A neat surprise I didn't expect: Hester isn't so much a retelling of The Scarlet Letter as Lico Albanese's take on "what if Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote that story based on his own life". It's not necessary to have read the original or know much about Hawthorne to enjoy it, but worth it if you want to get more out of the book - or at least fully appreciate how much research Lico Albanese put into it.

Beyond Hawthorne, Hester is also about synesthesia, 3 alternating timelines, needlecraft as a subversive practice, the Scottish witch trials, the Salem witch trials, free Black communities in the early 19th c. and the salve trade. They're all great topics to explore, but they're A LOT of topics. Unfortunately most of them get swallowed up quickly for lack of proper development, and I felt the story would have been stronger with fewer plot distractions.

I also couldn't get past the utter un-Scottishness of the main character Isobel, or really every Scottish character here. For someone supposedly defined by her Scottish upbringing/ancestry/accent, she speaks in the most generic English. Throaway mentions of Walter Scott and selkies weren't enough to stop me from wincing every time Isobel and her ancester used 'babe' instead of 'bairn' for instance. It's an unfortunate clash with Lico Albanese's prose elsewhere in the book, which is otherwise lovely and at times downright beautiful.

All in all Hester isn't a book that'll stick with me but it's still a pleasant enough read. It has well crafted characters, good pacing, and offers an original take on a literary classic.

A big thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of a book I was very excited to read.

This book was my first foray back in to historical fiction, and it did not disappoint. I knew that I had to read it as soon as I realised that it is a speculation of the inspiration for The Scarlet Letter, which is also a book that I enjoyed. Albanese blends history, historical figures and original characters seamlessly in to a plot that catches and holds your attention. Her writing style flows and takes the reader along for the journey with Isobel. From Scotland, to Salem, and beyond, we are swept up in the journey that is Isabel finding herself and accepting her gift, while also navigating society in a New World, life, and love. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is well-written, and the characters well-developed.

I’ve never read The Scarlet Letter, probably because it’s not on the school curriculum for the UK like it is in the USA, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this historical story of a young seamstress emigrating from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts.

I loved the character of Isobel, her needlework talent and her synaesthesia which informed how she saw the world. The reader could see the pitfalls before Isobel could, but I could never blame her for making the decisions which seemed to offer happiness at the time.

A recommended read for lovers of historical fiction.

Firstly, I've only heard of "The Scarlet Letter" thanks to movies and pop culture but never read it. But the cover and the name of this book drew me in and I knew I had to read it.

I loved how the book started with such rich, colorful descriptions of Isobel's world. And while she makes some naive decisions along the way, I wasn't too harsh on her given that this girl is still quite young.

The pacing falters in the middle but I'm glad I kept reading because it picks up later on. As a whole, the book is beautiful and Isobel is a character who will surely stay with me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Duckworth Books for the advance e-copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review contains some spoilers.

Hester follows a girl with synaesthesia in the early 1800s on her journey to make her own way in a world dominated by men.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded interesting - how something that we understand today, being able to see colours in words, would have been seen as witchcraft in those days.

Unfortunately, I found this book to be a bit of a slog. The pacing was very slow and the plot focused mainly on the various men in Isobel's life. I found her to be frustratingly naive and a bit of a wet blanket for the majority of the book. It was hard to care what happened to any of the main characters as they were so unlikeable.

I felt that the supporting characters were much more interesting than the main story and that I would have liked to see more of the subplot with her neighbours and Captain Darling than the snorefest of Isobel and Nat. The flashbacks to her ancestor in the 1600s also felt unnecessary and, if anything, only served to make the 1800s Isobel look more pathetic.

I must admit that had I made the connection from the title of the book to Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' I probably wouldn't have picked it up as I really didn't enjoy 'The Scarlet Letter' either.

Despite this, I did enjoy the last few chapters of the book when the action finally happened. I felt the twist of what her neighbours had been up to was fairly obvious and it shouldn't have taken the convenient reappearance of pantomime villain Edward to spell this out to Isobel.

I did like seeing all of the women (and Zeke) working together to escape and it was nice to see the sewing hidden words into embroidery pay off in a big way. However, the ending was fairytale-esque which felt anticlimactic.

Isobel is a character I warmed to immediately, and I was fully invested in her .
To the point I wanted to warn her every time I knew dhe was making a bad decision.
This book covers a lot of miles, from Scotland to Salem.
I enjoyed the parts of Salems history woven into the tale.
The colours, and stitching added a slight magical quality.
Despite never having read the Scarlet letter, I enjoyed this, but I can imagine knowing the story just adds another level onto this book (and helps you understand the title 😄)
This story grew on me, and by the end I could have happily read another 400 pages with these characters.

I first read and enjoyed The Scarlet Letter during my BA in American Studies, and as the story stuck with me, I was intrigued by Hester as soon as I found out it was coming out. The cover! The premise! Beautifully written, it tells the story of Isobel - a young seamstress who leaves her native Scotland for Salem, and who could've inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's great protagonist, Hester Prynne.

This is an utterly original and imaginative novel, with the characters you truly care for and often fear for. It's about love, friendship, witchcraft, fear, art, women's rights (or lack of thereof) and slavery. Laurie Lico Albanese's writing is atmospheric, detailed and vivid. I was enchanted and the ending was brilliant - it did the characters justice. I would recommend Hester whether you've read The Scarlet Letter or not, as it's a great and gripping historical fiction novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was inspired by the Scarlet Letter, which I read a long time ago, but must re read now. Isobel, the heroine, is the lead character, and an interesting one. This novel is an example of historical fiction at its best and I would give it more than five stars if it were possible to do so, because it is the best novel I have read for some time. I really enjoyed the book.

This is not just a retelling or reimagining, but an inspired story that imaginatively and creatively revives an iconic tale, plucking characters from pages and giving them a new life, a chance to rewrite their stories and reclaim their voices.

Albanese sets the scene masterfully, transporting us to a world that feels unknown and unfamiliar, showing us the dark nights and long days of a seamstresses daughter in vivid detail. We follow Isobel on her journey, getting to learn how she sees and interprets the world around her. Albanese mentions synaesthesia at the start of the book, a phenomenon that can make colours, words, textures, noises or other sensory experiences link together and feel differently to certain people. And it was of course not really understood until the late 19th century, and like always was unknown and therefore feared.

Isobel sees the world in colour, experiences her surroundings richly and vividly - is it witchcraft or science? Back then, these were largely the same. But whether she was a witch or not the storytelling undeniably has a sense of magic hiding in plain sight that left me bewitched.

This story projects Isobels voice, but intersperses her narration with old diary entries, taking us back to when witch-hunts and persecution were commonplace for any women who dared to think. While her husband is absent at sea, we get to meet the residents of her small town, and watch their relationships grow naturally - and these relationships drive the story quickly onwards and kept me hooked. She meets witches - and by this I mean bold, cunning, caring women who have suffered at the hands of others and who still hold on to their faith in the face of suffering. Isobel learns her own skills as a seamstress and her wisdom are plenty to help her survive and slowly learns not only who she is but who she could be.

Isobel tells us a story of making her way in a mans world, a story about strength, liberation and female power. And after reading this, I have no doubt that if anyone is capable of bewitchment, it's definitely Laurie Lico Albanese.