Check the Shelf: Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter Review

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  That did not sway my opinion in the least.

Summary (From Goodreads)

A powerful tale of forbidden love, shame, and revenge comes to life in Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter. Faithfully adapted by Crystal Chan from the original novel, this new edition features stunning artwork by SunNeko Lee (Manga Classics: Les Miserables) which will give old and new readers alike a fresh insight into the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tragic saga of Puritan America.

Manga Classics editions feature classic stories, faithfully adapted and illustrated in manga style, and available in both hardcover and softcover editions.

First Off…

I loved the Pride and Prejudice version that’s apart of this series, so I jumped on this one when I saw it.

Thoughts:

Let me say I loved the book, at least the part I read.   I didn’t realize how close to the expiration date I was when I requested it, and with all that was going on at work, I only made it about halfway through when the book expired.

So I read the original version in High School and didn’t really care for it, but this version was great.  Just like Pride and Prejudice, it revealed a lot of the culture of time period the story takes place in.  The Illustrations were done well and in the style appropriate to this genera.  This means the emotions were over the top, which feels extra exaggerated for the time period.  I remember being confused a lot while I was reading the original.  The language was very formal and I got lost in the explanations, this keeps it simple and understandable, and made the characters much more relatable.

In the End

Like I said, I didn’t make it through this whole book, but I love these series, so eventually I’ll buy them all.  This series does make me want to investigate Manga more, so if anyone has a series they recommend, I’d love to hear it.

10 Second Summary:

1. Helps explain the culture:  It helps point out details that you may not get from just reading the classic, especially for the time period of the story.
2. Great Illustrations: Again Stacy King  and Sun Neko Lee does a great job of interpreting this story into pictures.
3. Don’t use as a substitution to the classic:  If you’re supposed to read the Scarlet Letter for school, this will help you understand, but not replace the original.

Hardback, I’ll be getting them all one day.