Tomes of Miscellany: The House of The Seven Gables

Tomes of Miscellany

Welcome to the land of danger and intrigue, where individuals are legion and non-conformity is the norm. Join me as I explore the many facets of humanity and meet the scum of the earth and its angels incarnate.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: The House of The Seven Gables
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher: Penguin Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1990

In an aged and aging house built upon shadily though legally obtained land a long sought but never discovered secret awaits its return to the light of day. But in the meantime, the House of the Seven Gables plays home to the elderly spinster and her mentally broken brother, Hepzibah and Clifford Pyncheon. It is a dilapidated old place, whose inhabitants reflect that decay, all the way from the perpetually scowling Hepzibah to the broken Clifford to the rooster, Chanticleer, and his wives to their one (and only) heir who looks more like their progenitor than their offspring. But with the arrival of young Phoebe, a cousin from the country, life takes a turn for the better. For with her arrival the inhabitants of Pyncheon House have rediscovered what it means to live, however belatedly, and soon find joy in themselves and in each other. The specter of Doom hovers over them, however, for the house has long been haunted by two ghosts: the glowering visage of Colonel Pyncheon who built the house, and the curse of Matthew Maule, whom the Colonel branded a wizard and hunted to his death. Things are finally coming to a head as the inheritors of the Pyncheons and the Maules enter the playing field, but who will come out on top: the mesmeric daguerreotypist, Mr. Holgrave, the three Pyncheons young and old, or the fourth remaining Pyncheon who seems the reincarnation of the old Colonel himself?

Despite some elements of the supernatural--mesmerism, strange deaths, and supposed processions of ghosts--The House of The Seven Gables is a far cry from the horror novel that such an old, decrepit house might suggest. In all honesty, it is much more a romance than a work of mystery and paranormal phenomena, as Hawthorne was wont to write. In its way this book is my favorite of all of Hathorne's works that I have yet read, surpassing by far the dark tones of The Scarlet Letter. This book, by contrast, has a much lighter tone. True, the subject matter tends towards the dreary and depressing, but overall the book is a much more pleasant reading experience than that other text, perhaps because the sheer weight of Puritanical beliefs has--to a point--abated by the time the chronological setting of The House of The Seven Gables comes about.

If I had to identify what I most enjoyed about the book, I'd be hard-pressed to choose between the presence of an additional story (or two) in the body of the text or the descriptions of life going on outside of the precincts of Pyncheon House. In addition to the central story, the author also presents us with a recounting of the Pyncheon's history dating back to the raising of Pyncheon house. Then, through the daguerreotypist, he transmits a story about Alice Pyncheon, whom the reader has heard much relating to a certain harpsichord and to a particular variety of flowers. However, while all this goes on, the author also treats us to views of life around Pyncheon house, with such characters as affronted housewives, a young Italian boy with a performing monkey, and disinterested workmen passing by. Together it all weaves into a convoluted canvas that shows the Pyncheons in good lights and bad, with public opinion of the family flowing and changing like the tides.

I don't often pick up authors from the classic literary canon, but it's nice to go back now and again, especially when you know that the book you're picking up is an excellent read. And The House of The Seven Gables is definitely that!

Rating: Thumbs up! An accursed house, its decrepit inhabitants, and the influx of new life...all the elements for a terrific Gothic novel!

Buy this book in paperback or visit the Cosmic Tomes Bazaar for other titles.

Looking for something that's no longer there? Check in the Archive to search for it.

Comments? Suggestions? Just click here or on the link at the bottom of the page to send me e-mail.
Also, if this review prompted you to read the books, then let me know. I appreciate knowing I made a difference in somebody's life.

You are the

th visitor to this page since April 1, 2000.

Back Home Back to Starfire Reviews

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page