This cover is what initially drew me in. I haven’t read The Scarlett Letter since high school but found this to be very interesting, and imaginative. I am fascinated by the Salem witch trials so this felt like a little dip into an imagined version of that history. The ending wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped, but I still enjoyed!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read Hester.
This is a historical fiction novel. But, it had a dash of fantastical elements to it. Isobel’s story made me keep reading. And the events that were taking place in the real Salem made the story flow easy for me. I really enjoyed it.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. Pub Date: October 2022. Rating: 3 stars. Set in differing time periods, this novel spans continents and connects family members during a time when women struggled to have a voice. Isobel Gamble is the descendent of Isobel Gowdie, a person who sees colors associated with letters. Isobel Gamble seeks a new life in America, but becomes immersed in history through Nathaniel Hawthorne who is struggling with his own demons/past family history associated with the Salem Witch Trials. At times I really enjoyed this novel, but other times I found it really hard to follow. I think the premise was intriguing, but the execution was a little confusing. Overall, solid choice for historical fiction readers. Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #hester

Ending March with a 5 ⭐️ book! I LOVED Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. Hester is an imagining of the woman behind Hester Prynne, of The Scarlet Letter. In Hester, we have Isobel Gamble, wife of opium addict, seafaring apothecary/doctor, Edward, left alone in her new home, Salem. She’s only 19, and Scottish, which we learn at the time was considered one step above Negro to the old Salem families.

Isobel sees Nathaniel Hathorne, grandson of one of the magistrates of the Salem witch trials, whose family is still dealing with the aftermath of that tragic historical event. (Nathaniel added the “w” to his name, Hathorne, that is not a misspelling 😊)

Isobel and Nat are drawn to each other and enter into a life changing relationship.

I read The Scarlet Letter in high school and I loved it. This book reimagines if Hester Prynne had taken control of her future instead of becoming a victim to a man’s weakness. It’s full of feminism and women taking care of women. It also has African American history threaded throughout which I found fascinating.

If you love classic reimaginings, American literature, historical fiction with just a slight touch of magical realism, grab this book! It was everything I love in a story and it was beautifully told.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced e-copy I received of #hester. This book published October 4, 2022 so it is available wherever you get your books.

I really enjoyed reading this book with my book club the read rovers book club. It was dark but so is the original peter pan story. We even got to speak to the author about the book and pick her brain about how she came up with the story.

I never read Scarlett Letter but I am familiar with the story. This was supposed to be the background story for Hawthorne's inspiration of writing it, while loosely being a retelling? A story of a talented woman, abandoned in a new world that is shrouded in fear of witchcraft, and all alone. She meets Hawthorne and they develop a relationship....maybe that is how he became inspired for Scarlett Letter? Isobel had to hide her condition known as Synthesia so that she wasn't accused of witchcraft. Interesting idea for the story and one not really explored often.

This was one of my favorite reads of 2022 - if the "Scarlet Letter" association has you flashing back to high school English and worrying "Hester" might be a slog, rest assured it is not. To be very honest, the book it most reminds me of is "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," and if you knew me in the late 80s / early 90s, you would know this is the highest praise. Colorful outsider from across the sea attempts to make her way in an insular, New England town, and builds a family of people on the margins of her strait-laced community... if you loved Kit's when you were young, you'll love Isobel's now. A beautifully-written, immersive story of Salem, Massachusetts, a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the determined, spirited heroine who might have inspired his most famous work.

Good story that was well told and really draws the reader in. The main character was well done and the story was easy to fall into.

I love retellings and reimagining's, so when I saw that a Scarlet Letter reimagining was coming out that was inspired by Hester Prynne, I knew I had to read this!

This is very much like a "prequel" and I loved reading more about Hester's "background". What I enjoyed most was the strong, wise women who willingly risked everything to help not only each other but those whose only desire was to live free.

Great book!

Oh this was a wonderful exploration of the motivation behind The Scarlet Letter. The character development, relationships, double standards were all wonderfully written and brought the story to life. The author did a fantastic job and bringing us to that time period - it was well researched and a great example of historical fiction. Anyone, regardless of their feelings regarding the Scarlet Letter, will enjoy this book if they enjoy historical fiction. The magical realism, incorporation of racial prejudice, and emobroidery.

An interesting exploration of the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's heroine of the Scarlet Letter. Hester brings alive the times in which she lived in Colonial Salem. The narrative was richly described and colorful. Being a reader who lives not far from Salem, MA, I found the historical details of the city and society fascinating.

Historical fiction used to be one of my go-to genre's and recently it's been less so, but I'm so glad I picked up Hester. While it's been decades since I read The Scarlet Letter, I really enjoyed this interpretation of Hester, or the possibility of the story that might have inspired Hawthorne's novel. This imagining felt very possible to me, and it was good timing, because I was thinking of rereading The Scarlet Letter in 2024, so I'm sure this book will be in the back of my mind as I pick that one up again.

Overall, Hester is a deeply enjoyable narrator, and the story digs into the prejudices and power structures of the original text, in a way that is compelling and enjoyable.

Oh my gosh I am so sorry I thought I left a review when I didn't see the title anymore on my list. I loved it so much. I love a good book that's either set in Scotland or has Scottish characters. I also love the Victorian era as well. I highly recommend this and will get a physical copy very soon as I am currently on a book buying ban.

As a huge fan of The Scarlet Letter, I was a little leery of this title yet couldn't seem to resist. Thankfully, HESTER was so much more than I could have hoped for and I loved every aspect of this novel. The author did a superb job of integrating the story of young Nathaniel Hawthorne in this novel, without playing too much into the tale of its origin story, and I was intrigued throughout. I don't feel like it received as much attention/praise as it deserved and I would highly recommend it to any fans of historical fiction!

I love a retelling. While I never really was a fan of The Scarlet Letter (one of my least favorite books read for school) I did enjoy this different take on the story. So original and great for spooky season.

4.5 stars. I have read the Scarlet Letter and really enjoyed it. So I was very intrigued by this book when I first heard about it. You do not have to have already read The Scarlet Letter to fully understand and appreciate this book but I loved the possible inspiration and backstory of its creation. I thought the story was interesting and enjoyed the characters as they were well developed.

Such an interesting take on the Scarlet Letter. I loved what was kept the same and loved what was changed. This was overall soo good and I want to read more from this author b

I don't know if I was in need of a cry or if this book just perfectly nested itself in my heart, but this was a deeply emotional read. I am familiar with the original story of Hester Prynne, but viewing the trickle down effects of the witch trials through the perspective of a young Scottish woman in Salem was an entirely fresh approach. It was so easy to love and cheer for Isobel, and I found her work as a seamstress—and the expression of her synesthesia—to be fascinating. I also found that the intersection of the main storyline with references to the underground railroad to be an unexpected (but not unwelcome) addition. Finally, I am curious to know more about the experience of Scottish immigrants in early America, and interested to know whether Isobel's individual condemnation of slavery was a widely held belief.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book lives in my mind rent free. It’s not an earth shattering sort of story, in fact it’s one that we’ve all heard before in many iterations and many different ways. But this book is a quiet imaginging of who might have inspired The Scarlett Letter and a retelling of Hester’s story from her perspective. It’s a story for every person who knows what it’s like want something or someone who society tells us we cannot or should not, for every person who has given their heart to someone who did not treasure it as they should have, treated as a muse more than a person, and for every woman who had to fight against societal expectations to live the life they imagined and fight for their right to happiness.

It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and feels very much like a true historical account of who Hester might have been. And the beautiful way the author explores Hester’s synesthesia is so eyeopening - something that is unique but perfectly normal today would likely have been considered witchy and otherworldly.

I would definitely recommend for lovers of historical fiction, retelling, and strong independent women characters.

What a fun imagining of the story behind The Scarlet Letter! Weaving in details from the original novel and details from Hawthorne’s own life, this book is a charming take on what a fascinating woman Hester could have been to inspire such a strong, female protagonist.