As a literature student in my university days, I find it difficult these days to find a new novel worthy of old-world recognition. The Scarlet Letter might not even be used in schools anymore due to my country's ever-changing taste in what is classic and what is a scandal.
Then comes along Hester. Released recently but was written with hundreds of years of women's plights behind it. So much has changed, and yet not near enough.
Isobel and Nathaniel chase spirits and hide from shadows together in this astounding piece of literature. The saga unfolds as Isobel puts needle to thread.....but what does it all mean?
A must-read of 2022.

I am loving this trend of taking mythology or classic novels and translating it into the perspective of the often-overlooked characters. In this case, This one was a beautiful story that explores themes of what it means to be family or found family, generational trauma, and the way society tries to eject the "unknown" or "new" in its midst.

Hester's life parallels that of Hester Prynne in Nathanial Hawthorn's The Scarlett Letter. However, it's set in the 1800s. Hester's life - and her interactions with Nathanial - influence how he writes the book. We get flashbacks of the Salem witch trials and how they link to their descendants. Hester's own familial history is also woven into the story. Her descriptions of the synesthesia and her needlework were beautifully done.

Even if you aren't too familiar with the Salem witch trials or the Scarlett Letter, I think you could still enjoy this book.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

As most Americans, I read The Scarlet Letter in high school in the early 2000's. As a huge book nerd, even then, I remember being intrigued by the story. Fast forward to early 2022 and I see the blurb for Hester and I was hooked.

Isobel is a young woman who works as a seamstress in Scotland. She has the ability to see colors when people talk and assigns colors to letters. Isobel meets apothecary, Edward, who wishes to marry her. Edward and Isobel set off to America for a new start and to leave Edward's addiction and debts behind. The journey to America leads to Isobel's needlework moving her life forward. She gets the attention of Nathaniel Hathorne, who is dark and brooding with a past he can't seem to get away from. They are drawn together like a moth to a flame, ending in a fiery spark.

Uncovering secrets, flashing back to the past and learning how to live again, Isobel, goes on a journey throughout this book to discover the colors she worked so hard to hide were there for her the entire time.

I really enjoyed this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced e-copy of the book.

First, I haven't read The Scarlett Letter, so the only context I have to go off of here is the summary in Easy A (my life is chaos).

This started out really slowly and I almost gave up. But when Isobel arrives in Salem and meets a young Nathaniel Hathorne, I was hooked. He was an enchanting, chaotic, moody mess. He loves Isobel in his own way that makes you want to root for them.

But Isobel is not destined to be the manic pixie dream girl muse. She wants love and freedom and has her own dreams. Hers is a story of learning to push through hardship and heartache.

Hester is also a really interesting look at early American life. About who gets to be American and who gets pushed into the "other" category.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for accepting my request to read and review Hester.

Author: Laurie Lico Albanese
Published: 10/04/22
Genre: Historical Fiction - Literary Fiction - Women's Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for accepting my request to read and review Hester.

Author: Laurie Lico Albanese
Published: 10/04/22
Genre: Historical Fiction - Literary Fiction - Women's Fiction

Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter and Hester was a character, according to the synopsis. I didn't read and never had a desire to read The Scarlet Letter. I went into Hester knowing it was categorized historical fiction. The research on the historical portion appeared spot on to everything I knew. The dates and times given are period appropriate.

I was mesmerized from the opening line. The story is told through Isobel's eyes. We go through her being married to a much older man, fleeing to America, and surviving .

The time period was rough from Salem Witches to Slave Trading. The author writes a solid woman who does not give up and takes care of herself. Her struggles are real and the solutions are believable. Isobel was taught a beautiful skill of sewing as a child. She worked hard to master the stitching and the use of colors. The entire book is centered around a needle, and the success she garners.

My review does not do this book justice. It is a solid five star read for me. I love how it was written; it moved seamlessly, and the ending left me feeling amazing.

Lovers of historical fiction, romance, and reimaginings will rejoice with this one! After reading so many retellings and reimaginings that were duds this year, I had approached HESTER with so much skepticism. However, I am happy to report that HESTER did not disappoint.

Laurie Lico Albanese's HESTER is a stunning and original story. It was hard not to fall in love with the writing straight from the beginning. There is so much gorgeous imagery spread throughout every chapter, and the exploration of Isobel's experiences with synesthesia is fascinating. I confess that Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER is probably my favorite American classic, so seeing all the easter eggs scattered throughout the story was such a treat--and all of it convincing. It's always so refreshing when someone breathes new life into an older piece of literature (especially when it doesn't fall flat!).

Readers will love Isobel and Nat, and, of course, despise Edward. It’s so easy to see why Isobel and Nat develop a bond. The interspersed snippets of Isobel's ancestor's experiences with faeries and accusations of witchcraft in the old country and Nat’s ancestor’s experiences with the Salem Witch Trials are perfect and only seem to strengthen the connection between the two characters (and I so love that Tituba appears in these flashbacks to the past). The ending, of course, is a bit expected, but also satisfying. Nothing disappointed.

HESTER is for sure one of my favorite reads of 2022. I will definitely be recommending this novel to others and ordering copies through our school and local libraries.

First....this book cover is so beautiful, how could you not pick it up to read?
Laurie Lico Albanese has taken all of the loose threads and all of the endless questions we had when we read The Scarlet Letter in high school and woven them into an outstanding story of how the original story came to be. She has displayed her considerable writing skills by anchoring her story to the original but she most definitely is not giving us a reimagined Scarlet Letter.
Instead we watch a young woman whose plans for the future quickly change into a desperate run to avoid the poorhouse. Instead of the prosperous future her husband promised when they wed, she's on a ship to Salem where women who stand out from the crowd are often punished as witches. When she meets a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, we see the beginning of a long relationship that grows quickly into the background (maybe) of Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter.
An outstanding read whether you have read The Scarlet Letter or not.

In a sense, this novel is a precursor to The Scarlet Letter whereby the creation of the infamous Hester Prynne character is given context and backstory via a woman Nathaniel Hawthorne meets in his early adulthood.
A socially-awkward, recently married young woman, Isobel MacAllister, moves to Salem, Massachusetts only to be abandoned by her husband who pursues his fortune elsewhere. She suffers from synesthesia, but conceals it, and uses her talents as a seamstress to provide for herself. She meets Nathaniel, becomes attracted to him because she senses he also has dark inner struggles. An affair ensues…and the rest is history, so to speak.

The Salem Witch Trials serve as a connection between the lovers with Isobel’s ancestor being victimized and Nathanial’s as a member on the prosecuting team. There was also a subplot involving the Underground Railroad and I found myself more interested in these two subplots and their supporting characters than I was with our two protagonists. Sadly, I was not endeared to either of them (and I really wanted to like Isobel). Additionally, while the premise and writing were fine, I found myself speed-reading through a few passages to get through this novel because the pacing was a bit taxing (for me).

In short, I believe many fans of The Scarlet Letter will enjoy this offering and can/will enjoy it as a standalone novel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese is a historical fiction/women’s fiction that follows the haunting and riveting journey of one woman’s plight from Scotland to Salem in the New World. This story is set in the early 1800’s with MC Isobel Gamble fleeing Glasgow with her opium addicted, debt ridden, apothecary husband - Edward. The journey across the sea is not without its own trials and dangerous situations yet Isobel believes once her & Edward reach their destination they can somehow begin again and build a new life. Isobel soon is facing the stark reality of being broke and alone in a strange land, you see Edward leaves her behind as he departs on a new ship.

Any other woman would have given up. Hester is not just any woman.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a complex man and he is haunted by the actions of his ancestors. When he meets Isobel he is at the beginning of his journey as an author and he finds himself falling under the spell of Isobel. It seems that Isobel is not only the woman he is falling in love with, she is also the elusive muse he has been struggling to find.

Nathaniel and Isobel become entranced with each other and as their passion and love grows, each of their pasts begin to haunt them. Can Isobel, a woman with secret ancestral talents ever truly be completely honest with Nathaniel a man with a sordid family history of involvement with the Salem witch trials.

This is a story that captivated me from the first chapter and held my attention all the way to the end. As usual I found myself researching this time in American history, the witch trials, Salem’s history, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. A large part of this story focuses on women, immigrants, and minorities, the ways they are treated by those in power with focus on certain accusations the powerful make, and the impact of these accusations as they are wielded to enforce power. As an immigrant and a woman, Isobel experiences this in a myriad of ways, beginning to realize how little choice she has in her own life. Isobel comes to understand that much of her life is in-fact controlled by the powerful women throughout society. The powerful are able to ruin a woman’s reputation and even threaten a lesser woman’s life with a whispered accusation such as witchcraft and adultery.

I highly recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction. I will be looking for more books from this author in the future.


5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to review. Reviews are cross-posted to social media, goodreads, and blog. 🦄

Hester, by Laurie Lico Albanese, is an atmospheric historical novel involving the dark days of the Salem witch trials, and an imagined relationship between Nathaniel Hawthorne and a young woman named Hester, which ultimately inspired his famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.
Told in two timelines, the story features Hester, the 19 year-old protagonist, a Scots woman who immigrates to Salem with her conniving husband Edward in 1829 and meets Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester is a strong, clever, resourceful young lady and uses her skillful needle working to survive in this New World. I really liked the first person POV narrative, and believe it made Hester’s character more complex, more realistic, and absolutely engaging. She has the “gift” of synesthesia (joined perception), which in her case manifests as her seeing letters associated with colors, and hearing sounds which evoke experiences of color, shape and texture, i.e., when someone speaks to her, she “sees” their words as colors, at times warm, or sometimes dark and ominous. This lends the story added depth atmosphere.
The alternate timeline is compelling, with interspersed chapters recounting the fears of witchery in the 1600s, and the lives of both Hester’s Scots ancestor Isobel Gowdie, and the unfortunate women accused and hanged in the punitive Salem of 1642.
This is such a well-told tale!! The history and context of both timelines is riveting, and the writing is beautifully descriptive, with skillful use of the senses, colors and textures woven into Hester’s life. I felt like I could almost “see” and “feel” the words along with her.
I highly recommend this beautifully written novel with its unique and atmospheric interweaving of cultural history and American literary history!!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased review.

I'm unfamiliar with Nathaniel Hawthorne and Hester Prynne and his book entitled "The Scarlet Letter" but I understand that this book is a fictionalized account of a fictionalized account of their meeting. "Hester" follows Isobel Gamble, a young Scottish seamstress who sails to America in the early 1800s with her husband Edward who is an apothecary. They settle in Salem Massachusetts but Edward is soon off on another ship as a medic leaving Isobel without resources.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing flowed well and the story was easy to follow. Isobel was a strong female character who seemed mature beyond her years and the other characters were well fleshed out. There was a lot of historical information to do with slavery and the underground railway as well as prejudice to do with class and I was left feeling thankful that I didn't live in those times. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to friends, especially if you're a fan of historical fiction.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Available Now!

I love a good reimagining of other stories, and as a big fan of The Scarlet Letter in high school, I knew I would love Hester. I certainly was not disappointed. I loved that it told the story from the point of view of Isobel Gamble, a young Scottish immigrant who moves to Salem with her husband, with dreams of becoming a dressmaker. While her husband joins the Captain of the ship they came over on for another delivery, Isobel befriends Salem native Nathanial Hathorne.

Albanese's writing is beautiful, almost lyrical at times. As a whole, I couldn't put the book down. This doesn't always happen to me with historical fiction, so when I had a hard time right from the start, I knew it was going to a fabulous read. I can't say enough about the ending too.

Whether you've read The Scarlet Letter or not, you'll enjoy this great story. It's also the perfect fall read.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Title: Hester
Author: Laurie Lico Albanese
Publication Date: Out now
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary fiction, Women's Fiction
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🍁My Review🍁

Hester is a very complex reimagining of the main character of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Set mostly in Salem, New England, this book is the story of Isobel and her life. And maybe she was Hester.
This book is not an easy read. Alternating between Isobel's timeline and the Witch trials in Scotland and Salem, the story tries to draw a parallel. There is a lot to unpack in this story where themes like women oppression, immigration, slavery and naming something which we do not understand as bewitched is easier rather than accepting it. It is a slow book and very atmospheric. I definitely need sometime to process this book.
🌺From a trauma point of view, there is so much in this book that gets my head buzzing. Nathaniel's character is stuck between the past and the present. He carries his ancestors burden. Stuck between that world and the male dominated society, he uses Isobel for his own needs. Isobel has to hide her ability to see colors in words, stuck in a bad marriage and almost on the verge of destitution makes choices for herself that in the long run have bad consequences for her. And there is Mercy a free woman who, is burdened by the prevalent slavery in America during that period but still chooses to help Isobel.
Is this book perfect? No. But I really liked the story due to the fact that in portraying that world, the author has tried to portray both the good and the bad. No one is inherently bad but depending the circumstances people tend to choose a path for themselves without thinking about the consequences.

Hester
by Laurie Lico Albanese
4 stars

I never read the scarlet letter and I feel like reading this I'm missing out on something a little bit. This story is about Isobel a seamstress who came to Salem with her husband in the 1800s after some unfortunate events that happened back home. She has always seen colors when she hears sounds but after her mother told her to hide that and not tell anyone it's hard to keep it hidden in a new place when one person in this new place seems to know her so well. It's a lot of twists and you need to pay a little close attention to what's going on to kind of understand it. It was beautifully written the words flowed so well. For me, it just got a little lost but I was hooked it was a flip-floppy filling for me, I was enjoying it but was lost if that makes sense. I'll add more to my review after I reread it maybe that's what I need to do reread and just focus on one book instead of the three I was reading.

Thank you, Net Galley and St Martins Press for this eARC for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Marten's Press for this advanced copy of Hester!
I really liked Isobel and admired her passion for being creative even though she was put down a lot because of her status and being a woman. I thought the aspect of drug addiction was interesting and unexpected for me. I enjoyed seeing Isobel make a name for herself against odds!

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese is a new take on an old book wherein lies the story of the muse behind Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.” Isobel Gambol came from a long line of women, alternately named Margaret or Isobel. Many of the women in her family could see “colors.” Her mother warned her to keep quiet about this and other things as it was too easy for someone to call out, “witch.” Her mother taught her to embroider and sew and these things kept her going for years. Her mother died and it was hard for Isobel and her father. Eventually he remarried and she met an apothecary twice her age. He seemed a kind man and she married him. It was not terrible, until she discovered that he had become an addict. Eventually he owed too much money and they were hauled off to debtor’s prison. Her father cleaned up the mess, salvaged what he could, and they set off for the Americas. There she met a young man named Nat Hathorn and things got complicated. Several years later, assuming her husband was dead, she ran from the island with the captain of the ship who had originally brought them there, a friendship had grown between them and he took her and her child to safety.

As most good books are, this one was complicated. It is a fictional version of the story that inspired The Scarlet Letter. Isobel was a complicated character, realistic in her tone and so well-written that it was sometimes difficult to remember she was fiction. Her life was complicated by a poor choice in husbands and the constrictions of the time. The story was a good one and actually more full-bodied than The Scarlet Letter, again dictated by the time in which it was written. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, as convoluted as it seems. It is historical fiction at its best, describing the circumstances of the time and place as thoroughly as possible.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Hester by St. Martin’s press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #LaurieLicoAlbanese #Hester

Reading "Hester" was like jumping in a time machine and travelling back to the 1800s. The details, the setting and the events were written so thoroughly that I felt immersed in the story! I enjoyed reading about Isobel, a strong character, and learning about her unique talent. While this was a reimagining of "The Scarlet Letter" origin, it felt like a story all on it's own and was not necessary to remember the details from the first. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy! All thought and opinions are my own!

Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this advance copy of #hester. The opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded down - an excellent read, very evocative of the 1800s in Salem, after the witch trials, but the suspicion of witches and enchantments still pervades society. This is the very imaginative story of a young Scottish girl who marries and older man and when he runs into trouble in Scotland, they flee to the US. He has an addiction problem that becomes her problem. She ends up abandoned in Salem, meets Nat Hathorne and they eventually become lovers while her husband is missing. She gets pregnant and has to leave to save herself & her child.

The bare bones of the plot don't do the story justice. Young Isobel is an independent, talented seamstress with big dreams. Marrying an older man who wants her to stay home and be the 'wife' was difficult and when he developed an addiction, it is even harder for her. Alone in Salem, trying to support herself, she turns to her talent & love of embroidery. This is such a great element to the story and the way it's represented is beautiful and inspiring. Her dreams get buried & revived; she becomes happily in love, then brokenhearted; she is doomed, then resurrected; she is alone & lonely, then makes some dear friends; she is timid, but learns to stand up for herself and her beliefs. It's a story of emotional ups and downs as we grow up & mature with Isobel.

Such a great story and very well done - lots of historical ground covered yet I never lost track of what was happening or who a character was. I particularly enjoyed reading a historical novel set in an era other than WWII! Recommended.

4 scarlet stars

This is my first read by this author and I found it captivating. It is inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book and the character of Hester. Could it be that Nat had an affair and it led to the writing of The Scarlet Letter?

Our main character is Isobel Gamble, a young woman from Scotland, and from a long line of strong women named Isobel then Margaret, and so on. She’s a seamstress, married to an apothecary named Edward. Edward’s debts force them to flee Scotland for the U.S. They arrive in Salem, and Isobel finds the town reluctant to welcome her. Edward ships out again, leaving Isobel to fend for herself.

Luckily, she has her skills with the needle, and she finds some work. Isobel also has synesthesia which in her case means that she sees colors when she hears voices and keeps this gift under wraps as it can be misunderstood. Remember that she’s in Salem, a bit of history there with witches!

Nat is drawn to the elusive Isobel, but it’s not clear if they can live happily ever after. I enjoyed Isobel’s friendship with her neighbors.

Albanese is an excellent writer, and I enjoyed this one where she brings these characters to life.

What a magical, engrossing read! Historical fiction is not a genre I expect to enjoy, but the cover and premise of Hester drew me in and I'm so glad I stepped into that world. Laurie Lico Albanese has taken ingredients from known history (Salem witch trials, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Scottish immigration to the Americas), added complicated characters with mutii-faceted gifts and challenges, all to create a novel that won't leave the reader alone. I will be thinking about Isobel for a good while to come.

Many thanks to the author and publisher, and to NetGalley, for an advance e-copy of the book for review.