I discovered Manga Classics with their adaptation of The Scarlet Letter and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I love so many classics, and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of them. Set in Puritan times in the Colonial America, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest after she gives birth to an illegitimate child. Hawthorne’s novel is a real insight into how dark, depressing, judgmental, and ugly humans can be, but also strong and empowering. It’s a beautiful novel, and this adaptation in manga form is really cool!

Adapted by Crystal S. Chan with artwork by SunNeko Lee, this version of The Scarlet Letter follows traditional manga format, and is all in black and white apart from Hester’s scarlet letter which is in red. The adaptation is faithful to the original, the artwork is beautiful, and it was a pleasure to read the story. I think it would be a great idea for kids to read this type of adaptation side by side with the original work as it’s a great way to look at the classic in a different light. I’m going to have to check out some more of these now… Austen and Dickens anyone??

Check out Manga Classics extensive collection right here.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!