Product Description A contemporary, feminist retelling of an American classic - The Scarlet Letter - narrated by Hester's daughter, Pearl. The novel offers a stronger, more resilient 20th century Hester for whom living a meaningful life is paramount. An added bonus is getting to know Pearl, whose life is a reflection on what our mothers can teach us, if we are ready to learn. Review Elayne Clift renders a stirring contemporary retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic, The Scarlet Letter. Clift captures the spirit of Hester and Pearl and recasts them in a dramatic , compelling and expansive story. She cuts across time and culture and excavates connections that bind the hearts of women, no matter the century. --Chiquita Mullins Lee, poet & playwright From the Inside Flap If you haven't read The Scarlet Letter, read it now. If you read it long ago, read it again. Then savor this contemporary, feminist retelling of an American classic from a writer who gives us a stronger, more resilient 20th C. Hester for whom living a meaningful life is paramount. An added bonus is getting to know her daughter, Pearl, whose life is a reflection of what our mothers can teach us if we are ready to learn. "Clift captures the spirit of Hester and Pearl and recasts them in a dramatic, compelling and expansive story, cutting across time and culture to excavate connections that bind the hearts of women, no matter the century." (Chiquita Mullins Lee, "Pierce to the Soul") About the Author Elayne Clift is an award-winning writer and journalist whose work appears internationally. She is the author of two collections of short stories, two poetry collections, three essay collections, and two memoirs, most recently ACHAN: A Year of Teaching in Thailand (Bangkok Books, 2007.) A Vermont Humanities Council scholar, her columns appear regularly in The Keene (NH) Sentinel and the Brattleboro (Vt.) Commons.