National Network for Equitable Library Service

A New York Times–bestselling author puts a modern twist on the Nathaniel Hawthorne classic with this novel of wealthy 1950s society. The year is 1953, and the coastal village of Glenville, on the opulent north shore of Long Island, is shaken by scandal. Ambrose Vollard, the managing partner of a prestigious Wall Street law firm, gets word of an alleged affair in his family. Most astonishing, the adulterer is Rodman Jessup, Vollard’s son-in-law, junior partner, and most likely successor. Until now Jessup has been admired for his impeccable morals and high ideals—so what could explain his reckless affair with a woman of fading charms? All is on the line for Jessup, who threatens to upset Glenville’s carefully calibrated social order. As each family member learns of the affair, the story reveals layer upon layer of abiding loyalties and shameless double-crossing. Wise and exuberantly entertaining, The Scarlet Letters is an absorbing tale about the temptations of power, wealth, and passion.