Alice Hoffman is a treasure, and The Invisible Hour is a story about love, family, forgiveness, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hoffman makes her settings -- from the Berkshires to Concord to the 1800s -- come alive with grace and authenticity. She is a beautiful writer, and I ended this book with much to think about. As an added bonus, The Invisible Hour inspired me to re-read The Scarlet Letter!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing company for this ARC. Alice Hoffman is the author I think of when I think of fall reads. Her perfect mix of magical, practical, and a little bit of spooky is the best fit for when I'm searching for a seasonal read. The Invisible Hour started off really strong for me. I loved the story of Mia and her life growing up under the careful eye of a controlling cult leader. I loved how Alice's characters had such strong but different senses of feminine power. That being said, things got a bit weird in the second half and I wasn't a fan of the love story aspect. Overall, a pretty good seasonal read.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for a free digital copy of The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman for an honest review. I love Alice Hoffman. She's one of my favorite authors. Her writing is superb. The Invisible Hour is about a woman desperately trying to escape from a cult and also about the power of books. It felt like it took me forever to finish this book, because sometimes life just gets in the way. But when I had to sit it down for a few days, I never forgot what was happening and when I could pick it up again, the story never failed to draw me back in as soon as I began reading. Because of that, I give it 4.5 stars rounded up to a 5. It wasn't my favorite book by Alice Hoffman, but it was still a wonderfully written and enjoyable book.

3.5 stars
Alice Hoffman is well known for her use of magical realism and The Invisible Hour definitely has that vibe. For the first half of the book, the story concerns a Boston teen who gets pregnant and, because of her parents’ reaction (just awful!!) runs away. She winds up in a cult in western Massachusetts. The timeframe isn’t really clear; at first I thought this may have happened back in the 1950s or 1960s (mainly because of the attitude of her parents) but I eventually realized this was probably more like the 1990s. Anyway, Ivy winds up in this very strict cult/commune where books are forbidden and punishments for breaking rules is very harsh. Since she was such a book lover as a youngster, this seemed way out of character, but she felt she had nowhere else to turn. She marries the leader and gives birth there. Fast-forward 15 years and all is not well. Her daughter, Mia, is very unhappy, and somehow manages to sneak into the local library while she was supposed to be selling their produce in town. And Mia, like her mother, turns out to be entranced by books and their stories.

The heroic role of the librarian in this story reminded me a bit of the brave librarians in Our Missing Hearts. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter plays a huge role here.

About halfway through the book, the story takes a big turn and the magical realism takes over. This part of the story fell a bit flat for me even though I generally love the time travel trope.

If you love books and reading, give this book a try. It’s really a love letter to the power of fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Jessie Mueller, did a good job with the various voices and accents. All opinions are my own.

When I read that this book featured a heroine who loved books, had a time-travel element, and included lots of Nathanial Hawthorne, I knew it was right up my alley. And it didn’t disappoint!

Ivy Jacobs runs away from her Boston home after her parents get angry about her teen pregnancy. She ends up in a commune-type place called The Community in western MA. Here she has her baby, named Mia, and ends up marrying the leader of the group, a controlling man named Joel. As Mia ages, she upsets the strict rules of the commune by reading books and challenging Joel’s power. When members of the group flout their laws, they get branded with the letter of their supposed crime. Eventually, Mia runs away from the group and begins living her life on her own terms.

I loved the time-travel aspect of this one. I was enchanted by the way Hoffman tied together Mia’s life with the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne and his novel The Scarlett Letter. I also enjoyed this novel even more after reading Hoffman’s personal note at the front of the book. You could tell she was passionate about her time with her mother and wanted to honor it with this book. My one critique is that the ending seemed to be wrapped up too quickly—especially after the strong narrative leading up to it. Still, overall this is a lovely book about the connection between mothers and daughters, a woman living her life on her own terms, and the power of reading and words.

I adore Alice Hoffman's work. Her writing is like a hot cup of tea on a cold winter day. However, The Invisible Hour felt very disjointed. Mia was a very wooden character and the overall plot felt like a drawn out short story.

The Invisible Hour is magical and intriguing, and entwines multiple storylines traveling through time and place. The story opens with Mia Jacobs as her life turns upside down. Barely grown herself, she must become independent quickly and chooses her own path, for better or worse. The new home she finds seems as if it could be idyllic at first, but quickly becomes stifling and perhaps even dangerous. As the story continues on to follow her daughter, Ivy, it exposes more of the issues with the new life Mia has found.

I loved the many callbacks to the characters and settings in Alice Hoffman's previous novels, especially the red boots, look no further apples, and places such as the Eel River, Jack Straw Tavern, and the founder's red garden. As a frequent traveler to New England, I loved the parts of the story set in familiar places such as Salem, and the history involving Nathaniel Hawthorne. There were times where I almost wished Nathaniel's character would have been a fictional author as I repeatedly wondered what he would think of this story if he were still alive or happened to travel into the future and read it himself. As he was obviously an excellent writer and lover of literature I think my wonderings are unimportant anyway since maybe he would have loved it.

Women's independence and autonomy was a large theme throughout the book which is so incredibly relevant, especially in the current social and political climate. I tend to read to escape the realities of our world, so there were a few references to it that took me out of the story and seemed a touch heavy-handed, but I know the theme here is ever important and something that needs to be discussed and laid bare.

Overall I loved the story and continue to love Alice Hoffman's melodic and magical way of storytelling. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a creative story and I found the characters to be so unique and engaging.

Mia grew up in a strict and abusive cult called “the Community” with her mother Ivy. Contact with the outside world was forbidden, except for when they would sell goods in the nearby town. It was during those visits to town that Mia would sneak off to the local library and immerse herself in the pages of the books she read.

One day she came across The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and discovered the story had a striking similarity to her mother and their life in the Community. Hawthorne perfectly encompassed everything that Mia was feeling, and she longed for a life beyond the confines of the cult.

The next half of the book had a bit of a twist that required the reader to have an open mind as it involves a bit of time travel. But honestly, it made me even more enthralled with the story. The influence that Mia had on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing was such a great spin and I blew through the rest of the book. There were still portions of the story that didn’t interest me as much and lost my attention, but overall I really enjoyed it.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

It was easy to speed through the beginning part with Ivy and Mia and the cult and life after Mia running from the cult (very interesting) but as soon as it switched to Nathaniel I found it harder going. His behavior after Mia left was kind of irritating. Yes, I get that he is a sensitive soul but those bits dragged on. I was definitely more of a fan of Mia and her choices. I really liked her unconquerable spirit, despite what Joel kept trying to do.

I like that this story is about the love and power of books. It has a wistful air about it and I did enjoy reading it, mostly for Mia though, not Nathaniel. So the first half is great and the second is okay but I am glad I read it.

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.