In a reimagination of Nathaniel Hawthorne's inspiration for his novel, Scarlet Letter, a family in 1800's Scotland, still agonize about events involving a relative ( Isobel Gowdie) that occurred during King James' notorious witch hunts. Isobel Gamble a descendent of the accused witch, marries and leaves Scotland with her husband, Edward, to make a new life in the colonies. Isobel who is clever with a needle and thread, is instrumental in saving the life of the ship's captain during their travels. The captain presents her with fabrics and thread hoping to help her realize her ambition of opening her own seamstress shop. When Isobel's husband suddenly leaves her to fend for herself, she finds work in a dress shop doing piece work helping her to survive. Friendless and alone, she finds herself drawn to a dark stranger by the name of Nathaniel Hathorne. A forbidden romance ensues and she soon finds herself pregnant and all of her dreams of a life with Nathaniel evaporate. She survives with the help of her closest neighbors who help her escape with her newborn child.

The characters in this book are well written and I enjoyed it immensely. The undercurrent of witchcraft haunts the main character and compels Nathaniel to swear she has bewitched him when he finds himself ensnared in her unwanted pregnancy. Thank you St. Martin's press for allowing me to read an Arc

Thank you to NetGalley for offering me Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese for my honest feedback.

I have a vague understanding of The Scarlet Letter but never read it before, I was hopeful that my basic knowledge of the storyline would be all that I needed to read Hester and I was correct, all that was needed was a very basic understanding of what inspired this origin story of Nathanial Hawthorne's infamous book. Once I started Hester, I could not put it down. The story grabbed me right from the start and all I wanted to do all weekend was read Isobel's story. I felt the pacing of the story was perfect but the author was descriptive enough that I felt as though I went on this journey with Isobel; I could feel what she felt and I could see what she saw. I look forward to reading The Scarlet Letter next to put all the pieces together from this book.
This story follows Isobel, a women who is a talented seamstress and embroiderer. She can also see colors when people speak and because her ancestor, was accused of being a witch for having the same gift, Isobel is told to hide this gift. Who follow Isobel as she gets married and moves to Salem from Europe. Once in Salem, Isobel story unfolds. This book will stay with me for many weeks to come.

Based on The Scarlet Letter. Set in Scotland and Salem. Incorporates the Salem witch trials and the underground railroad. Beautifully written. Is much more than I expected. A truly wonderful novel and a must read for all historical fiction fans. Enjoyed every minute if the read

Thank you to author Laurie Lico Albanese and NetGalley for granting me an ARC if this book awesome book in return for my honest opinion!

Thanks to St. Martins press for this early copy. Publish date: Oct. 4, 2022.

This historical fiction creates a muse and background for Nathaniel Hawthornes “The Scarlet Letter.” Even if you don’t remember much about The Scarlet Letter, you’ll enjoy this book. Set in 1800 Scotland and then Salem you follow the story of an immigrant woman trying to make her way in the new world, with some backstory that ties back to witchcraft trials in Salem and Scotland.

Overall, beautifully written and strong story line. For historic fiction lovers- this one falls further in the fiction lane, with less historical backing.

Hester Prynne is an iconic character in literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne's books are known to be related to his life. No one has been able to find who 'The Scarlet Letter' is based on. This historical fiction tries to find an answer. Who was Hester Prynne and what was her relationship to Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story was well written and did make sense as a possible relationship. It takes place in Salem which we all know from the witch trials. Will the real Hester be considered a witch? All will be answered in the story.

If you have always wondered about Hester Prynne then you will enjoy this novel. In the time period the world was a hard place for a woman alone. How to make a living and get along in a world where only men could hold jobs. I would recommend reading this book.

Thank you to #netgalley, @LaurieLicoAlbanese, and @StMartinsPress for a copy of this book.

I really enjoy retellings with different perspectives and this one was done very well. I enjoyed the writing style, I think I would of enjoyed it even if I had not been a fan of the Scarlet Letter already and would like to read more by, Laurie Lico Albanese.

The thing to remember is that this a work of fiction - it is the author’s imagined story of a possible inspiration for Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne. And as a work of, I found it enjoyable.

This is what historical fiction should read like! I loved this dual timeline and the locations were amazing. Characters were great, loved this!

"Hester" appealed to me because of its concept — it is an imaginative take on The Scarlet Letter that focuses on an imagined woman named Isobel Gamble. While this book didn't end up being a favorite, I found the idea of synesthesia as interpreted witchcraft the most compelling part of this novel. It was a brilliant tie-in and I loved the vivid descriptions of Isobel's "colors."

Where this book lost me was in its pacing and its characters. Though the author beautifully uses imagery, it felt like it dragged at times where I would have preferred more plot. The romance between Nat and Isobel also didn't interest me; I found it hard to empathize with her as a character and was frankly a little baffled by her obsession with Nat.

It would have been interesting if this was a "what if" retelling of The Scarlet Letter, such as — what if Nat had stayed with Isobel and supported her? What if The Scarlet Letter was an exploration of his other options rather than a retelling of him showing the same weakness that Dimmesdale showed? In some ways, it felt more like a feminist retexturing of the original novel rather than an addition. Which, to be fair, I think if that was the intention, it was very successful in that route — it just wasn't what I personally was hoping for from "Hester."

Overall, this is a strong novel that I think many will love! It takes a more empowering angle than the original novel and though it is centered around a Scottish woman, it does not skirt around issues of colonialism, racism, and slavery in the early US.

3/5 stars.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this book, though I had not read The Scarlet Letter and maybe missed some references to it. Isobel is a seamstress who is married to an older man, Edward, they leave Scotland for Salem in America to make their riches. On the ship to Salem, the captain of the ship falls seriously ill, Edward is an apothecary and he is able to surgically fix the captain and Isobel is able to sew the wound shut, saving his life. Edward is addicted to opium, part of the reason why they left Scotland, and he accepts a job from the captain of the ship they arrived on to sail to various ports to sell and buy goods, he expects to be gone for six months. Isobel is left on her own, but she makes good on her sewing skills and finds a job with a dressmaker which just barely keeps her alive. Along the way she meets Nathanial Hawthorne, at first casually, and then their attraction deepens and they start an intimate affair. Isobel falls in love with him and eventually tells him that, he rejects her and she is devastated. Not long after her husband returns and he is incensed to find her pregnant and he knows it is not his. He has a mad plan to collect the reward on some runaway slaves and wants her to help him. I really enjoyed the setting of this book and the author added details to bring the era to life. I would recommend. Thank you to #Netgalley and #St Martin's Press for the ARC.

I enjoyed reading this book. There are many intriguing, intricate patterns flowing through the narrative and it really held my interest.

Honestly, the fact that Nathaniel Hawthorne's 200-years-hence ancestor was a judge in the Salem Witch Trials, which are still mythologized and talked about today, much less in 1850, is enough of a reason for a man to write a book about it. We really didn't need a whole theory on a random immigrant woman for him to have an affair with, especially based on the content of The Scarlet Letter and life in the preceeding 150 to 200 years in Salem. While Hawthorne may not have had a specific, notated experience with witch trials, adultery, etc, it was not an uncommon accusation, occurrence or sermon topic in his time and he had direct familial connections to the trials.

All of this to say that I found "Hester" to be a difficult read - not due to advanced word use or complex plotting, but because the novel spent so much time describing synesthesia. Connecting a rare (but not *that* rare, 1 in 200 people) condition with witchcraft has sometimes been the case (epilepsy, etc) but as far as I know (and I did do an entire research paper on accusations of witchcraft in England and the early Americas), synesthesia has never been a witchcraft omen or whatever. Adding on to the fact that, having known people with synethesia, her descriptions of the Shock and Awe of synethesia are pretty unfounded, being that it is a neurological connection that you typically grow up with, so that is the base perception of the world for you, not something that magically happens one day (unless you have a brain injury occur).

This book felt unresearched and unedited, almost, and honestly almost read like self-insert fan fiction. Basic facts seemed unchecked, along with some pretty iffy descriptions of non-white people, and a general lack of solid characterization, even our main character doesn't feel three dimensional, and all we know about her is that she's a synesthete, she's unhappy with the limitations set on women, and that she embroiders well.

I really wanted to like this book, because I love retellings of myths and stories from an alternative (usually female) perspective. I loved The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec and Circe by Madeleine Miller, and this book was marketed with a summary that sounded like this was going to be another in the genre, but we don't dip into The Scarlet Letter at all, other than our main character...sees the letter A as red. Overall, I have to give this 1 star out of 5.

Hester is about Isobel, a young & talented seamstress who leaves Scotland with her husband (who has an opium addiction) for America where she becomes involved with Nathanial Hawthorne. That plot line alone is interesting enough but the author also includes some touches of the Salem witch trials & synesthesia. The descriptions of the sounds Isobel “sees” were so beautiful although sometimes a little bit much.

This reimagining was brilliantly done! And one of the most beautiful historical fiction novels I've ever read.
The magic within these pages is breathtaking, pure genius and nothing short of magical!
The characters tell a story that's beautifully written and very well executed.
The way the author interacts the characters is flawless. They really drew you into the story and made it easy to follow.
This is fabulous storytelling which is so immersive, mesmerizing, compelling and very hard to put down.
A captivating, engrossing and fascinating read for me, such a clever story one I couldn't stop reading once I started!
Who is the real Hester Prynne?
Read this astonishing novel to find out!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

St. Martin's Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

First, I'd like to express gratitude toward St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC - I truly appreciate the opportunity to access this book prior to its release.

I was so excited when I saw this book was available - but quickly I realized that this book is trying to have way too much going on - which is a bit ironic, because the book itself doesn't have much action happening throughout. Is this a book about nationalism? Is this a book about slavery? Is this a book about immigrants? Is this a book about witchcraft? Is this a book about the muse Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" was based on? I really couldn't pinpoint, because this book wears a lot of hats.

"Anybody who calls himself a true American thinks they're better than everybody else," was one of the quotes that stuck with me from this novel, and makes me curious if the point of this book was meant to be a commentary about the experiences foreigners have coming to a new land and the experience of prejudice and being treated differently as an immigrant. It could have developed that way with more focus in that direction - however, it was all over the place.

I really would have loved to get more witchcraft and magic throughout the book - there was a reference to faeries early on that mislead me. I wish that there had been a more fantastical element to this book - it would have definitely added some excitement!

I believe that the point of this book was to try to provide a "real life connection" to the idea that perhaps Nathaniel Hawthorne based his book off of this woman he encountered... however, the Nathaniel "Hathorne" within this novel was poorly developed: he came off as passive, boring, dull, just so meh. I don't even really understand what he and Isobel really have in common that gets him to fall for her -- she can read?? I don't even think their romance truly matures, and it doesn't in any way lead the reader to believe that this was the relationship Nathaniel Hawthorne truly had that inspired Hester Prynne.

The narrative itself is difficult to read due to the flowery prose that distracts from the plot. I get it, our main character has synesthesia, but it was OVERLY detailed for me to take and really didn't seem necessary... Is there even a plot here? There's some random flashbacks and then different scenarios taking place, but I felt like I was waiting for the beat to drop and it never did.

I did appreciate the social commentary being made regarding how women were treated in those times. Historically, America is quite patriarchal, and the thought of a woman going against her husband's wishes or thinking for herself as an independent individual was completely unheard of. I also appreciate the effort that was made to include diversity and start a conversation about "otherness" of being marginalized in America.

I would recommend this novel to someone who doesn't mind a slow-paced book and is interested in historical fiction, but sadly, this was not a hit for me. I think this book had so much potential and I had high expectations, but it fell flat.

This book was sent to me by. Netgalley electronically for review… it is historical fiction but reads like nonfiction. A quick read…characters that are familiar in history…this author has written an ingenious story. Nathaniel Hawthorne as a character…fantastic…maybe we will read books with Poe or others as the main characters…I look forward to other books by this author.

I just finished reading Hester, by Laurie Lico Albanese. This is such an unusual book that even describing it is a challenge. The setting is early 19th c. Salem. The protagonist is a woman with kinesthesia, which frightens people. For Isobel, the risk is always in being identified as a witch by people who do not understand her abilities. Isobel spends much of her time hiding who she is, which creates the central tension in the novel.

Hester is compelling. I hated to finish this book and leave these characters behind. The allusions to Hester Prynn are fascinating and are really another puzzle to solve. There are a lot of details and for some readers, who prefer a novel with brief descriptions, Hester might not be a good fit. That would be unfortunate.

In spite of the title, Hester is not a retelling of the Scarlet letter. Instead it is inspired by The Scarlet Letter "A". Readers should allow theselves to be transported back 200 years, where women led vastly different lives and under grave social restrictions.

I really enjoyed the imaginative nature of this book and it's telling of the inspiration for The Scarlet Letter. The ways in which women of the time were called witches or accused of casting spells was well researched and Isobel is compelling character. I felt the romance with Nathanial Hathorne a little unrealistic in its speed and unfolding; but the intrigue of the story and how it connected to The Scarlet Letter kept me interested and entertained. Overall, it's a page turner, heavy on plot, but with a few well-developed characters too.

And a note to the copy editor: In chapter 9 It's County Cork, (not Cork County) Ireland that Nell is from. All Irish counties are spoken as county first. :)

A haunting tale of a woman with kinesthesia who sees colors associated with people and words. With a Scottish ancestor who was accused of being a witch and escaped, she hides her abilities to protect herself and her family. With a gift for sewing and needlework, she longs to design and create beautiful clothing. That saves her life when she and her poppy-addicted husband move to America to start a new life. This is truly a love story, fraught with the difficulties of choosing a good man and the challenges of being a woman when women are not respected. Set in Salem, Massachusetts and sewn together with witch trial history and the end of slavery, this is a heart-rending story of trials and triumph. It is a story of strong women helping each other in many hidden ways. I'm still thinking about it. It occupies my mind and makes me appreciate having skills I have been able to use to support myself when relationships have failed me. Truly haunting. Beautifully written, past and present woven together in the resilient fabric of life.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese is a historical fiction story that reimagines Hester Prynn- the famous heroine from ‘The Scarlet Letter’ as a real-life woman that inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his classic book. This novel is essentially historical fiction based on historical fiction…

The story follows Isobel Gamble, a young Scottish seamstress who embarks on a journey to the new world with her doctor husband Edward. The couple lands in Salem where threads of deceit and lies threaten to unravel the new life that Isobel has attempted to make for herself. When Edward leaves Isobel to be a medic on a ship, Isobel is forced to start from scratch in a strange land that offers no mercy or protection for the weak and vulnerable. Isobel finds creative ways to survive with her needle and thread which awakens family secrets and gifts that could either set her free or trap her in the snares of Salem’s cruelties.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the yet to be famous author, begins interacting with Isobel and they soon realize they have fallen under each other’s spell. They both become entranced with each of their special talents -Nathaniel’s gift of storytelling and Isobel’s mesmerizing needlework. The more they interact with each other, the more powerful their talents become and the more their pasts begin to haunt them. Nathaniel is forced to grapple with his sordid family history of the witch trials, while Isobel must learn how to control her special ancestral talents, or else suffer the wrath of sin and guilt, in a place and time where being different could snag a thread and unravel the whole fabric of society.

At its core, Hester is a feminist survival story about the female creative power that has been suppressed and weaponized throughout history. Isobel is at constant odds with herself over whether she should embrace or shun her special gifts. Her talent for needlework reached new heights when she opened her heart to love but she struggled to accept her talent when she experienced unbearable pain. The tension between the visible and invisible, light and dark, white and black, past and present, right and wrong, and expression and suppression, imagination and reality weaves a bewitching story about the power of creativity to access the hidden truth. Each of the characters in this story grapple with the stark perception of their realities and are each searching for more colour, meaning, and purpose in their lives. The harsh and intolerable cruelties of 19th century American life are on full display in this book, offering a spectrum of the various ways marginalized peoples were made to suffer. Is awareness freedom? Is creativity the key to survival? Is love destructive or regenerative? How do you change your perception? These are the rich questions asked and answered in this compelling, sensual, and moving read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.