This one pains me because I do love Alice Hoffman. However, i felt like this book struggled finding its identity. Literary fiction meets fantasy meets thriller? The plot felt rushed and the characters, underdeveloped. Hoffman is an amazing writer that really transports the reader. It felt magical and atmospheric. However i just couldnt quite connect with the story and i kept having to stop and be like wait what is going on?

4⭐️

<b>In a place where books were banned there could be no personal freedom, no hope, and no dreams for the future.</b>

Mia’s mother, Ivy, came to the Community when she was pregnant because her parents wanted her to get rid of the baby. Ivy wanted to be able to make her own choices about her body, and found that in the Community with Joel Davis, or so she thought. The Community was strict and the values, outdated for the time period. Ivy raised Mia in the Community with Joel as her adopted father, but Ivy was not allowed to be a mother to Mia as she wanted because Mia belonged to the Community, not just to Ivy. The two stole moments together when they could, and Ivy kept watch as Mia snuck into the nearby library. Eventually, Mia would come to find a copy of The Scarlet Letter that would change her life completely.

This book was magical and a really interesting take on the origins of The Scarlet Letter. Alice Hoffman’s writing is spectacular and enchanting. The author puts it best- <b>“The bond between writer and reader is a cherished and mysterious one. A book doesn’t live when it’s written. It lives when it’s read.”</b> This book is a love letter to readers everywhere, and an excellent read.

<b>“Are you saying we’re enchanted?” “Would that be such a terrible thing?”</b>

This is a lovely story about the power of books to heal, comfort, and provide sanctuary. The writing is beautiful and flows along, and it reads very easily. The two parts of the book felt very separate, but I really enjoyed the setting, time periods and story. There was one event toward the end that felt a little unnecessary, so I'm still considering its purpose in the story. Overall though, I loved this!

This story has a little bit of everything - a little magical realism, a little bit of cult vibes, a little contemporary, and a little historical fiction - I enjoyed this but the parts seemed a little disjointed. I think I liked the contemporary and cult-y portion of the book more than the other sections.

I was drawn to the cover of The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman. It is a truly beautiful cover. I was quickly drawn into the story and was fully invested. Once the story switched to magical realism it started to lose me. The pace slowed down. There wasn’t a lot happening. It did start to pick up again but the ending was anticlimactic and I felt it had plot holes. I also didn’t have the emotional connection or reaction that I feel was intended. I would still recommend the book. While I liked it overall, it just wasn’t an impactful read for me.

I have posted this review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv7wrbBL_uD/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5313418165

And Amazon

I'm just catching up on my backlist reading; you know I've been busy if I've let months go by without reading a new Alice Hoffman book! As is her way, Alice Hoffman's magical realism stories are always wrapped around women, family, and magic. I stayed up way too late reading this one and do not regret the time.

Good October, witchy book. It was also short and sweet so made for a quick read. However, I was Not finding myself wanting to pick up the book and read and would often zone out while I was Reading.

There is just something about Alice Hoffman's writing that creates a magic space for the reader. Poignant, absorbing, and compelling. An amazing read.

I really love Alice Hoffman and was super excited for this, but unfortunately it was a big miss for me.

I loved the first half - the cult storyline was perfectly creepy for the season!

Then we started time traveling and things just got weird for me.

I will for sure be checking out future Alice Hoffman books, but this isn't one I'll recommend.

I have loved other books by Alice Hoffman and I high hopes for this one. I enjoyed the first half, but once the time travel came into play, I found it difficult to stay engaged. This was a DNF for me.

I loved the plot of this book and the first half was easy to read; the story progressed well and I really started to connect to the characters. After about the halfway mark the story started to fall flat and I lost any connect to the story. Sadly, I did not finish this one as it became a slog for me but I will say that the first half was great.

“𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.”

What a love letter to book lovers! If you need a respite from recent events, THE INVISIBLE HOUR offers the perfect balm. Truly an engaging and magical read!

The book begins with Ivy, a teenager who must deal with an unexpected pregnancy. Her family threatens her with a forced adoption and so Ivy runs away from her home in Boston. She finds herself welcomed by a cult known as the Community and she falls under the control of the charismatic leader Joel. By the time Ivy realizes that Joel is pure evil, it is too late for her to escape or return to her family.

Ivy’s daughter Mia is born into the Community but chafes under the endless rules and Joel’s iron control. She is a voracious reader, something that is strictly forbidden in the Community.

Mia becomes obsessed with Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Scarlet Letter”. The story’s second half turns into a wonderful time travel story with Mia and Nathaniel falling in love.

This was my first book by Alice Hoffman and I was completely entranced by her lyrical writing. I firmly believe reading can change your life and transport your to magical places and these characters are the perfect examples of that.

“𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥”

Thanks to Atria Books for the review copy!

“Turn someone into a reader and you turn the world around.”

Alice Hoffman’s newest novel “The Invisible Hour” is filled with beautiful prose about the importance of reading and how it can change the course of a person’s life.

When Ivy gets pregnant out of wedlock, she flees her strict family and finds refuge in a “community” that everyone knows to be a cult. She marries its leader, Joel, who imposes impossibly degrading and restrictive rules for its residents. Books are not allowed, parents can’t raise their own children and owning possessions is seen as “vanity.”

She gives birth to her daughter Mia who grows up in the community but decides when she’s a young adult she needs to get out. Ivy encourages her to visit the “castle,” the nearby community’s library, where she finds a copy of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” with a personalized message to her inside.

That book would later save her life, literally.

Mia is able to escape with the help of Sarah, the librarian, and lives a full and happy life despite always looking over her shoulder for Joel who promises he will bring her back to the cult.

Magic from the book transports her to the past where she meets Hawthorne and develops a relationship. The time travel was under-developed and made me question the space-time continuum (I’ve probably seen “Back to the Future” too many times). Several themes make up this book including women’s rights, the impact of literacy, historic parallels, magic and cults. There’s a lot to unpack and Hoffman could have easily written another 100 pages and provided more detail to blend the elements together.

Historical fiction mixed with time travel is common, but it was interesting to learn about Hawthorne and to imagine what his life and character was like.

While Hoffman had several beautifully written lines, the plot was predictable and everything tied up a little too nicely in the end, kind of like a Hallmark movie.

Readers who love romance and history would love this book and Hoffman’s writing combined with the New England setting makes for a perfect fall read.

Alice Hoffman has been a beloved author for generations – but I am just getting to know her back log recently. It was exciting to see she was coming out with a new book, and I was thrilled to receive an ARC.

Mia Jacob finds solace and understanding in Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, which remarkably mirrors her own life within an oppressive cult. Her journey of love and self-discovery leads her to challenge the community's rules, discovering the power of literature and the enduring strength of love in the process.

I loved the premise of the novel and especially liked Mia Jacob, anything about cults is a big yes for me, however the execution wasn't quite what I hoped it would be. Still, Hoffman is an exceptional writer and anything she writes is worth giving a try.

3.5/5

Pro:
* Perfect level of tension and engagement through Part 1
* Hoffman’s trademark strong women misused and standing together
* The libraries
* Salem
Con:
* Falls into overt political commentary in places
* Jarring transition into Part 2
* Part 1 is infinitely better than Parts 2 and 3, which become gimmicky and didactic. So disappointing.

Thank you to Alice Hoffman, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

#28 was the invisible hour by @ahoffmanwriter which I received from @netgalley and @simonandschuster @atriabooks Invisible Hour was one of my favorites by Hoffman. I enjoyed the weaving of the Scarlet Letter into the lives of this character. I loved so many of the characters and was enthralled in what they would do next. Five stars!!

I have a 50/50 chance of loving or hating Alice Hoffman's books. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me (perhaps too high of expectations? As a book lover?) but know lots of readers will enjoy.

Alice Hoffman writes so beautifully! I always recommend her books and this one is no exception.. Incredible story, heartfelt moments, and deeply understood characters are the hallmark of her novels and that rings especially true in this.

I'd wished the story had focused more on Mia and her mother's time at the farm and less about a time travel to Nathaniel Hawthorne. This part of the story ruined it for me. I gave it three stars only because I enjoyed the 1st part of the book so much more than the last half.

✨ Review ✨ The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman; Narrated by Jessie Mueller

Mia's raised in an oppressive cult in rural Massachusetts after her mother ran away there to save her after she found out she was pregnant. Mia sneaks into the library to read books, even though there would be terrible consequences if she's caught by her community. She finds solace in The Scarlet Letter, a book that resonates strangely with her own story.

What worked for me: I loved Mia and her mother's stories and the ways that communities of women came together to support each other. I loved the way that books provided rescue for Mia and the others around her. I also loved the audio narration -- the narrator's voice brought a power to Mia and her story. The book also had really lovely descriptions of nature and natural spaces.

What didn't work: I think the book tried to do too much. It makes some leaps in the second half that I think made the impact of the book feel a little murky, and I'm just not sure it needed to do those things.

Note - the audio is divided into only 12 long chapters -- sometimes longer chapters feel more unwieldy in audio, but it wasn't an issue for me here.

This was my first Hoffman book I've read, and I don't think it will be my favorite, but I'll definitely go back for more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: hard to classify -- a bit of historical fiction, magical realism, and women's fiction
Setting: Boston and NYC, but mostly rural Massachusetts
Length: 7 hours 44 minutes
Reminds me of: Hester, The Scarlet Letter
Pub Date: out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ strong women facing oppressive circumstances
⭕️ books & libraries
⭕️ The Scarlet Letter
⭕️ apples

Thanks to Atria, Simon and Schuster Audio, Book Club Favorites and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!