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Quick answer: If you read The Scarlet Letter, read Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables, then The Crucible, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Jane Eyre and The Awakening. All explore shame, hypocrisy and women who defy the rules of their communities.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel follows Hester Prynne, a woman in seventeenth-century Boston who is forced to wear a scarlet A for adultery, and who raises her daughter Pearl while keeping her partner's identity secret. It is dark, symbolic and psychological. The books below offer similar stories of sin, judgement and strong women.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The House of the Seven Gables | Nathaniel Hawthorne | Adult | more Hawthorne |
| The Blithedale Romance | Nathaniel Hawthorne | Adult | utopian community |
| Twice-Told Tales | Nathaniel Hawthorne | Adult | short stories |
| The Crucible | Arthur Miller | Adult | hysteria and accusation |
| Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Thomas Hardy | Adult | tragic heroine |
| Jane Eyre | Charlotte Bronte | Adult | gothic romance |
| Wuthering Heights | Emily Bronte | Adult | wild love |
| The Awakening | Kate Chopin | Adult | female independence |
| Madame Bovary | Gustave Flaubert | Adult | romantic disillusion |
| The Age of Innocence | Edith Wharton | Adult | society and desire |
| Ethan Frome | Edith Wharton | Adult | short and bleak |
| Moby-Dick | Herman Melville | Adult | American epic |
| The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood | Adult | oppressive society |
| Little Women | Louisa May Alcott | All ages | sisters growing up |
| The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath | Adult | classic breakdown |
1. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A cursed New England family lives in a decaying house. Gothic and atmospheric.
Best for: more Hawthorne.
2. The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A group of idealists sets up a farm community. Sharp and psychological.
Best for: utopian community.
3. Twice-Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A collection of Hawthorne's best-known tales. Dark and imaginative.
Best for: short stories.
4. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
A small town is torn apart by witchcraft accusations. Tense and political.
Best for: hysteria and accusation.
5. Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
A poor girl is wronged by society and men. Powerful and sad.
Best for: tragic heroine.
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
An orphan becomes a governess and meets the secretive Mr. Rochester. Passionate and dramatic.
Best for: gothic romance.
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Heathcliff and Catherine's destructive bond on the Yorkshire moors. Dark and stormy.
Best for: wild love.
8. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
A wife in Louisiana wants to live for herself. Short and scandalous.
Best for: female independence.
9. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
A doctor's wife seeks romance and falls into debt. Precise and unforgiving.
Best for: romantic disillusion.
10. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
A man in 1870s New York is torn between duty and passion. Sharp and bittersweet.
Best for: society and desire.
11. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
A man in a frozen New England village is trapped in a duty-bound marriage. Brief, stark and unforgettable.
Best for: short and bleak.
12. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Captain Ahab chases a white whale. Long, strange and powerful.
Best for: American epic.
13. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
A woman lives under a theocratic regime. Chilling and unforgettable.
Best for: oppressive society.
14. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The four March sisters grow up during the American Civil War. Heartwarming and classic.
Best for: sisters growing up.
15. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
A young woman unravels during a summer in New York. Honest and enduring.
Best for: classic breakdown.
How to Choose
For more Hawthorne choose The House of the Seven Gables or his tales. For Puritan-era drama pick The Crucible. For tragic heroines read Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Madame Bovary or The Awakening. For gothic romance try Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. For modern echoes read The Handmaid's Tale. The Scarlet Letter is short but dense, so a modern annotated edition helps. The Scarlet Letter is a standard text in American schools, so study guides and annotations are easy to find, and its famous opening chapter about the custom-house is often skipped by first-time readers and read afterwards. Many readers find The Scarlet Letter easier on a second reading, once they know the plot. If you want to read about Puritan America, The Crucible gives the drama in script form. If you want women in difficult positions, Tess and The Awakening are strong. Audiobooks help with the long sentences. Reading a short introduction about Puritan New England helps many first-time readers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Scarlet Letter about?
A woman in Puritan Boston is shunned for adultery and wears a scarlet letter.
Who wrote it?
Nathaniel Hawthorne.
When was it published?
1850.
Is it set in the 1600s?
Yes, in Puritan New England.
Is it hard to read?
The sentences are long, but modern editions with notes help.
What does the letter A stand for?
Adultery, though the meaning shifts during the book.
Is it a short book?
About 200 pages.
What should I read next?
Try The Crucible or Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
What is the scarlet letter a symbol of?
At first adultery and shame, but it also comes to stand for strength and identity.
Is the ending sad?
It is sombre, though Hester's resilience is a source of strength.
Who is Pearl in the book?
Hester's daughter, whose wild nature makes her a living symbol of her mother's story.