched people blow soap bubbles while children chased the bubbles... Some things are eternally enjoyable :-)

The characters themselves are all likeable. Except for the one villain. There is one character who scares visitors -- yet the explanation is simple and we are shown the nice person behind the threatening expression.

When I say, We are shown: Hawthorne explains, in detail. None of this "show not tell" that is now recommended. It's all, tell. Is it better to "show" ?I don't know... But it works fine when Hawthorne tells us what each person is like.

And then... the book ends, rather suddenly. Loose ends are wrapped up, mysteries explained, the story concluded. No worries, this is a story of the long-term impact of evil actions. Actions which affect future generations. Even a happy resolution does not undo the unhappiness of the past... The message is more important than the final resolution !

You could read this book because it's a classic.

I read it -- and enjoyed it -- because it's a good book.

Jules Renard (as quoted in GMail) - "Laziness is not