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Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
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Synopsis
In a sleepy little New England village stands a dark, weather-beaten, many-gabled house. This brooding mansion is haunted by a centuries-old curse that casts the shadow of ancestral sin upon the last four members of the distinctive Pyncheon family. Mysterious deaths threaten the living. Musty documents nestle behind hidden panels carrying the secret of the family's salvation -- or its downfall. Hawthorne called The House of the Seven Gables "a romance," and freely bestowed upon it many fascinating gothic touches. A brilliant intertwining of the popular, the symbolic, and the historical, the novel is a powerful exploration of personal and national guilt, a work that Henry James declared "the closest approach we are likely to have to the Great American Novel."
Is The House of the Seven Gables appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This classic Gothic novel contains mysterious deaths, references to ancestral curses, and explores themes of inherited guilt and family sin. The atmosphere is dark and brooding, but violence is not graphic; suitable for mature teens who can appreciate literary symbolism and slower-paced psychological drama.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death, grief, and mental illness (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Readers interested in atmospheric Gothic mysteries and exploring how the sins of the past affect the present will find this haunted house tale compelling.