So sue me ... I just don't like Nathanial Hawthorne. I think the plot is brilliant, but I find his method of telling the story annoying. I'm afraid this isn't an assertion I can back up with a lot of concrete examples, it's just that his writing gives me a vague feeling of malaise. I find this true of his short stories as well, so I never bothered with the other novels. But you'll have to read The Scarlet Letter for school anyway, so borrow it from the library.