Cover Image: Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter

Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter

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Member Reviews

This is a rewrite of the classic novel The Scarlet Letter, turned into a manga. The way this story is shown in the art and storytelling is very neat. Could definitely see teens enjoying this version of the story as it really draws you in with the story and art. I have to say the little girl in the story was definitely my favorite character as she seemed to understand more than the adults thought she did.

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I thought this was a boring story until I read it with my daughter in her high school class and got a whole new perspective on Hester Prynne. I had focused on what was being done to her instead of focusing on her. Hester is one of the most amazing characters in literature, standing up to people who are quite evil and still maintaining her own individuality. This is an amazing Manga graphic novel adaption of this story, and it's quite beautiful.
One of the things I particularly love about this adaptation is the portrayal of little Pearl, who is quite feisty in this story while also being incredibly cute.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this

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I had to read this book when I was in high school and I struggled to keep along. If I had this book back then, I would have actually passed the class. That being said, this book provides clear and gorgeous pictures made it easy to read along with.

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I feel absolutely lucky to have been able to get some of these Manga Classics. I absolutely love the artwork that is done in these books, and the use of color only being on the 'A'. I had never read this story before, but I enjoyed this retelling. I think these books are wonderful because they make the classics accessible to youth and make the language readable. I have read some of the classics in their original form, but it can be hard and take a couple re reads of sections to truly understand what is being said. These retellings make the info easy to grasp and fun to read.

I think these books are amazing adaptions and I can't wait to read more of them!

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Revisiting this tale in an adapted format truly helped me develop a better understanding of some of its characters. When I read it as a teen in high school, the characters that captivated me were the cruel Chillingworth and the fey Pearl. In this adaptation, I still quite admire them, but the manga's free use of expression and its metaphorical shadows and imagery have helped me develop an appreciation for Hester and even Dimmsdale.

Hester's strength of character is impossible to miss, as I see the slights she must bear, her very charity refused by homeless beggars because they deem her sin that terrible. She eventually rises above it all and comes to be seen as a fount of wisdom, but there are many petty cruelties she has to bear before that point.

Dimmsdale is still not a character I am entirely fond of. His weakness is his defining feature, but the manga helps me see more into his inner torment and I find myself pitying him more than I did as a teen when he seemed annoyingly passive next to the other characters.

And of course, there are my old faves. I love the drama and imagery Chillingworth brings to the pages, a vengeful alchemist set on destroying a man's life. Pearl is wonderful, a true delight that baffles and endears herself to others around her with her inscrutable ways, knowing things no child her age should simply know.

I've also developed quite a liking for the governess's sister, talking of a man in the forest who makes people sign their name in blood, and promising other characters that she will see them there at their own signing.

Aside from the characters, the manga helps the novel move into another dimension of unreality, making it clear how much of this story is an allegory about the sins people hide and the ones that cannot be hidden, and what might be learned from a sin when you accept it. Whether or not you agree with that message of the novel, this retelling enriches it quite well, the splash of red from the titular letter A offsetting the gorgeous black and white renderings.

If the original language of the novel seems daunting, I would recommend giving this adaptation a try.

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Another hit in the "Manga Classics" adaptations series!

For anyone who has felt intimidated or uninterested in trying to read the original novel, I highly recommend this manga version.
The manga style itself was cute and easy to read, making this a wonderful interpretation.

It’s an easy-to-read adaptation that is true enough to the original work to make this a great substitution for those who don’t want to tackle the original.
I really enjoyed that the artwork was in black and white, but that the letter “A” was depicted in a bright red.

And after reading this adaptation, maybe readers will feel compelled to read the original work and go more in depth into the story and the characters.

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These manga are well drawn and a great way for young readers to discover the classics while reminding us why we love these titles. I also learned more about the book than I remembered from prior reading. Well done.

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Well-drawn and written manga classic! I love this series of manga classics because it gives me a chance to read the classics without having to bore over the pages of a classic. Terrible I know but at the same time, its hard to find time for it. I will say though, that the version I received from NetGalley was hard to read at first. The copy I had was shown in the format as you would expect from a regular book and I had to go all the way to the back to read the book properly. I understand that manga format is from right to left, but I had to actually go all the way to the end to read it as an ebook.

I loved the art style of the manga and overall it was a great book to read.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this manga in exchange for my honest review. I loooove reading manga adaptations of classic literature, I find it is so much easier to understand and appreciate the story. The illustrations were beautiful and the story was easy and clear to understand. I will be purchasing a physical copy as well to round out my collection of Manga Classics! This story is devastating but so well done.

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I hadn't read this book since high school well over 20 years ago. I thought the art brought the story to life and was absolutely beautifully done. This is a great introduction into the classic and makes it more relatable for the reader.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I read the original novel back in high school, and I really enjoyed the manga adaptation! The book stayed very true to the original novel and kept the important elements. The way the manga was adapted made it easier to understand. The book certainly kept the drama and the illustrations only heightened it! The manga kept the serious and darker tones of the original novel, and I appreciated that.

I felt sorry for Hester and grew to admire her. Pearl was such an interesting little girl. My heart was breaking for Arthur. Even though he was wronged, I really disliked her husband. There were so many things he could have done differently. The characters were very well portrayed and really drew you in.

Overall the manga was very well done and this is a great introduction to the classic novel! I’d definitely recommend this!

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Although I know of the scarlet letter I’ve really never read about it I seen movies about it so when I seen that netgalley had a manga version I wanted to read it and I am glad I did. Reading the scarlet letter through manga made the story jump to life the art work in it is wonderful. I have to say reading it this way was to me a faster and easier way to read about this story.I hope you try reading it. Thank You netgalley for letting me read this

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First of all thank you Udon entertainment and Netgalley for the wonderful Book in exchange of an honest review.


I haven't read Scarlett letter so I didn't really know the story. It is beautifully illustrated version with fast pace dialogues which made it quite easy to finish it in one sitting.

This is definitely good for those who want to read classics but find the language difficult to comprehend. Will definitely recommend it for classic lovers.
P.S. You have to start it from back like most manga comics.

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The fabulous thing about graphic novels/ manga is the inference that images can add. The Scarlet Letter adds so much in its beautiful images. The story overly focuses on Pearl.
Note- the app loaded the book in reverse order.

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Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The story of Hester Prynne is one which should be accessible. This Manga classic does just that as it reaches an audience who may have found themselves at sea in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s prose. The art by SunNeko Lee is outstanding and combines perfectly with the story adaptation by Crystal S. Chan. The lesson plan is an added bonus (although it refers to Pride and Prejudice under Objectives). This manga adaptation has sparked my interest in reading the other titles in this series as well as rereading The Scarlet Letter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for sending this book for review consideration.

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A wonderful rendition of a tale as old as time. I really enjoyed this retelling of The Scarlet Letter!

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I loved the manga adaptation of The Scarlet Letter. It made the story more interesting to engage with. I also loved that they made the document itself possible to read backwards, just like a lot of physical manga books. The images of each of the characters were super reflective of their individual personalities.

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I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers for gifting me a copy of Manga Classics Scarlet Letter in return for my honest opinion.

4.5/5 stars

This was my first time reading Scarlet Letter and it did not disappoint. I had heard about it but had never gotten the chance to read it before today. This is a beautiful manga with lots of lessons and hard truths. The drawings and illustrations were done wonderfully and you can tell how much thought was put into each drawing. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a wonderful writer, you could feel the pain that Hester went through and how strong she was throughout the book. If you haven't yet gotten a chance to read Scarlet Letter yet I would recommend reading it in this format!

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I first read The Scarlet Letter in my sophomore year at high school, and it was probably one of the lowest points of a year of depressing literature. Although I did enjoy the Manga Classics adaptation of it, I feel that this one is one of MC's weaker adaptations. While, as always, the art is really good and there's superb attention to detail, I do feel that this adaptation simplified things a lot more than other MC adaptations that I've read. The primary example of this is how early this adaptation makes abundantly clear who committed adultery with Hester Prynne, something that was kept mysterious far longer in the original text. This adaptation also removes certain possible interpretations that Hawthorne likely intentionally left vague in the original text, however this is less MC's fault since it's not really possible to graphically convey the vague points that Hawthorne did with text.

Overall, although not one of MC's bests, certainly still a good work.

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I have enjoyed other Manga Classics adaptations that I have read so I was expecting good things from The Scarlet Letter. I was not disappointed! This has become my favorite of the manga adaptations. The drawing was excellent and the use of limited color coincided with the story beautifully.

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