4.5 stars!

I’ve been a huge fan of Alice Hoffman for years, so I was ecstatic when I received this ARC!

This was such a beautiful book. The story of Mia and her mother was an uncomfortable one. It was fascinating to see the inner workings surrounding the cult. The time traveling was done super well, too. I was just as fascinated with that aspect of this story. My favorite part though was the undying love between a mother and her child. No matter the circumstances, Mia’s mother loved her and tried her best with what she had. The character growth of Mia was great, as well!

I loved it!

The Invisible Hour might be a good fit for those that love Alice Hoffman’s novels for the unwavering intensity of the characters, the propulsive plots, and the quirky, yet dependable appearance of the supernatural or unknown.

This time Hoffman changes up the game though with an ambitious structure and intent involving a cult-like restrictive messianic group, time travel, a famous author, and a classic waiting to be written. Unwed teenager Ivy has been abandoned by her family and her boyfriend and runs away with a friend who has heard of a Community that offers acceptance and safety. Its charismatic leader/dictator, Joel Davis, has created a refuge of simple living through the land, with the children raised communally, the rule book extensive, and transgressions, such as reading novels, resulting in strict punishment, including being branded with a letter, standing for the disobedience. Sound familiar? Subtlety is not at play here, so years later when Ivy’s teenage daughter, Mia, sneaks into a library, she discovers a first edition of The Scarlet Letter, inscribed to a Mia, which both mirrors her life and becomes a possible way out of the Community, but at a prohibitive cost. Everything is shared in the Community, yet Joel does not relinquish his possessions easily, and his will manifests an almost unearthly force in the hunt for them. And the hunt can go on for years.

The power and poetry of Hoffman’s writing during some of Mia’s and Ivy’s interior monologues can be starkly beautiful and arresting, and also repetitive. Her characters, such as the angelic helpful librarians, often voice bromides about the Community and the increase of cultural policing, which are self-evident and sometimes seem patronizing. The time travel sections require a huge suspension of disbelief, both in the structure and the ease in which a 21st century female character can elicit only a limited amount of curiosity in an 19th century New England town. Ultimately, much like Mia, the scope of the book is both narrowed and overextended by it’s being bound and forced into the ill-fitting narrative shape of a masterful story written long ago. Recommended only for diehard Alice Hoffman fans. My thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. 

Alice Hoffman has done it once again. This novel is a fantastic work of magic realism. She creates characters that you fall in love with and never want to let go of. This is yet another one of her works that I will reread time and time again.

This book is a nice mix of magic, romance, time travel, and cults, but sadly, it missed the mark for me. The story, overall, felt very disjointed. The romance angle felt forced. Chapters are long, which made the pace seem quite slow, and I struggled to stay engaged. There didn't seem to be a solid, structured plot. Fans of "The Scarlett Letter" will enjoy nods to that book. Parts of Hoffman's book were a bit too far-fetched to believe, even for fiction. I do appreciate the fact that this story pays homage to the importance of reading, the love of books, and libraries.

A beautiful, magical story about love, motherhood and the power of a woman . She truly is the best at magical-realism. The magical elements just flow with the story so perfectly. I'm never disappointed by her books.

Hoffman shows the power of books and the written word. Books transport readers, comfort, provide food for thought, educate, evoke emotions and so much more.
Ivy left her home after receiving poor reactions from both her family and her unborn baby's father. She runs away looking for a better life, what she finds is a "community" with a charismatic leader who turns out to be a wolf in disguise. The community she has joined is a cult in western Massachusetts where books are not allowed, and babies are taken from their mother's and raised in the Nursery. Ivy is crafty and finds time to bond with her daughter Mia. Mia, a young girl born into in a cult, breaks free, wanting to enjoy both the world and books - which are banned in her setting. However, trouble follows her, even into the past, as her love for her favorite author is realized. Told in three parts, Hoffman gives us the present, the past and the possible - as only a good author can do. The Invisible Hour is unique, a love letter to the power of words, books and women.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley, as well as Alice Hoffman.

I loved this book! The historical perspective attached to it was breathtaking and the setting made it more realistic. Beautifully written!

Alice Hoffman is one of my go to authors. The Invisible Hour was a story about Ivy, who finds herself pregnant and no place to turn. She finds herself in a cult community which turns out not to be what she expected. The community is not allowed outside books to read which Ivy misses very much. She has her daughter, Mia who is encouraged by Ivy to read in private. Mia has fallen in love with one book in particular, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. After Ivy dies suddenly, Mia has no one to turn to. Her books that she has hidden in the barn are discovered. Mia runs away from the community and finds her way to the librarian who takes her in. Mia ends up in a magical time where she meets Nathanial. I always love the magical aspect that Alice Hoffman adds to her books.
Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Alice Hoffman for the ARC for my review. Loved it!

I really enjoyed the first third of this book, centred on a young woman raised by her mother within a cult in the Berkshires, and her secret life through reading and books. But as tragedies mount in her life and she excapes the grips of her cult-leader-father, the odd time travel turn didn't work for me. It is well written and insightful, but the magical realism just didn't work for me . . .

Beginning an Alice Hoffman book is like reading a fairy tale. Hoffman parts the magic and the mist and crafts a story that is full of emotion, adventure, and strong women. In The Invisible Hour, we meet Ivy, a woman who has succumbed to a puritanical cult and tries her best to raise her daughter Mia within the strict, inflexible joyless place.

When Mia is finally broken in spirit she finds The Scarlet Letter. An old classic that speaks to her. She is transported to a time and a place where an author connects with her. Hoffman uses delicate magical realism to create a beautiful ode to books and reading. If you like magical realism, love books and reading, or just love the Scarlet Letter (I know most of you teachers out there do!) The Invisible Hour is for you!

I have read every one of Alice Hoffman's books, she has a magical way of making a story come alive. The Invisible Hour tells the story of Mia, raised in a cultish community and we travel back and forth in time as she falls in love with Nathanial Hawthorne while reading his Scarlet Letter. Another winner from Hoffman! Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for my arc of The Invisible Hour,

Can I rate more than five stars?! Alice Hiffman is a favorite of mine and this one definitely didn't disappoint. Not that I though it would. Loved it!

Another enjoyable book.by Alice Hoffman. A combination of life in a cult Ms. Hoffman's speciality of magical realism. I particularly enjoyed how the Scarlet Letter and the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne featured in the book.

"The Magic Hour," a thought-provoking novel released on August 15, delves deep into the rich tapestry of themes reminiscent of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." With Hoffman's masterful storytelling and evocative prose, the book draws readers into a mesmerizing world of shame, guilt, and societal judgment.

It took me a long time to read this book. Normally I love nothing Alice Hoffman writes. But this one I could not connect with. It has romance and magic. Time travel and cults. But….it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy

I knew I’d love this book by Alice Hoffman! It was enchanting and magical, pulling you in with Hoffman’s lovely prose. I loved the setting of the book and how Hoffman told the story of Ivy and Mia, two strong women held in an oppressive place that doesn’t allow them to reach full potential. This book showcases the power of family, resilience, the power of books/reading, and the strength of women.

Perfectly fine, but not my favorite Alice Hoffman. Which probably says more about me than the author.

This book was pure magic for me. I was so involved with the characters and found myself immersed in their stories, where life would lead them next. They all felt so real, I felt their anxiety, fear, love, sadness. Alice Hoffman has such a way of telling stories so that you feel you are with the characters, living with them, feeling with them.

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

There is always something comforting about an Alice Hoffman rutile and this is true of this very fanciful story of a modern day Hester, the daughter who traveled across time to meet Nathaniel Hawthorn and the power of books that transcends all worlds.

Alice Hoffman never disappoints!

From the beginning, I could tell that this was going to be one of my favorite books from this author. The writing is beautiful, descriptive, and had me hooked from the start. The story was enchanting, and the way the author brings two worlds into one seamless story really held my attention. I can't wait to recommend this book to all of my friends.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance copy,