When Colonel Pyncheon has Matthew Maule sentenced to death as a witch over a coveted piece of land, he sets into motion a curse that attacks him and all of his descendants in turn. Several generations later, Hepzibah, an aging spinster lives alone in the House of the Seven Gables. She is shortly joined by her young cousin Phoebe and her brother Clifford who has spent most of his life falsely imprisoned for the murder of his uncle. Peace is in short supply, especially with another cousin, Judge Jaffery Pyncheon, a dead-ringer for the old Colonel, lurking about.
In this richly detailed story, Hawthorne leaves it up to the reader to decide if the ghosts and the curse of the Pyncheons and Maules are real or based in the beliefs of the characters. It's not quite as dark as "The Scarlet Letter," but stands on its own as a classic American tale. This one's great if you like vivid descriptions and bits of philosophy and history in your books.
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