House of the Seven Gables

by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Malvina G. Vogel (contributor), Pablo Marcos (Illustrator)

An abridged version of the misfortunes that plague a prominent New England family because of greed and a two-hundred-year-old curse.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.

Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.

Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, another juvi edition of a great American classic. Not as graphic as some, just a picture every few pages. But it was in large print, bonus, and the story was indeed engaging.

[John Shore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how Ms. Vogel condensed this rather long and wordy story into something I and my younger siblings could read together.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a beautiful fairy tale good read for kids.

[Dominick Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

For every book I read there is a special thought I have. The Thought for this book, was totally creepy and descriptive. All of the pictures were amazingly detailed. Vocabulary was spread greatly across this book, and detailed the setting greatly. I couldn't have hoped for a better version of this book. It is a good book for those who like scary stories once and a while. The book is very creative in style of the Family's last names. It's a "pinch"-ion you will never forget(if read during the night time.) any one could read this.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter has to do a book report on a classic book and she picked this out at her school library. So I read it with her so I too would know the content and be able to help her with her report. It was an easy book to read, just a couple of hours and it was illustrated, which helped. It was an interesting story, a mystery. And you have to read to the very end to figure it all out. It was good.

[Lily Moussa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like the suspense of the book and the title attracts me.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

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