Set in the 17th century in an American puritan village is a story about heart-break, revenge, cruelty, forgiveness and forbidden love. Hester's much older husband marries his work and ignores her and then leaves the village without her for two years without a single word. He returns with a new name and Hester has a baby in her arms. What will happen now?

This manga is much more visual as there is much symbolism in the art itself. You can feel the emotions in the drawings and understand the story really well. I highly recommend for younger readers.

The Scarlet Letter was one of the first 19th Century novels I read, and I loved it. This manga was just as awesome!

One of my favourite things about this novel is how the scarlet letter stood out on Hester's chest. All the illustrations are black and white but the letter "A" was in red. It made it stand out so much. This is different from the other Manga Classics that I've read, because they were completely in black and white.

Hester's daughter, Pearl, was a very cute girl, but she was also very creepy. On the back cover of the book, there is a colour drawing of Pearl in a red dress. I wish the whole thing could be coloured, because the red of her dress and Hester's "A" was so vibrant, that it would have contrasted very well with the dull colours of the puritan town.

This is one of my favourite books in the Manga Classics series. I highly recommend it for fans of the original book and new readers.

I had tried reading the original novel once, but I wasn't able to reach the end because I immediately got bored.
When I saw that there was a manga version, I decided to give it another try, and this time I really enjoyed it!
It was much more involving thanks to the appealing drawings too, and it didn't feel like an old, boring story anymore.

I received a free digital copy of the book via NetGalley.

This is a very good interpretation of the classic book by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I loved the artwork. The faces especially are very expressive.
It is obviously shortened version, but it did get the essence of the story right.
The story is about a young lady who had a child out of wedlock. She was ostracized by her community and made to always wear red letter A as a sign for her "sin" but it did not break her. She wore it proudly. Very sad that this kind of injustice was happening in the past, and we need a reminder to make sure it does not repeat. There is still too many people who try to judge other people on what is going on inside their pants.

I didn't fully understand the story, given that I haven't read the original novel so I turned to Google for some insight. It was then that I realized that what I understood with the manga is all there really is. More importantly, it is the type of story where the reader has to give his own meaning to the text.

Reading the 'Metaphors' page in the manga, it helped me understand even more. I thought this was a story without magic but I was wrong. It's about witchcraft and weird powers, especially Pearl who was said to be elf-like, a strange child of some sort.

This book was quick to read, it's more on pictures rather than conversations and narrations. So I can tell that the actual novel had more about descriptions of the surroundings and locations.

Once again, very helpful to students and to me who is too lazy to read the full novel.

While by no means will you be able to read Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter and get away with it for your big book report, or does it truly master all of the complexity of the original work. The Manga Classics version could be read and understood without ever having read the original, and it's true, you would be able to understand the basic jist of the original.
But, Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter adds something of its own to the original story. This version is more centered on the theme of hope and of Hester Prynne's true innocence and eventual climb into being one of the best people in the town.

The graphics were a nice add to the story, and I enjoyed how the whole story was in black and white, except for the "A" (which was obviously in red). Even though the original version is beautifully written, this version played more to its own strengths and used the bare minimum of words, and instead using pictures that sometimes covered an entire page with their complexity.

Overall, do I think you can skip out on reading the classic: The Scarlet Letter ? No. I personally think the classic is considered a classic for a reason and should not be skipped. But, Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter is a nice add for anyone who is considering reading the classic, or who wants to have some side material to further enjoy their reading experience.

Words cannot describe how amazing this book was! I've never read "The Scarlet Letter" before, but I definitely intend to know. Beautiful manga art paired with a fantastic story, this book is absolutely amazing! I love this manga classics approach, it made reading more enjoyable as well as inspiring me to read the original book. Recommended for ages 12 & up and for anyone who loves manga.

Another true-to-the original retelling using manga artwork. While I find them an interesting take on the stories and bringing new life...I'm beginning to get a "Been there, done that" feel for all of these.

While the artwork is excellent, this story about the dark age of early Puritan settlers in North America and their persecution of a young woman who has a child out of wedlock while her lover, the young local minister, cowardly escapes punishment until the very end thanks to her resolve not to name the father of her daughter is gloomy and depressing and may not be everybody's cup of tea. However, if you feel like tackling such kind of story, it is a very well done manga comic that is respectful of the original work.

Really liked the book. A pleasure to read. I had always wanted to read Manga and i finally read one. So, i am glad, happy and satisfied. Looking forward to more such graphic novels in manga form.

What a great way to read this amazing classic! I am new t o the manga way lol and this was my first experience. I enjoyed it so much!

I was interested in reading this book, because I have read some discussions about it; and also some information and explanations from the publisher concerning manga in general, and this book in particular.

I have read the original 'The Scarlet Letter' but this is my first manga book.

I enjoyed reading this book. It took me a bit of time to get used to the direction of the story in terms of pages, and on each page. I was surprised how quickly I adapted to this though.mI thought the use of black and white in general for the illustrations, with only the scarlet A in colour, was very effective. I liked that. There are some interesting pages at the end about how the manga version was developed from the original story.

I know the general story from previously, so found the storyline easy to follow. I can't comment on how easy that would be for someone who doesn't already know the plot. I can imagine that this Manga Classic would serve as a very good introduction to the original novel for many young people, and would make the original novel easier for them to understand.

At some stage I will choose another manga book; probably one of a story I do not already know, so that I can experience how well that works for me.

Thank you to Udon Entertainment and to NetGalley for an ARC.

This adaptation has it all: beautiful illustrations faithful to both the time period & manga-style graphic novels; and, faithful adaptation of the original text, with end notes about some of the artistic and textual decisions that were made. I'm glad to have finally read this book, and I look forward to our library adding it to our collection!

I love the traditional storyline and I absolutely love that it was made into a manga. It keeps with the traditional story while adding illustrations to keep even the most fearful reader engaged. It reads like the traditional manga style while keeping with the storyline of the book. It is absolutely amazing and the illustrations are perfect. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone that loves the classic but wants to read them with a twist.

Perfect re-telling of the classic Scarlet Letter story in manga form. Would entice readers to enjoy the story much more in this format, than in novel.

I love the illustrations in this book. it gives amazing detail and you cannot mistake what the characters are feeling. I do wish the illustrations had some color besides the red A. I love this story. I think manga kept to the story line. the book is a quick read which I read in one sitting. I love the story line and always have. I love Hester's character. she takes a bad situation with pride, strength, and an I do not give a damn attitude. she turned her bad situation and turned it around into a wonderful situation. we could learn a lot from this story

Another great manga classic. The Scarlet Letter is harder to make accessible due to the unpalitable nature of some of it's themes but Hawthorne's classic is in good hands here. This was far more compelling than the original and the MC was made more sympathetic by the glorious Artwork.

A fantastic retelling of The Sarlett Letter, the artwork really brings the characters to life telling so much of the story through this actions and expressions.

Teachers and parents of teens, I have a treat for you! I recently joined NetGalley and fell down the incredible rabbit hole of free books. Free books just to read and review! I got a little overly excited, which I have since learned is common for a NetGalley newbie. But, I wanted to read them all! Give me all the books!

Imagine my silly delight when I stumbled across a Manga Classics version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s class, The Scarlet Letter. As a huge fan of this novel (as a reader and a former teacher), I could not pass this opportunity up. Now, now. I know there are always the purists, but I think the purists need to chill out. Kids need to see the classics in a form they can appreciate. And, for many students, this form is manga.

Am I saying this manga edition is a replacement for The Scarlet Letter? Absolutely not. The problem with manga editions or graphic novel editions of any classic works are that the beauty of the language is simply not there. The reason Hawthorne and Dickens and Austen stand the test of time is because of the words they used to tell their stories. A manga is not made to incorporate lengthy sentences or sophisticated vocabulary.

However, the benefit of adding this manga edition of the classic work to your library is that it is a great supplemental tool for teaching the plot, characters and symbolism. Even with most of the words stripped away, the plot is still clear. The characters are illustrated well. And symbolism is expressed with art. I could see using this material for an additional resource while I was teaching high school easily.

Will students be able to write an essay or pass a test by reading this edition? No. Will they possibly enjoy the story more by reading it alongside the assigned text. Yes. Give it a try!