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.

Hester is the perfect book for spooky season or really any time! Steeped in witchy folklore of Scotland and early America, Hester blends elements of magical realism with history, feminism, and literature, Synesthesia is real, but even today, it is looked upon as something other than mainstream, I always enjoy books which fictionalize how a historical event or pop culture icon may have come to be. In this case, it is Nathaniel Hawthorne and his famous work The Scarlet Letter. Where did this red letter come from, and why is it specifically scarlet? Hester paints a picture of an alternative meaning and how the famous story came to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I think we all have some kind of heinous memory of reading a classic novel in high school. For many, myself included, it’s gotta be The Scarlet Letter.

Hawthorne’s novel is the peak look into a puritanical society. Laurie Albanese’s Hester, is a look into the creation of Hawthorne’s novel.


Part historical fiction, part romance, Hester looks at the “real” Hester Prynn, Isobel Gamble. Isobel has gambled her future on the new world: Salem, Massachusetts. When her husband abandons her upon their arrival, she is left struggling as a needleworker, till she meets young writer, Nationiel Hathorne.

Haunted by the past of his ancestors who sent innocent people to the gallows, Nationiel is trying to change his name in Salem. *real life sidenote: Hawthorne actually changed his last name in order to separate himself from his family’s history during the Salem witch trials.*

Isobel is facing her own troubles, as a suddenly single immigrant in a new world. She should be scared. But instead, she views the world not only bravely, but in color. Isobel’s synesthesia makes the world magical, a curse in a society that hates the different. As she and Nationiel begin a forbidden romance, they are left to wonder: how much has really changed since the witch trials?

Albanese does a superb job at describing synesthesia. She shows the reader what Isobel is seeing incredibly well. You are seeing the world how Isobel sees it: full of unseen color.

Albanese’s book has been named the most anticipated book of the fall by Goodreads, which, in my humble opinion, lives up to the hype. It’s the perfect erasure to the Scarlet Letter trauma of our teens.

Hester challenges many of the notions portrayed in The Scarlet Letter. Albanese looks at many topics that Hawthorne didn’t touch upon. I’d like to note here that I don’t think you need to have read the Scarlet Letter in order to enjoy Hester. While Hester references the book and is about the writing of it, you don’t need to crack open your Hawthorne to understand Hester.

Some trigger warnings include drug use/addiction, talk of slavery and the slave trade, and xenophobia.

As spooky season begins and we begin consuming mass amounts of witchy media (Hocus Pocus 2, anyone?) Hester is a must read.

This book did take a bit to get into, however once I was in, I was hooked. I could not put the book down during the last half and read until the wee hours of the morning to finish this. I was really enthralled by the word colors and the enchantments throughout this book. I found them to be very original and fitting for this character. I really loved this take on Salem during this time period. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

So this book has been confused of being the backstory of Hester Prynne. Which, in a way it is, it is the fictional story of the inspiration of Hester Prynne. I loved it! I thought the author did amazing job with character building. I loved how she love accurate historical facts into her imagination of the character. The story started a little slow for me, but once Isobel and Nathan begin meeting, it really sped up. And the ending, oh the ending! I left be both disappointed and exactly what I wanted.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

I loved this book.
It was such a cool take on a how the Scarlet Letter came to be. Where I didn't really enjoy how Nathaniel Hawthorne writes, I did really enjoy Laurie Lico Albanese. I was able to also listen to the audiobook, which I would also recommend. It was done by my favorite narrator, Saskia Maarevald.
This story was about Isobel, who came to Salem for a better life with her HORRIBLE husband. He leaves her for "work" and takes all her money. She is left to figure it our on her own and meets Nat Hawthorne, who truly steals her heart.
You can't help but root for Isobel. Maybe it's my Scottish heritage, but I just felt so connected to her. And the use of color in this story gives it the magical realism that I love!
This is a solid historical fiction and I think a perfect fall read.

I received an advanced copy of Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese from the publisher St. Martin’s via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress who has synesthesia, and must hide her sights or be believed to be witchy. When she is forced to flee Edinburgh with her husband after he lost all their money while struggling with opium addiction, she believes she can set up a life for herself and a shop. But only days after they arrive, her husband, Edward, leaves and takes all their money. Isobel is left penniless and alone in a new country and forced to do whatever she can to survive. When she meets a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, the two are drawn to each other and find themselves connected by their shared connections to witch trials. They grow closer and closer to each other.

What I Loved: This book is certainly creative. I found the influence of synthesia in Isobel’s design work very creative and fascinating. I found the premise of a potential motivation for The Scarlet Letter to be really intriguing and the story was captivating enough that I could read a good chunk at a time. I also really thought the ending was kind of perfect for the novel. I think that if you’ve read The Scarlet Letter you will appreciate this more.

What I Didn’t Like: I feel like the novel was trying to do too much, I found the storyline that focused on abolition to be particularly sacrificed by the rest of the novel. I believe it took away some of the impact and importance of this storyline with all the other things that were going on. I also felt like there was lot of tell and not so much show which made a lot of the relationships seem rather surface level.

Who Should Read It: People who love a historical reimaging mixed with retelling.

Summary: A story of a young woman with a secret seeking to establish herself in Salem.

I ADORED this book, and that's saying something considered how much I disliked _The Scarlet Letter_ in high school. I found Hawthorne's work to be dry and slow moving. Laurie Lico Albanese's retelling had me convinced that this is why Hawthorne wrote his novel. Albanese nailed every element, whether it was historical, racial, social, or anything else. My only regret about this novel is that it took me so long to finish it. I would definitely read more by Laurie Lico Albanese!

I feel like this book had a lot of potential. The premise of the story is initially what drew me in. I have heard a lot about The Scarlet Letter and so I thought it would be a fun and interesting read. It was definitely interesting, but it was not exactly fun.

I felt like the dual timeline was unnecessary. If the story is meant to focus on the inspiration for Hester, then it should focus on the inspiration for Hester. The plot felt too jumbled to just fit perfectly at the end, there definitely should have been more connections throughout that tied the different plot points together. I also felt that Isobel experiencing synesthesia, although an interesting element to include, felt somewhat overdone.

Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress in Scotland who has been warned not to tell anyone that she can see colors when people speak. She marries an Apothecary who is addicted to opium and they are forced to leave Scotland for the New World.

They arrive is Salem, know for their witch trials. Edward, Isobel’s husband, decides to go out on a ship as the medic leaving Isobel alone without and money. She takes up work as a seamstress and meets a man named Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Nathaniel is haunted by his family’s past and their part in the witch trials. Isobel is haunted by her strange talents.

With Edward being out on the ship and likely not to come back, Isobel and Nathaniel become very close. Together they try to navigate living in the New World while dealing with their pasts.

This was just an okay read for me. The characters were fine. I’m sure a lot of work went into researching this subject and timeframe. The story just didn’t grab me like I thought it would.

I'm so angry for waiting so long to read this one. If you are fascinated by the Salem Witch trials and 19th century American lit, this one is for you. I'm still thinking about this one. What a fantastic take on Hawthorne's inspiration for his classic tale.

This was such a well written and interesting take on the origins of The Scarlet Letter and now I wish I knew how to sew well.

Isobel thought all people spoke in color. It was only as a young girl when she told her mother about the colors that she was told never to speak of it again. It was only when she got older did she hear of her ancestor, Isobel Gowdie, (her name sake) who was tried as a Witch for talking about the colors.
After her Mother’s death Isobel’s Father remarried and promised her to an older man who was going to take her to America. After her long journey Isobel learned that her husband,Edward was not the man who her Father thought he was. After landing in Salem the Captain of the ship took her husband on his next voyage and Isobel was able make a life of her own. Isobel met Nathaniel, a writer, who helped her show everyone her wonderful needle work. They soon become close friends with much of the same passions. She was soon embellishing gloves and making wonderful dresses for the richest woman in town.
Isobel really wants to help all of the people in Salem who are suffering discrimination. Her neighbor Mercy becomes a trusted friend.
This is a new spin on the Scarlet Letter. It is very intriguing and captivating.

Loved loved loved this book. At first i thought i picked up the wrong book. I didn’t see the connection to the scarlet letter. I kept reading and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the use of colors and imagery the author used. It was a beautiful story and can’t speak enough about how good it was!

I was once forced to read The Scarlet Letter and it is a core memory for me in the sense that I experienced so much pain and anguish that I could barely stomach the name Nathaniel Hawthorne. When I got to college we were tasked with reading Young Goodman Brown and my stomach puckered. However, I went on to adore that story and my large trigger warning for Nathaniel Hawthorne turned into a smaller trigger warning...that name still sends shivers up my spine.

Let me tell you...all of that was worth it for this novel. Like, I would experience the anguish of that book again to get the pure prose of this work of art. One of my favorite novels of 2022. One of my best of the best. Just wonderful storytelling. Show-not-tell imagery. Female prowess in a time of subjection and cruelty for all women. On spot characterization and plotting. Just a beautifully written novel.

As a high school student I read The Scarlet Letter and loved it. Hester is the perfect read for Nathaniel Hawthorne fans! I loved the idea of where Hawthorne derived the Hester character. What I loved more was Isobel’s strength and determination. Great book!

I was expecting this to be a retelling of the Scarlet Letter, but it was not--it was so much better. There are customs that came from the time of Hawthorne' book and of course "Nat" Hawthorne is a major character in the book, but Isabel is no Hester Prynne. This book has many more modern themes--the woman's place in society in historic Salem and the horrors of slavery, but also the backbone of Isabel and the help of fellow "outside" women when she wants to give up. An interesting read about an interesting time in an interesting place..

While I was initially skeptical going into this because I did not enjoy The Scarlet Letter, I was pleasantly surprised at the fresh take on the infamous classic. The writing is lyrical, the story is compelling, and I liked the format of a past timeline and the present day story. ‘Hester’ takes what is most interesting and thought provoking from the source material (i.e. Hester Prynne’s character arc, what it means to be a woman, what is freedom) and presents it through a more modern, and more readable, lens. I did think there were a lot ideas here, some better fleshed out than others, and sometimes it made the pacing feel off.

Thanks for the review copy. It might be because I’m not a big fan of The Scarlet Letter but I didn’t enjoy this book, either. I’m sure fans of Hawthorne will like it more than I did.

This was an incredible reimagining of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Hester Prynne. The Scarlett Letter is a favorite of mine and I was beyond excited to get my hands on Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. This book definitely did not disappoint. It is mostly a slow rolling, character driven novel, but the writing was so amazing that I couldn't put it down. The story transported me to the exact place and time as our characters and I thoroughly enjoyed uncovering the possibility of how Hester came to exist.