Thank you NetGalley and Laurie Lico Albanese for allowing me to read this book. Hester is the imagining of the source of Nathanial Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter". Being a needleworker myself I loved the descriptions of Isobel's works and designs. The writing was very descriptive and I could not seem to read fast enough to get to the next part! The flashbacks to earlier times was helpful and gave insight into the story. Brava!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
The first couple of pages were a bit slow, but then the book pulled me into it's spell so don't give up too early. Is obel sees letters as colors from an early age, but her mother cautions her to hide that ability from the world. She becomes a talented seamstress and journeys through her life. She meets Nat and falls in love for the first time (spoiler: she's already married). Their love affair ends with her pregnancy. This entirely new POV from Hester in The Scarlet Letter is a journey into the power that lies within us as women and mothers.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was incredibly enticing and kept me hooked on every page. A work of historical fiction, it tells the story of a woman named Isobel, someone who is constantly fearing that she will be identified as a witch and how that fear is a central driving point of this novel. This is a character-driven story with a full cast of strong-willed women that became the inspiration for the novel The Scarlet Letter. Essentially a fanfiction of the book The Scarlet Letter itself, you can see how Hester was based on it and drew inspiration from it but it is not a retelling. It is so much more than that. Laurie Lico Albanese has a distinctive voice and this story is incredible in many ways. This is genuinely one of the best books I have ever read and I am excitedly awaiting Albanese's next work.

I just reviewed Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress with flaming red hair, married to the owner of an apothecary with a terrible addiction. After they lose everything in their home of Scotland in the 1800s they try their fortunes in the new world. After the Captain of the boat takes a shine to Isobel, he offers to take her husband on their next crossing as a medic in exchange for 1.5% of the total profits. Edward leaves but not before stealing a few gold coins from Isobel that her father had given her.
Isobel now has to find a way to take care of herself in a place where she knows no one.
She ends up meeting Nathanial Hawthorne, a man troubled by the legacy his family left behind. A legacy of sending innocent women to their deaths during the Salem witch trials. Unbeknown to him, Isobel has some extraordinary abilities that almost had her own ancestor killed. As the 2 are drawn together, something sinister is happening in the town of Salem. This time it’s not witches being persecuted but the now freed people of color. Someone is hunting them to return them to their slave owners.
Her closeness to her neighbor compels Isobel to help in the only way she knows whilst walking away from her love for Nathaniel she becomes the unwitting lead in his published book, The Scarlet Letter.

This reimagining took my breath away. The author took this story and really made it their own. The story they wove had me enthralled from the first sentence and it still hasn’t let me go. They breathed a magic so intoxicating that the words came alive right in front of my very eyes!

I wanted to reach out and hold Isobel’s hand so many times through the book. I loved watching her story unfold and all the colors that exploded from her gift was a treasure I wanted to hold on to. Her life was mixed with such tragedy and wonder that it made you wonder where she found the strength. Not all women were as lucky as her but still the things she was put through and had to get through would break anyone I know. Being a woman was a dangerous time especially without the safety of a husband. Not that her husband was worth the marriage license. I couldn’t stand Edward from the get go. I know addiction is ugly but I just got the creeps from him right from the start. She was worth a million of him. Don’t get me wrong, I didn't like Nathanial either. I felt he was weak and quite disgraceful to do what he did but I also understand that they were in a unique situation.

I don’t usually get crushes on book characters but Captain Darling really exemplified what a man should be and how to treat people in general.

I really felt the character building was top notch and I loved how the author covered how people of color were treated even after it was illegal to keep slaves in the north. It was cleverly done and I really feel that this book has checked every box for me.

If you love your historical fiction with a little magic and a dash of social issues, this is definitely the book for you! 5 stars!!

I absolutely adored this novel! This is not a time period or subject area that is written about often. This author hit it out of the park with this fictionalized depiction of Hawthorne’s muse. I would like to believe that this is exactly how it happened.

I never read the Scarlet Letter (or if I did I blocked it out.), but I have always been fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials and history. I found this book enjoyable, though I never really saw the "chemistry" between Nathaniel and Isobel. After finishing this book, I went back to review the Scarlet Letter (cliff notes version.) I do recommend this book for someone looking for romance, a bit of history and love of things mystical.

An unusual story of a powerful woman trying to exist in a very male dominated era. This story combines real-life people with fiction in a truly believable way. Thank you Laurie Lico Albanese for your researched work and NetGalley for the chance to read it.

Remember reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathanael Hawthorn? Hester by Laurie Loco Albanese will take you back to that high school American English class. Isobel is a name handed down through generations of Scottish women. One was tried as a witch but escaped. Now her granddaughter, Isobel, the protagonist in the story has synesthesia, joined perception where a person experiences multiple sensations when there is usually one sense stimulated. People of that time may think she is also a witch. Isobel is also very talented with a needle.

She and her husband are forced to leave Scotland. On the way to Salem, she saves the ship's Captain's life. her husband sets sail with the Captain almost as soon as they land in Salem, leaving Isobel to fend for herself in a new city. She uses her embroidery and sewing skills to survive. She also fall in love with Nathanael Hawthorne.

Albanese takes the reader from the superstitions of Scotland, to the witch trials of Salem, to the work to help slaves escape, to an unrequited love. Isobel has many challenges in her life and through them all she follows her dad's advice to "trust her needle."

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese is a beautifully written and captivating story. From the first page, I was taken in by the immersive quality of the novel. Hester follows Isobel, a young Scottish woman whose family had a difficult history during the Scottish Witch Trials. After the death of her mother, she ends up moving to Salem (where she meets author, Nathaniel Hawthorne).

Laurie Lico Albanese beautifully weaves in both main characters' familial histories with witch trials and their impact. This is an absolute gem.

Special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the fictional story of the main character of the Scarlett Letter. Storylines about Salem, witches, treatment of immigrants from Scotland and Ireland and African Americans are interwoven in a captivating book.

(4.5 stars) “Hester” started off slowly for me. I almost dnf’d the book at the halfway point after reading some reviews that made it sound like there wasn’t much to review. Thankfully, I persevered, because I really enjoyed the second half and I dug the ending.

“Hester” reimagines Nathaniel Hawthorne’s inspiration for the tragic heroine Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne appears as himself, with Isobel Gamble his love interest and muse. Isobel is a vividly imagined character, a seamstress married to an opium-addicted doctor. When the doctor sets sail on a long cruise, Isobel is left to scrabble out a living through her sewing. She falls for Hawthorne and becomes the gossip of the town.

Interspersed with Isobel’s story are brief vignettes from the Salem witch trials. These didn’t work as well for me as the main story. They felt disconnected, coming as interruptions of Hester’s more interesting tale. It’s probably that I’ve read quite a bit about the Salem witch trials, so that nothing was all that new to me.

In the end, “Hester” is a well-written piece of historical fiction. It answers questions that I didn’t think I had, particularly who was Hester Prynne and how did she come to be the focus of The Scarlet Letter. It was interesting enough that I may even give The Scarlet Letter a re-read.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this enchanting book. Forget the Scarlett Letter that you read in middle school this is so much better!
I treasured every sentence, every word that was put into this book.. it will stay with me for a long time.
Isobel Gamble with her fiery red hair, such a strong, independent woman moves to Salem with her creepy husband. While her husband is away, Isobel works diligently with her sewing needle to support herself. She falls in love with Nat, Nathaniel Hawthorne. There’s so much depth to the story, my review won’t do it justice. Do yourself a favor read this book it will be one of the best you’ve read in a very long time. Outstanding !

Most American children have read The Scarlet Letter at some point or the Witch if Blackbird Pond. Hester is a unique take on a well known story and an interesting bit of historical fiction. Isobel is a wonderful narrator; she is strong, compassionate and attune to the world around her even when she knows there's still much to learn. what she is naive about in the world has more to do with believing what can be fair and right as opposed to all the ugliness that lurks in ppls hearts (particularly for wealth and power). Unsurprisingly, Nat is a coward and Edward is the absolute worst. But the friendships that Isobel is able to form in the novel is really the core of it; the love story is with these women who find ways to survive in a society that doesn't allow for much. And for characters like Mercy (and in the flashbacks Tituba) it's even worse. But these women come alive against that backdrop. This may be something of what The Scarlet Letter is based on but its far more than that. 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

“Hester” by Laurie Lico Albanese is a first read and new author to this reader. I’ve read “The Scarlet Letter” however, this book was quite unusual but interesting to read. It took me some time to get into this story but when I did, I enjoyed it very much. It is a haunting story of a woman Isobel Gamble, with kinesthesia and who was accused of being a witch. She pretty much hides her abilities to protect herself and her family. She and her husband Edward flee Scotland to start their lives anew in America. Unfortunately, she is left penniless by her husband in a country where her only source of income is as a seamstress who dreams of one day making beautiful clothes. Later, she meets Nathaniel Hawthorne, an upcoming author who has his own ancestral demons. They are instantly drawn to one another having their own secrets that haunt them.

This story is historical fiction that in some retrospect tells the life of Hester Prynn and is inspired from “The Scarlet Letter” a classic book by Nathaniel Hawthorne. As I usually do not read genre that deals with witchcraft, however I can say that it was well-written, shows the empowerment of women, and I was surprisingly delighted with the story from beginning to end. Although it was a little slow in pace, but I understood the premise of the plot.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc for my honest opinion. This is a historical fiction book. Hester is a paragon of female empowerment. There are not a lot of books written with a main character like this. It's a quick read and seems to be written more nonfictionish to me. I didn't like the way this was written and its my first book I've read by Laurie Lico Albanese. But I did overall enjoy the book in hole.

This historical fiction was beautifully written. Isobel was a complex, intriguing character. The connections to the “Scarlet Letter” were flawless. I recommend readers pick this book up immediately, and you will enjoy it as much as I did!

This book dates back to both Scotland and Salem in the 1800’s. The book started out slow and in some instances I had a hard time keeping the characters lineage straight. It tells of the life of Isobel, a young seamstress, who leaves her home in Scotland with her older husband Edward for America. Edward is hooked on opium. He continues to work on the ship that brought them over, but he is so addicted that he steals Isobel’s money to support his habit. The money had been given to her by her father before leaving Scotland, thus leaving her penniless.

Isobel has a gift of color. Everything she sees refers to a color. She finds work as a seamstress and becomes involved with Nat Hathorne. She becomes his mistress and is soon pregnant with his child. Nat is a writer and has a dark side. He leaves no claim to the child causing Isobel to leave Salem or be shunned by the town. Nat does write his book, The Scarlet Letter, whose story and character Hester were inspired by Isobel. Isobel does leave Salen with the captain of the ship that brought them over and settles with him in Canada raising her daughter. She eventually has a shop of her own which was always her dream.

As the book went along, I grew to love the story and Isobel. It gave such an insight into living during those times. The book was well written and I became engrossed in it. Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this pre-release.

This book is a retelling of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne but in this retelling Nathanial is a participant in the tale rather than just the author. Isobel Gamble is from Scotland and has married an apothecary named Edward. They both keep secrets from each other. At first their marriage is happy and Edward is proud to show off his beautiful wife. Unfortunately, he becomes addicted to opium and loses his mind and his money. He manages to arrange a trip to Salem, Massachusetts for free so long as he acts as the shipboard medic.

The trip across the ocean starts off as promising but once again Edward begins using drugs and is in such bad shape the Captain has to separate the couple. Isobel saves the life of the Captain and the two remain friends for the rest of their lives. When Isobel and Edward lands in Salem Edward finds a cottage where they can live. Unfortunately, Edward is unable to get any business going in Salem so he volunteers to once again sail with the Captain and act as the shipboard medic. Before he leaves he finds the hidden cache of money given to Isobel by her father and leaves with it in his pocket.

Isobel is left penniless and has to use her skills as a seamstress to survive. Live is difficult but it becomes bearable when she learns that her husband is no longer coming home and she begins a relationship with Nathaniel Hawthorne. She becomes pregnant, Nathaniel leaves her and her life becomes a living nightmare.

This book is a cautionary tale that women should never depend entirely on a man and sadly nothing has changed in 200 years. Isobel does make a life for herself elsewhere and raises her daughter alone.

Beautifully written, this author mesmerizes the reader so that they can’t put the book down until it is finished!

Is Isobel the woman who inspired Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlett Letter?” This imaginative story offers many reasons to believe so.

Isobel, a skilled needleworker and someone with kinesthesia, feels compelled to marry Edward Gamble, an apothecary with a secret addiction to opium and gambling—only to learn Edward isn’t all he made himself out to be. In desperation for a better future, the couple make their way from Scotland to America where Isobel dreams of one day opening her own seamstress shop and being a clothing designer and Edward wants nothing more than to dabble in alchemy to create new medicines and find great wealth. On the first day of her arrival in Salem, Isobel catches the eye of Nat Hathorne who later discloses he believes he conjured her because she so closed resembles the muse in the novel he’s struggling to write. This chance meeting begins a complicated love story and intimacy where dark secrets are shared and slowly revealed after Isobel finds herself alone with no money and only her needle skills and wit to survive on.

This historical fiction is set in Salem, Massachusetts during the early 16th century—capturing elements in history surrounding the Salem witch hunts, immigrant migrations to the New World, the Underground Railroad and freedoms being sought by enslaved African Americans, and merchant trades transporting sugar and other highly sought-after goods from the Caribbeans.

The story is written with a good mix of trials and triumphs. I especially enjoyed reading about Isobel’s skill embroidering and the level of detail in describing her projects.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book for anyone who is interested in historical fiction and may have wondered about the inspiration for The Scarlet Letter. This book is set in dual timelines of the late 1600’s and the 1800’s. It is not packed with action but does have a bit of drama and characters that a reader can become fully immersed in. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the very good ARC that I received free, in exchange for an honest review.