I've generally liked Hawthorne's short stories and novels, so I picked this up at a used bookstore hoping it would be similar. Unfortunately, this collection is heavy on the "sketch" and light on the "story." Hawthorne admits this in his introduction, so I feel somewhat guilty rating it so low. The slices of early American life are interesting and valuable, but I would recommend a very slow reading, maybe one story every other week while you read something more substantial.