Such a good graphic novel! It’s been so long since I’ve read this book and I actually tried to reread it again. I couldn’t get into it, but reading this made me fall in love with it all over again!

Hester Prynne lives in a Puritan Massachusetts colony in the 1600s. Her baby girl tells the world of her sins and she is judged. Since she won’t tell them who the father is, she must bear the pain alone. Her punishment in the colony is to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest forever. Could her long lost husband really be there? Can he figure out who the father is? Can Hester take care of herself and her daughter?
In this version of the Scarlett Letter readers will be introduced to the heart of the story, at an easy to read level. The original story is told in it’s true form. This is a great version to use as scaffolding for introductions, ELL students, or other readers. The drawings are beautifully done and enhance the overall feeling of the story. The flow of reading Manga is clearly explained in the beginning. And, this explanation makes the Manga easy to follow and read for those who are unfamiliar with the format. The end of the book contains notes to help readers to understand applicable literary elements. *Review copy provided by NetGalley, UDON Entertainment, and Morpheus Publishing.

Let’s start with I’ve never read the original Scarlet Letter (I pretended to in high school but that doesn’t count). I really enjoyed the manga adaption! I’m just going to assume it went along with the original well enough. I don’t think I would read the original but I’m super glad I read the manga. The art was great. The artist gave these creepy vibes to Pearl and one of the witches from the town and I just ate it up.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first classic I’ve read as manga. I think it really makes the sometimes heavy content of classics accessible and brings them to life in new ways with the visuals and drawings. These drawings are lovely. There are always some details lost when turning a novel in to a graphic style and some of the deeper description is missing.

This is probably the best way to read classics. Sometimes the originals are so hard to get through, but this makes it easy. I've never read The Scarlet Letter and the manga gives enough detail and story that I don't feel like I need to read it. I liked that even though all of the manga classics are in black and white, the "A" was made red.

This was really my first manga book. My 13 year old son also read it. Having read The Scarlet Letter, and not having read much manga, I think I would've liked more detail, but I did enjoy the book. I liked the artwork and the "instructions for reading" at the beginning. My son also liked it, but I don't think he got the full impact of the original story from this version.

The Scarlet Letter in manga? Oh-my-God sign me up, immediately! This is yet another graphic novel I desperately need in my classroom. What I love about this even more is that it’s a manga, which most of my students love to read. Seriously, what a great way to bring back the classics to the young audience! I was thrilled that there was a guide to reading this because I do not expose myself to a lot of manga text and had trouble starting with the novel. I also love the fact that the only color present was red in the letter A, which not only emphasizes the symbolism, but also allows the younger audience to clearly see the complexity of the plot revolving around the letter. This is a definite addition to my classroom.

Thank you NetGalley and Manga Classics for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. I have always loved this story in any format, so when I seen it in Manga format, I knew I had to give this a read. The Scarlet Letter has always been one of my favorite stories. My heart was always heavy for those that are betrayed in certain lights. This story shares strong views and I think this is a great way to reach younger adults since most may not read a book but love Manga. Way to go to the author for this. And the art work in this was amazing. I will always love to read about this story.

[I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. However all thoughts and opinions are my own]

This was more at a 3.5 stars than 4 stars.

Firstly, I did enjoy this, despite not having read the original story. Perhaps if I'd read it, I would had understood the plot better.

However the art was absolutely stunning and the story engaged me right from the beginning. It discussed many prevalent issues and I liked how Hester changed everyone's perception towards her by the end of the story.

Although the characters was mainly where this fell flat for me. I didn't find any character particularly interesting and I didn't root for anyone that much. But then again, that could be how they were meant to be portrayed.

Finally, I did think the ending was a bit rushed to the point where I was a little confused. But for the most part I did really enjoy reading this - it was an extremely quick read and kept me turning the page till the end.

This book is well written. The artwork is good. It was my first time reading a manga version of a classic. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

I had never read The Scarlet Letter before this manga adaption, and what a great story it was! The art was beautiful and detailed, perfectly portrayed for this story. I loved Hester, compassionate and loving, and her little Pearl, wild and fierce. The story folded out in a clear, well-paced, and interesting way. The artist showed a good understanding of the themes and feelings in each scene and that made the story even more enjoyable. I highly recommend this story for those who haven't read it yet and I recommend this particular version for those who have and haven't read it, for a quicker, sometimes easier, read.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Udon Entertainment, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter is a retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorn’s classic American novel, The Scarlet Letter. Having just read another manga classic in the same series, this one wasn’t as good. I felt like I was missing something at certain points and Hester Prynne’s daughter came off as creepy. I would definitely recommend this but more as a supplement to the original text or someone who just wants a synopsis. 3.5

The Scarlet Letter has long been my favorite classic book. When I saw the opportunity on NetGalley to preview this Manga Classics edition (by UDON), I registered immediately. This, even though I had never read manga.
First off, the whole story is there. What is missing is many of the details and descriptions Hawthorne originally provided. Because many of these are shown rather than told, the amount of reading is much lower while keeping important interaction details using expressions.
The appearance of the characters is not what you would expect from reading the 19th century work either, this time specifically because of the manga styling. These reimaginations did not detract from the story but, instead, gave a quick way to recognize protagonists and antagonists to those being introduced to the story for the first time.
It is this last that I would see as a great use for this book. Students who are reluctant or struggling readers would benefit from occasional asides into this book to clarify the chapters which might otherwise seem obfuscated by the archaic language. Understanding the work more clearly from the first might even help those students to find the salaciousness and intrigue which make the ideas in this book frequently get borrowed by movies.
Overall. I say 4/5 for the adaptation, 3/5 for the detail... about a 3.5 cumulative. I am still going to recommend it to my English teacher friends.

I've never read Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter, so I can't compare this manga to the original novel. I did however really enjoy this manga. The artwork was really good, and I thought having the letter A in red while the rest was in black and white was a really interesting contrast. The story moves along fast and is easy to follow.

I'm a huge fan of this series! Manga Classics is making previously stuffy, boring classic titles appealing to a younger generation!

This is the first Manga Classic I've read where I'm not familiar with the original source material. I've read enough of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works to have a vague idea of what to expect, but I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into when I started this. So I have to say, this story is strange. I'm not entirely sure what I think of it and I'm glad this review isn't for Hawthorne's tale because I'm not entirely sure what I would say in such a review.

But as this review is for the Manga Classic adaptation of the story, this review is easier to write- this book was a quick read, well drawn, easy to follow, and engaging. I love the design on the characters (especially Pearl <3) and love that as traditional all the illustrations were in black and white- except the scarlet letter. That was a really nice touch.

It did seem to drag a tad in the middle, but since I've yet to read the original tale I'm not sure if the fault lies with this author or Hawthorne. Either way it wasn't too bad.

I don't know how it compares to the classic, but on its own this book was engaging and I would highly recommend it to people looking to get acquainted with the story before fully committing to the full classic.

(I received a free copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

I enjoyed this graphic novel. I wish I had seen it earlier as I have recently enjoyed a holiday in New England. The format of the book was new to me and some of the double page spreads did not work out on the iPad. This version which was in black and white whilst I believe the print version will be in colour, hides a number of allusions in text and drawings which were in the original text and which are not fully explained in words. To notice some of these allusions the reader must be knowledgeable about Old Testament stories.

I think reading this version of the book was rewarding but I do not think I will use it as a spring board to the original. It is an interesting social commentary on Puritan life in America. The occasional use of the original text gives the modern format an element of authenticity.

Though I was not a fan of this manga version of a loved classic, Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of The Scarlet Letter.

It is with great excitement that I started reading this manga-adapted classic. I've always felt drawn to Hester's plight since I was a child and I then learned the word Adultery. Yes, with capital letter, as the embroidery on her clothes to mark her in sin for everyone of her peers to see.

I suppose that the price of forbidden love is a powerful theme even for children. Punishment is all too familiar even in those early stages of our minds.

The art in this manga is solemn and pristine. Beautiful closeups with original angles cause a dramatic effect and the depictions of whole scenes appear majestic. There are several metaphoric representations of psychological traits that look quite stunning.

Scorned and vilified, a young woman emerges from a cell to face public shame in a 16th century village in New England. I was captivated by her dignity because she's protecting a child, cherishing it against her bosom, and her pride is a testament to her belief that this child of hers will never be sinful or shameful. The drawings of the baby were endearing, and together they stir a sense of sympathy and deep tenderness.

Every chapter ends on a strong note. I was engrossed with the passing of each page as this woman's courage takes many facets. The pious congregation seemed to have no qualms to condenm her and use her skills at the same time. Adultery had the spotlight of sin, but plenty of others are highlighted in people's behaviour. A study in hypocrisy, revenge and guilt is done with this timeless story. Yet it also remaks on the power of transformation and good deeds, truth and redemption.

Both main characters suffer because of their sin in opposing ways. I cannot say that I liked the child's father but I understood part of his torment. The product of their unsanctioned union proved to be a bridge between carnality and spirituality. Quite a whimsical character. In general, the characters were symbolic of the battle between cowardice and bravery, love and resentment. It holds a powerful message that leaves you with a residue of transcendence.

I loved the accurate architecture and the period clothing, the dialogue was formal which I appreciate. In my copy all the pictures were black and white which this time worked well as they added to the historical atmosphere. And I confess I shed a little tear at the bittersweet ending. Highly recommended.

I have not read the original Scarlet Letter so this is from the standpoint of someone who hasn't read it.

I enjoyed this. It helped push me through the story when I know that I wouldnt make it through the original. I'm glad to have read this. There are a lot of important topics that are touched in this story and I feel like the manga handled it well.