Blithedale Romance

[Bri]

Wonderful...a must read for hopeless romantics who try to live in there own Utopian society

[annonymous]

I think this is very good and fabulous book! I tells you how life really is. I live in a farmland all my life and know about these things, I could read this book over and over again. I think you should read it too!

[Rev. Bryan Walker]

I first read Hawthorne's Blithedale Romance 25 yrs ago in Dr. Levy's class "American Intellectual History, part 2" at Okla. Univ. I assigned it to my son for summer reading this summer, and have begun to re-read it myself. While some say it is out of date and not relevant I am finding it to be quite relevant in this political season. The Utopian Movement and the Transcendentalists of the 1830'-40's, along with the Unitarians and Universalists are the beginning of today's Liberals. Unsatisfied with the goodness in America and unaware of the sinfulness of man, they seek to establish heaven on earth in their utopia- Happy Valley. Liberals are forever seeking to fix things that aren't broken and ignore man's nature. Socialism did not work at Blithedale nor at Brook Farm, nor does it work today. Certainly the women's movement has produced some good fruit, but the misogyny, lesbianism and bi-sexuality of today is not what Hawthorne pictured! I am only in ch.VII but loving the book! I think I will re-read The Scarlet Letter after this.

[Crinie]

I first read Hawthorne's Blithedale Romance 25 yrs ago in Dr. Levy's class "American Intellectual History, part 2" at Okla. Univ. I assigned it to my son for summer reading this summer, and have begun to re-read it myself. While some say it is out of date and not relevant I am finding it to be quite relevant in this political season. The Utopian Movement and the Transcendentalists of the 1830'-40's, along with the Unitarians and Universalists are the beginning of today's Liberals. Unsatisfied with the goodness in America and unaware of the sinfulness of man, they seek to establish heaven on earth in their utopia- Happy Valley. Liberals are forever seeking to fix things that aren't broken and ignore man's nature. Socialism did not work at Blithedale nor at Brook Farm, nor does it work today. Certainly the women's movement has produced some good fruit, but the misogyny, lesbianism and bi-sexuality of today is not what Hawthorne pictured! I am only in ch.VII but loving the book! I think I will re-read The Scarlet Letter after this.

You need to be Optimistic like Voltaire

I think this is very good and fabulous book! I tells you how life really is. I live in a farmland all my life and know about these things, I could read this book over and over again. I think you should read it too!

I'm reading it!

Wonderful...a must read for hopeless romantics who try to live in there own Utopian society

hopeless and try are good word choices