I did NOT enjoy The Scarlet Letter - one of my least favorite books of all time. However, I VERY MUCH enjoyed this one! I love this very speculative look at the classic is not only fleshed out, but brings in so many more elements for a totally new and much richer experience. It's so good it almost makes me want to give The Scarlet Letter another try....almost...


I couldn't sped up the audio quite as much as usual because of the narrators accent, but it was a lovely added element to the story and made the MC even more endearing. I would listen to another book with this narrator and very much enjoyed this book as an audiobook.

Great story, great narration. I have been a lifelong Scarlet Letter fan, so this was such a fun retelling for me. Def recommend!

I received a free audio copy of Hester; the following are my true opinions. This was a surprising read for me. It follows Isobel Gamble, the woman said to inspire Nathaniel Hawthorn's The Scarlet Letter. Isobel finds herself in an unfortunate marriage to a man afflicted by the poppy and alone in the new world after immigrating from Ireland to New England. She must then make her own way in Massachusetts with her needle and stitchwork, despite prejudice against her accent and superstitions that witchy abilities underly her unique and beautiful creations. This story was heartbreaking yet incredibly engaging to experience. It sheds light on a time period that I am not that familiar with, the early 1800s, and European immigration across the Atlantic. There were unexpected twists and turns that left me shocked and even angry. My complaints-at times, the pacing struggled to keep up and the storyline dragged. Additionally, I found myself upset with the disrespect towards women of this era and the amount of gaslighting and not-believing them and their perspective. The male excuses to explain away women's value and position really irked me and riled me up. I think that this speaks to the author's ability to convey this antiquated sentiment in the modern reader.

I thought this was a very-well done historical fiction. When I went into it, I thought it was going to be more of a re-telling of the Scarlett Letter, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. I actually enjoyed this story more. I also am an avid needleworker and seamstress so that aspect was especially appealing to me. The characters and story kept me engaged.

Hester is an interesting book and it is certainly a fascinating look at The Scarlet Letter. While Hawthorne was clearly a product of his own time and circumstances, in writing about the inspiration for Hester, Laurie Lico Albanese infuses her Isobel with what we 21st century women would think of as modern day feminist thought and ideas but that I’m sure were not entirely out of place in the early 19th century. And unlike many recent post-#MeToo feminist books, this one does not devolve into man-hating. There are both male and female characters that are less than desirable and there are quite a few feminist-friendly men.

A hundred- and fifty-years post-witch trials, Salem is still an unfriendly place to women who don’t fit the norm, whose families haven’t been well established for generations. A feeling of otherness that just about any woman can relate to, from living in a small new town to having interests and ideas that go against the societal flow, is, at times, crushing in our heroine Isobel’s Salem.

With prose as colorful as the words and feelings Isobel experiences herself, Albanese weaves together a new tale with women’s courage and perseverance squarely at its heart. It’s written in first person, which I don’t love, but having a narrow focus on Isobel’s experience certainly wasn’t a bad thing. It did, however, mean that we didn’t always see everything going on in the village as I believe Laurie intended us to.

The pacing is a bit strange at times. We don’t get to see too much outside of Isobel’s narrow view and obsession with Nat (Nathaniel Hawthorne) which means that when other characters suffer from tragedy, it just doesn’t land the same way. I found myself shrugging and not caring about characters that I think I would have been more invested in had we been able to step outside of Isobel.

The ending also comes around quite abruptly and out of left field. There was certainly a need to change our characters’ circumstances, but it all felt a bit forced and contrived. Overall it was enjoyable, but I think would have benefited from a wider perspective in writing than just that of Isobel.

I absolutely LOVED THIS!! I love The Scarlet Letter so I was beyond excited to read this and it did not disappoint at all. The research that went into this to make sure everything was correct as possible is crazy. I thought it was an extremely well done take on a classic.

It was such a powerful and vivid story I could not get enough of. It was slow at times, but that didn't deter me one bit. The character development completely outweighed the slow points in the plot. I truly felt like I was in the novel with the characters. They felt so real!

If you are a historical fiction reader, I cannot recommend this enough!! Especially if you love The Scarlet Letter haha.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick. Our library purchased and our patrons have been checking out and and enjoying the book. I see it is a popular book club choice as well we hope to have more oppurtinies to support authors like them

I’m so sorry, I just could not get into this book. It just wasn’t for me. I do hope to try another book from the author in the future.

Don't be swayed by my 3 star rating because HESTER is a very good book and many readers will love it. I enjoyed reading it, but it just didn't live up to my expectations for it, and that's a me problem.

Laurie Lico Albanese gives readers a new viewpoint of Salem, MA after the witch trials, but before Nathaniel Hawthorne becomes a famous author. I really appreciated that within this narrative is time dedicated to the slave trade (and what role people living in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts played in it) and for our protagonist to sit with the implications of people she knows being involved. Other than Tituba, there is a trend for novels set in Salem, MA during this time period to read very white with no acknowledgement of the experiences of enslaved people (or those that have escaped or were born free).

My least favorite part of the plot was the moments between Isobel and Nathaniel. Which was not what I was expecting since I knew this was a novel based around what inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to create Hester Prynne.

As a side note, while I ADORE Saskia Maarleveld as an audiobook narrator, I'm starting to notice that she only uses one male voice and if you listen to enough audiobook narrated by her, you'll start confusing your characters between novels. That's not to say that she doesn't do a great job, it was just something I noticed this time around and then couldn't unhear it through the entire novel.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this unique look at women in Hawthorne's era. Very slow build - the relationship between Hester and Hawthorne actually starts more than halfway through the book. I considered not finishing several times.
Hester and her husband leave England due to her husband's debts. Hester must leave behind her beloved father - and depend solely upon her husband.
While her husband travels as a ship medic, Hester earns money with her incredible needlepoint. She expertly hides words underneath her designs, a skill passed down in her family.
I enjoyed Hester's wish for independence; the juxtaposition of her with her "freed" neighbors - outcasts from supposed polite society.
Enjoyed the narrator.

I really liked The Scarlet Letter. It was well-written and not as boring as some of the other classic lit we had to slog through. That’s why I picked this one up, and though it’s also well-written and the ending redeems itself, I didn’t love it overall. Not that the story is lacking, but the male characters (save a few), and certainly the main ones were just, ugh. Between Isobel’s husband and Hawthorne himself, I was wholly unimpressed and disinterested. Totally get it. That’s the point, but it didn’t make them enjoyable to read about.

I loved many of the minor characters and the ending made me rethink some of my dislike of some plot points (the romance, for one). If you’re into historical fiction and appreciate The Scarlet Letter, you might like it, but it’s tough to watch Isobel and some other characters go through it.

"They say witch, but what do they mean? Witch is a reason to kill you; witch might be someone to heal you; witch can be the Devil, or witch can be a woman so beautiful she makes you lose your sense. They've got so many ways of calling you a witch, they just change it to how it suits them."

I went into Hester, a tale of historical fiction which imagines the life of the woman who inspired the main character of The Scarlet Letter, with a bit of an unusual perspective - in that I have never read the source material. I know little of The Scarlet Letter, not even the basic plot, and requested an ALC of Hester on the basis of its plot alone.

And I wasn't disappointed!

Our main character, Isobel, is instantly likeable and very well developed, with a clear voice. She has passions, fears, hopes, and dreams, and a unique talent, too: she sees the colours of words, including the infamous scarlet letter A. Isobel, like many women in her family before her, has synesthesia. And her mother, upon learning this fact, cautions her never to share it for fear of Isobel being accused of being a witch - just like her grandmother.

Isobel eventually travels from her homeland of Scotland across the ocean to the United States, landing in Salem with her husband, ready to start a new life. But America isn't all she had dreamed of, and she is left to fend for herself in a hostile land.

A tale of resilience, inner strength, found family, and feminism, and beautifully narrated with spot-on accents by Saskia Maarleveld, Hester swept me up and away on winds of red and gold.

A truly stunning and vivid story that kept my interest from beginning to end.

"And if I told it to my daughter, then she would know my secrets. And if I told it truthfully, she would know my pain. And if I told it right, she would learn everything that I know about love, and desire, and the colours. About this world and the hidden world. About the man with the red and gold voice, who was almost the ruin of me. And she would know how I survived."


Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audiobooks for providing me with an ALC for review.


Trigger/Content Warnings: sexism/misogyny, violence, blood, torture, murder, slavery, human trafficking, addiction/drug abuse, infidelity

This is an historical fiction novel that tells the tales of Isobel Gambel, a young Scottish woman who has immigrated with her husband to America in the hope of a new life. Quickly after landing, she is left behind when her husband Edward goes back on the sea in an hope of finding fortune. With this, she was forced to make her way, when she ends up falling in love with a local man named Nathaniel Hawthorne. Their sordid love affair was the inspiration of the later literary classic The Scarlett Letter. Isobel, of course, the inspiration for Hester Prynne.

This was such an interesting book. As an avid reader, I have certainly already read The Scarlett Letter, so it was extremely interesting to see the perspective change and the supposed backstory of the novel. It was such an interesting look into a classic, and I loved to listen to this audiobook. At times it was a bit slow, but I did enjoy how the characters were completely developed. Isobel was someone that I felt myself rooting for throughout the entire story, and I loved that we got a look at her struggles as well as her triumphs. I felt the ending was fantastic, and tied up this beautiful story perfectly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader audio copy of this audiobook. All opinions within this review are my own.

This imaginative telling is of the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s character, Hester in The Scarlet Letter. I do not honestly remember reading The Scarlet Letter in high school but I plan on reading it after reading Hester. Thanks NetGalley for the audio eArc.

An atmospheric retelling of the Scarlett Letter. A story about love and freedom. Couldn't put this down. Will definitely be keeping an eye on this author.

I loved this book! What a great and powerful story! I loved the characters and the historical world. This was an amazing read from start to finish!

I enjoyed The Scarlet Letter and was so excited to get a deep dive into that world, through a historical fiction lens, and see the angle of a misunderstood synesthesia-enhanced powerful woman.

I enjoyed this book, but I did feel like it could have given us a stronger female character to root for. I liked Isobel and I know that, for the time presented, she was holding her own, but I wanted just a bit more … something…

That being said, I enjoyed the detail and the imagery of the writing and I support the take on a classic.

The narration was good, and I have no complaints about the pacing or expression used. I enjoyed the inflection and thoughtful pauses in the voice acting.

HESTER
Laurie Lico Albanese, Author
Saskia Maarleveld, Narrator Historical Fiction

This book is about a young girl Isobel Gamble and her trials and triumphs in the New World. Set in the 1800s after coming to America, Isobel was immediately deserted by her husband. She befriends the young Nathaniel Hawthorne, who is tortured by his family’s wrong doings of days gone by, but as the sparks begin to fly, will Nathaniel turn out to be friend or foe?

This was a wonderful retelling of the story about a young woman, Hester, who inspired the book THE SCARLET LETTER. While both books are based on the same person, they show a vastly different view of the same woman. I would definitely give this book a 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it, especially in audio format

The audio of Hester, by Laurie Lico Albanese, was very well done and enjoyable to listen to. I did find the story to be a bit slow for me. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC audio in exchange for my honest review.

This one was a little slow going for me, I had trouble staying focused on the story and as I was listening to the audiobook I found myself having to go back to relisten to parts quite a bit. I may have done better with a physical copy, but I didn't receive one to review. The premise is interesting and the historical details seem to be on point. I was fascinated with The Scarlet Letter when we read it in school so I was excited to read this book.