"After [Hawthorne] read the end of The House of the Seven Gables to
her, Sophia wrote to her mother:
'. . . How you will enjoy the book,--its depth of wisdom, its high tone, the
flowers of Paradise scattered over all the dark places, the sweet wall-flower
scent of Phoebe's character, the wonderful pathos and charm of old Uncle Venner'
(51).
Hurst indicates that "three weeks later [Sophia] wrote a more extensive critique
to her sister Elizabeth:
'. . . The Rosebud Phoebe blooms on the darker [picture as Juliet shone on
the night, like a jewel in an Ethiop's ear. And Alice's pale, stately head bends
like a regal white lily before a rough gale'" (51). (courtesy of
University of Massachusetts Press)
