Isobel has Synesthesia- a hereditary sensory response where she sees sound as colors. In the time frame of this book, that could be considered witchcraft and must be hidden. This premise introduces you to the main character and you follow Isobel through to her mid-life as she is married, immigrates to America, and becomes an inspiration to Nathaniel Hawthorne when he is writing The Scarlet Letter.

This is an excellent, well-paced book that highlights a strong female character living in times that do not favor women. The ability of the author to fictionalize the life of the woman who inspired The Scarlet Letter brought a new dimension to the classic. Historical topics relevant to the time period were highlighted, including the aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials & the beginnings of the Underground Railroad.

This is a good one to pick up in the fall when the witchy season is upon us. Easily a five-star read. It is in contention for one of the best books I've read so far in 2022.

The Scarlet letter was one of my favorite books read in school - so when I saw that there was going to be a retelling - I had to read it! This is a take on the SL that I never knew I needed - but DAMN!! This book is completely intoxicating and will hook you! I absolutely LOVED this book and highly recommend it! I didn't want to put it down. Plus the audio was excellent! A true Masterpiece

Five stars. What a treasure!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this audiobook

This was a truly intriguing tale of a young woman and her encounter with Nathaniel Hawthorne. Isobel Gamble finds herself drawn to Nathaniel and they two form a close relationship and then draw even closer.

Isobel bears many secrets and together with her new husband travel from Scotland to the new world. Her husband, Edward also has a secret as he becomes deeper involved with opium, He leaves Isobel in a strange land, penniless and departs becoming a medic on a ship that is casting off for foreign lands. leaving Isobel forsaken. However, she does amazing needlework, so this seems to be her destiny until Nathaniel comes along.

The times are difficult for all, but especially women who always carry the suspicion of being a witch should they possess special skills. History was recent and the witch trials of Salem are still vivid in the minds of many.

Ms Albanese also writes well of the concept of what made an American and how different Europeans were shunned because of their origins and accents. It also offers a picture into the world of some men, who do all in their power to make sure women stayed in their place, never glorifying the talents that said women possessed.

It was truly a fine story of what could have inspired Hawthorn's book. A Scarlet Letter, This story was meticulously researched and filled with the possibilities that there was something behind Hawthorn's writing of his famous tale.

Truly and enjoyable and engrossing story and definitely recommended to those who enjoy an well done historical fiction book.

Thanks go to Lauie Lico Albanese, Macmillion Audioboooks for a copy of this book, via NetGalley.

I start by saying that way back when it was required reading in high school for me so seeing it I was quickly intrigued. The way the book was presented by the teacher that I had was not done in the positive light and I felt that my teacher shortchanged it so I wanted to give a version of it another try. I was pleased to see that I was accepted and off I went to listen to the audio version. It's a fictionalized tale of Hawthorne meeting a young woman who has immigrated to America from Scotland with her husband, a husband who abandons her to serve as a medic aboard a ship, thinking to have access to the opium he’s hopelessly addicted to. Isobel, has been left with nothing and has to find her way alone in a strange country, where women alone are regarded with suspicion, hostility and low morals. She and Hawthorne meet and develop a unique attraction to one another, which seems to strengthen every day them everyday. Readers will begin to question who of them is the real storyteller.

I found this novel to be a shrewd look at the way women have been and continue to be treated like second class citizens in the United States. I found myself enjoying Scarlet letter and still loving Hester.

Hester is so, so good! I loved the premise of the book as the backstory of Hester from The Scarlet Letter, but I remember so little from reading that book in high school that, while the premise was interesting, I approached it more as the story of Isobel as she navigates her life and relationships in Scotland and then in America while also flashing back to her grandmother's story in Scotland. Isobel is an amazingly strong female character as she learns to take care of herself and build a life of her own with a wayward husband. Though her choices in men leave something to be desired until the end, her relationships with the women around her are strong. I adored the narrator of this audiobook who provides such emotion in her reading and draws you in to the story. The only weak point I found was in the character development of the male characters and that wasn't even a big problem with the depth of the female characters. A giant thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early listen in return for my honest review. A strong 4.5 stars from me.

I feel like I’ve just been through something.

I requested Hester because I loved The Scarlet Letter in high school. I loved the woman who taught the English class. I loved the discussions. I loved the immersion in history combined with a story which, clearly, has lasted for generations.

When this audio started, and the narrator’s (initially) heavy brogue was speaking the words, I had a moment of panic. Oh no. What had I done? Was this going to be too much work? I’m almost 60 and tired; maybe I should just read thrillers that don’t require effort. Boy, am I glad I listened to Hester.

At times I was the young, excited high school student who loved learning. Then I was the female being wooed and starting out as a married woman. A mom with a mama bear instinct. An outraged woman who is so darn tired of the white patriarchy which forever has ruled women, immigrants, the impoverished with an iron fist. I found myself energized and inspired to be more. To be the woman who helps women. To read again The Scarlet Letter. To revisit the classics of my youth and to use this brain which pretty much is on standby these days.

Laurie Lico Albanese has skills. Her Hester is a story featuring Isobel Gamble, a seamstress with the talent of her ancestors, a connection to witchcraft through the women before her in her family, inquisitiveness and strength ……. and her relationship with young Nate Hawthorne who was a writer in need of the American story along with a questionable moral code.

You don’t need to know more, but I predict you will hear a lot about Hester in the months to come.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio/St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book and thank you to Laurie Lico Albanese for reminding me that I love reading.

The Scarlet Letter was one of those books that a vast majority of American high school students were forced to read. I don’t remember it fondly. But I was drawn to the idea of the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write it.
This is my first book by Albanese but it won’t be the last. It’s beautifully written, scenes so detailed they’re easy to imagine.
Isobel has been blessed or cursed, depending on your viewpoint, with synesthesia or multiple sensory experiences. She sees words as colors. It’s the early 19th century and not long since women viewed as different were burned as witches. One of those earlier women was her ancestor. As a young girl, she marries an apothecary. But his addiction to opium lands them in the poorhouse and then on a boat to America. She’s gifted with the needle and uses it to support herself once he takes off again on a boat as a medic.
Isobel was fully fleshed out and I was immediately drawn to her. She’s independent and knows her own mind, but she’s still constrained by the limits society places on women. She plays a dangerous game by befriending a single man, Nathaniel Hathorne (he later added the w to distinguish himself from his ancestors) while her husband is away.
So often, dual storylines don’t work. But here it does. There’s the 17th century story about first Isobel’s ancestor in Scotland and then the Salem witchcraft trials (Hawthorne’s great-grandfather was a judge). And then the 19th century story is about Isobel. In both instances, women who are seen as different face persecution.
As with The Scarlet Letter, the story has a lot to say about morals, religion, freedom and societal mores. How men take what they want from women and then blame them for “enchantment”. The ending was superb.
I both listened and read this book, which worked beautifully. Saskia Maarleveld did a superb job as the narrator. But I was so glad to have the e-book as once again the audio publisher has done the reader a disservice by neglecting to include the Author’s Notes. This is so important in historical fiction and I wish more audio publishers understood that.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio/St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Hester is a reimagining of the woman who inspired Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

Isobel Gamble, a seamstress set sail from Scotland in the early 1800s with her husband, Edward. Her husband's addiction to opium had incurred a mountain of debt, and they had to leave Edinburgh for the New World with hopes of a new life and brighter future. But after days after arriving in Salem, MA, Edward joins a departing ship as a medic, leaving Isobel with no money and having to scramble to support herself.

When Isobel meets a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, she feels an attraction and with Edward still gone, the two grow closer...

This book also touches on the Salem witch trials and the underground railroad. I had both the book and audiobook of Hester and found myself mainly listening to the audiobook.

Like many have mentioned, The Scarlett Letter was required reading in High School. I loved the book and have several copies of it that I have found in antique book shops, so this book was right up my alley. I enjoyed how Isobel was a strong character who was self-sufficient and a survivor.

Well written and gripping!


Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I preface this review with never having read The Scarlet Letter, but it is currently sitting on my TBR book shelf and I am absolutely going to go read it now. This was a wonderfully engaging audiobook that tells the story of Isobel Gamble’s life from her childhood in Scotland to her new adventure in Salem with her husband. It jumps back in time to her ancestor Isobel Goody in the 1600s who escaped a witch trial. The story details the prejudices of the 1800’s including beliefs that any woman who is different is a witch, that immigrants from Scotland and Ireland are less than the established families in America, that black Americans have less rights than white Americans. I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple facets of this storyline and highly recommend this audiobook, the narrator is fantastic and makes this a spectacular listen!

Unfortunately, there are some technical issues with this audiobook and the NetGalley app. The quality of the recording, even at normal speed has echos and is unlistenable.

I hesitated before deciding to read this take on The Scarlet Letter. It was required reading when I was in high school and quickly became one of the few books I truly loathed. Still, I decided to take a chance on this, a fictionalized tale of Hawthorne meeting a young woman who has immigrated to America from Scotland with her husband, who abandons her to serve as a medic aboard a ship, perhaps thinking to have easy access to to the opium he’s addicted to. Isobel, has nothing and has to find her way in a strange land where women alone are regarded with suspicion, if not outright hostility. She and Hawthorne meet and the strange attraction between them grows stronger every day. Readers begin to question which of them is the real storyteller. A penetrating look at the way women have ben and continue to be treated like second class citizens in America. I still hate the Scarlet Letter, but I love Hester

WOW! I am so thankful to both Laurie Lico Albanese and St. Martin's Press for sending me this wonderful Advanced Readers' Copy of Hester which is set to hit shelves on October 4, 2022. Hester takes the prequel-like spin on one of my favorite classic novels, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, except instead of hearing from Nathaniel's point of view for how he captured the inspiration to write the book, we see from the perspective of Isobel Gamble, and married Scottish woman, fresh off the boat who has the power of the needle at her side. Her stitches possess the capability to transform a drab ensemble into a beautiful gown for ladies, gloves for those of the higher echelon, and clothes for anyone who's willing to trade or pay.

Upon first arriving in the new world, Isobel's husband, Edward, heads off to sea for work, and Isobel is left to her duties working to master her needlework. One day, she bumps into the likes of Nathaniel Hawthorne, a tortured, battered writer whose namesake is very revered in the town of Salem, MA, for his grandfather played a part in the Salem witch hunt of years past.

Isobel begins to fawn after Nat and they develop an affair with each other, leaving Isobel with child, his child. Learning of this installment, Nathaniel leaves to protect his family name and Edward comes home after his stint at sea to find his whoring wife and plans to deal with her his way. Fretting about her safety, Isobel heads north to Canada with several escaped slaves and makes a life for herself with her new beau, Captain Darling, and her daughter Margaret, who in time grows into a beautiful woman who has a passion for reading and writing (because of her father's genes) and she stumbles upon The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Margaret notices the similarities in both Hester Prynne's and her mother's stories and the truth comes out.

This was a wonderful tale/backstory/retelling if you will, and I recommend listening on audiobook, for the narrator absolutely captured the magic that came along with the old world and the new world colliding.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

Hester is a retelling of the book The Scarlett Letter. This book takes place in the 17th century Scotland. Isobel is four and her mother is teaching her how to sew letters with a needle. Isobel sees colors when she is sewing and wants to do her letters in color not follow the norm of doing them in black. This is what she sees in her visions that it needs to be color. Isobel's mother smacks her daughters knuckles to stop her from sewing in colors. Her mom doesn't want people to think she is crazy or worse a witch. This is a period of time that witches are burned and hung.

I really enjoyed the retelling in how Isobel wanted to bring light to her stitching and how it was perceived as wrong. Being naive at that age and not understanding consequences. Isobel meets Edward Gamble who is an apothecary they eventually marry and head to America. They arrive in Salem. Edward has an issue with opium and leaves for gathering ingredients for his potions.

Isobel meets Nathaniel Hawthorne during the time Edward is gone and the two develop a connection with each other. This story is complex and drawas out many things that occurred during that time period the Salem witch trials, the slave ships. This was a well written retelling that allows the reader to follow along the depth of the experience through Isobel's eyes. Which opens the reader to many things of the time period.

Saskia Maarleveld did a good job with narrating this story with voices for each character. This was a five star read and i recommend this book to anyone who likes retelling of classic stories. This is the second retelling I read that was new this year and both have been five stars for me. I think Mrs. Albanese did a great job in story telling with Isobel being the driving force to make this a great retelling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for a free audio copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Pub date: 10/4/22
Genre: historical fiction, literary fiction, feminist retelling
In one sentence: Scottish seamstress Isobel finds herself drawn to Nathaniel Hawthorne in early 1800s Salem - will their romance be her downfall?

I didn't have to read The Scarlet Letter in school, but everyone is familiar with that scarlet A. Laurie Lico Albanese does a wonderful job telling the story of Isobel, the inspiration for Hester Prynne, showing her magic in the form of beautiful needlework and vibrant colors that only she can see (she experiences multiple forms of synesthesia). I loved the flashbacks to Isobel's ancestors and how their magic affected their lives. Isobel's struggles in Salem were instructive as to the immigrant experience - the question of "who gets to be a real American?" is still so relevant today. I loved the early Underground Railroad subplot as well.

I read this book in two days because I was so engaged in the story. Both text and audio are beautifully done, as master of accents Saskia Maarleveld lends a lovely Scottish brogue to Isobel. I preferred the text because I could read more quickly, but if you love accents in your audiobooks, this is a great choice for listening!

I recommend this one to historical fiction readers, as well as to readers who love feminist retellings. It reminded me a bit of The Change, and I know it's going to be a hit this fall!

Thanks @stmartinspress for my ARC and @macmillan.audio for my ALC!

4 stars

A retelling of/tie-in with _The Scarlet Letter_, you say? Count me in.

As a person who has been teaching Early American literature at the college level for a lot of years, the idea of spinning/retelling/adding some texture to this novel instantly appeals to me, but I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed the final product.

Isobel's life - like so many women's - has been shaped by the whims of men in prominent positions: her husband, her father, and now her partner in eyebrow raising behavior. Her history, as well as Nat's family history, and the multiple timelines and locations that these inclusions involve add even more richness to Isobel's story (and certainly to Hawthorne's).

Though it may be tough to find many who haven't encountered _The Scarlett Letter_ at some point, it's definitely not required reading for enjoying this novel. Knowing Hawthorne's work will, however, add fuel to readers' respective rages about fictional Nat's behavior leading up to the writing of that book, and I enjoyed that part a lot.

I had no idea that synesthesia would be involved here, and when I heard the initial note on this subject, I was immediately gripped: what an interesting approach! This throughline kept me especially engaged in Isobel's perceptions and experiences, and it adds a modern explanation for yet another way in which unique women are immediately ostracized as evil in some circles [sighs forever].

Fans of the inspo piece for this work, those who enjoy historical fiction, and even individuals who are looking for some intriguing insight into synesthesia will be quite engaged with this newest work from Albanese. If accessible, I highly recommend the audio version; the narrator is exceptional.

Pros: I don’t often read historical fiction, but this book caught my attention because it is a fictional take on the inspiration of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. I thought it was fascinating how the author weaved synesthesia into the storyline and how well the idea of a scarlet letter is explained by synesthesia.

I think this book and The Scarlet Letter would be a great book flight to read as a book club or in a high school or college English class. I never thought I would want to reread The Scarlet Letter after I read it in high school, but this book might have inspired a reread.

I read this book both on Kindle and as an audiobook. I thought it was great in both formats and thought the narrator was the perfect voice for Hester.

Cons: I’m not sure the flashback scenes were necessary, but I don’t think they took away from the story. I found myself reading those sections quickly so I could return to Isobel’s story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.