The Blithedale Romance Audiobook

" This book started out with so much promise, it makes me sad that it ended up falling so short of the mark. It began with some surprisingly modern themes, but did very little to make good use of them. The whole story is told first-person by a very unlikable and unreliable narrator, an elitist young man who thinks of himself as being very clever (although he loses every intellectual debate he opens his mouth in) and heroic (although he becomes very ill almost immediately and is constantly plagued by bouts of jealousy and self-pity). Of course, Hawthorne wrote him in such an unflattering light intentionally, but I still prefer my main characters to be a bit more dynamic. The story itself begins like an intellectual exercise, morphs into a mystery of sorts, and then ends like a bad soap opera. Oh, and the story relies heavily on coincidence to move itself forward because of the narrator's disinclination to do anything proactive. This being Hawthorne, there are some beautifully written passages to be found here, but definitely don't go into this expecting the same degree of genius as The Scarlet Letter. "

" The character Zenobia really helped me grasp how deeply intellectual women suffered in the 19th century, being creatures that were constantly judged and shot down for reacting against their oppression. "

" An interesting take on the emotional inner-workings of the Brook Farm project, as well as the expectations of women in society at that time period- even after they had willingly removed themselves from that society. "

" This is such a curious book. It's based in part on Hawthorne's experience at Brook Farm, a communal farm in West Roxbury. But it is also a typical Hawthornian exploration of relationships, secrecies, broken trusts, with a dollop of Romance and Intrigue and, my favorite, Mesmerism. "

" Read this years ago (in college). In this reading I was mainly interested in his characterization of Zenobia. Other books I had read posited that Zenobia was based on Margaret Fuller. My impression was that Elizabeth Peabody, eldest sister of Sophia, whom Hawthorne actually married, was actually a stronger candidate. Hawthorne has great facility with language, but his romances are always short on plot devices to spice up his terrific prose. "

" hmmm love that guy, such creativeness despite his recluse character...that sounds more novel then Seven gables...one step to call it modern:))) ready to fell in love with any women who are beautiful...:)))) pity on Hawthorne...his shyness... "

" trippy. good read. "

" Life in a Utopian farm community. Count me out. "

" i'm not really sure what i learned from this... "

" Hawthorne created an interesting setting...I read this in college. I remember it moving very slowly, but liking the idea of their society and the time and place of this novel. "

" If you enjoy trancendentalism then you will like Hawthornes spin....I wasnt so much a fan of the story but I love Hawthornes style and technique! "

" For many years, Hawthorne was my favorite author. It's because of Dr. Tom Maik's lit class in college and this novel. "

" Of all of Nathaniel's novels, liked this one the least. But it is somewhat witty. "

" My favorite Hawthorne "

" Enjoyed this more than I expected. A departure for Hawthorne but nevertheless a very good book. Not aiming as high as his earlier books, but more fully realized. "

" I kept thinking about David Coverdale(Whitesnake) and Tawny Kittane. Oh grad school. "

" This book was poetic and prettily worded, but it was so boring!! I generally love Hawthorne, but I had a hard time getting through this work and didn't like it when it was over. "

" American Romance (in the traditional sense of the romance) -not my fave, but maybe I missed something. "