Hester re imagines Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and his inspiration for Hester Prynne. Isobel Gamble appears as Hawthorne's muse and love interest. Isobel is a seamstress and is married to a doctor. When he sets sail on a long journey, Isobel is left to fend for herself. She meets and falls in love with Hawthorne and of course becomes the focus on the town gossip.

This retelling of The Scarlet Letter is literally insane. I've been really into historical fiction lately. Who would've thought? The characters, the imagery, I could picture myself there. I was instantly interested in the story. I love the way Laurie tied into The Salem With Trials and The Underground Railroad.

One of my favorite reads this year.

This novel is a thought experiment exploring the possible autobiographical origins of one of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s important works. Albanese explains that while four of five of his published novels have obvious ties to his own life, this story seems to erupt from nowhere, and many scholars have speculated that Hawthorne himself might have committed adultery in his reckless youth, before he became the more sullen and somber man he was known to be.

This possible tie into real life events is very provoking and intellectually exciting. Unfortunately, that alone did not imbue the narrative with energy. I found the pace to be quite slow and even had to step away at one point because I was finding it dull. Periodically the author reaches back to the witch trials, also imagining those stories, but even that did not keep me interested like I’d hoped.

I did enjoy the use of synesthesia as a device, and it really added some great imagery throughout. Watching Isobel find her strength was enjoyable as well.

Not a great read for me, but still an enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

Do I remember reading The Scarlet Letter in high school? Kind of.

Am I sure the one star reviews for Hester are giving The Scarlet Letter too much credit? Absolutely.

I loved this, only thing is I think the title should’ve been different, but Hester does draw you in with the connection to The Scarlet Letter.

Hester is a novel about the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter. The story follows Isobel Gamble who is a new Scottish immigrant to Salem. Here she meets Nathaniel Hawthorne. She learns that in America, freedom and liberty are ideals that are not available to everyone. The story also has themes of feminism and building your own family. Overall, I enjoyed this women’s historical fiction novel.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Okay - I would've DEFINITELY picked a different title to the book but that's just me.

Overall, I really enjoyed Hester. I found the protagonist really interesting and good. I loved her special ability with the colors and associating her familial history of the Witch Trials in Scotland as well as in Salem, MA approx. 200 years after the Salem Witch Trials. I loved the spin-off Scarlett Letter! Integrated with her gift of making the finest garments, it was a great story!

4.25/5 stars

I was truly unsure what I was going to think of this one when I initially received an ARC of this one because I loathed THE SCARLET LETTER in school. HESTER is a reimagining of the story of Isobel, the woman who likely inspired the character of Hester Prynne. I thought this was excellent — smart, engaging, and full of historical detail. Definitely recommend!

Hester, by Laurie Lico Albanese, is a valiant effort to provide a fictional inspiration for Nathanial Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter. Set in Salem during the 19th century, Albanese's story combines magic, the Witch trials and executions, the slave trade, and forbidden love. All of these elements blur the strength and courage of the protagonist and slowed the plot to a crawl. The author's attention to detail and historical accuracy is impressive. Contrary to many of the reviews, this is not a gender-biased story. It does reflect the brutality of the times, including a social structure which denied women and people of color power. In the spirit of full disclosure, I did not enjoy Hawthorne's novel in high school and did not take the time to reread it. Doing so might totally alter my assessment of Albanese's novel. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this work.

A clever companion to The Scarlett Letter - loved the characters of Isobel and Mercy. A good October read

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Wonderful read. This is a novel that reimagines the events that may have inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The story starts in Scotland in the early 1800s with Isobel, a young talented embroiderer who sees colors in words and letters. Isobel leaves Scotland with her husband, an apothecary addicted to opium to start a new life in Salem, Massachusetts as his debts have forced them to start anew. A few days after arriving in Salem her husband takes a job as a medic and returns to sea with the captain leaving Isobel to survive on her own. Salem isn’t particularly friendly to outsiders and she struggles to find work and ways to fit in, while trying not to draw too much attention to herself. She meets Nathaniel Hawthorne, a writer / poet and there is immediate chemistry and concern based on his past. It’s a beautiful and enjoyable story that develops slowly. Isobel is a strong and likeable character and as she finds herself connecting with other strong women it empowers her to forge her own way. Really enjoyed this one. 4 stars.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Enjoyed this book very much - thinking about what might have inspired Nathanial Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter.
The use of color and imagery, really brought the book to life.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good drama novel. Highly recommend

Enjoyable historical fiction featuring a strong woman in Salem, MA. Isobel is the imagined inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter.

A woman can’t survive easily without a man and Isobel misjudges a few who leave her in danger.

“ I’ve told him my secrets and shown him my passion, and he’s made a deep mark upon me. And still, he looks at me and sees only himself.”

Isabel’s talent of seeing colors and embroidery is used throughout the story, sometimes in a rather unbelievable way. If you are a historical fiction reader who enjoys a female heroine, this book should be a satisfying read.

Hester is based on telling the other side of the story of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. As far back as Isobel can remember, she sees people surrounded in colors depending on the mood or aura of that person. Her mother did not have this ability, but her grandmother did, who she is named after. Isobel is a master seamstress trained by her mother. She uses her skill to weave stories into her work. The people in Scotland were a bit worried about unusual behavior so Isobel's mother warns her not to let people know of her abilities to see colors around people. She is rather excited when Edward, her new husband, decides to go to America to find his fortune. Edward is an apothecary with dubious practices mostly resulting from his dependency upon opium and his need to settle up his debts. The voyage from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts is not pleasant but Isobel uses her sewing skills to assist with the Captain's injury on his arm and befriending someone while her husband already is fighting his demons. Upon landing on solid ground once again in Salem, Isobal sees a mysterious man in a cape that intrigues her The man is Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story draws you in as although Isobel guards her secret, she learns that while many others also have their own secrets, she begins to feel more and more alone with her secret. This is a fascinating story woven with a bit of mystique and paranormal. Laurie Lico Albanese carefully researched the era of the book, because I felt like I was there experiencing what it was like to live during that time. The story weaves into the historical events of the time period seamlessly. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read the ARC of this fascinating book.

I have not read The Scarlet Letter in years, so I went back and read a summary of the book while reading this and while this is fiction, it gives me a new perspective on Nathaniel Hawthorne, who the history books say had a very happy marriage.

Isobel Gamble is a woman who has seen colors in sound and words since she was a young girl, but was told by her mother to hide it because she might be targeted as a witch otherwise. Today, we know she had synesthesia. Regardless, she suppresses her ability and guards her tongue. When she loses her mother, the colors disappear, and for a time, she thinks she e eventually marries an older man, an apothecary, and the two make their way to Salem, where she thinks they will have a new life. He sets her up in a cottage, robs her, and then sets sail with the captain of the ship, leaving her to fend for herself.

Nathaniel Hathorne comes from a privileged family that dates back to the Salem witch trials of the 1600s and seems to be at loose ends. All he wants to do is write, but the general sentiment in the town and in his family is that you're not a real man unless you're doing "real man's work".

This was an incredibly well-researched book that created a plausible muse for Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter but also explored many relevant social issues at that time, including the roles of men and women and double standards, class vs. status, prejudice against Irish or Scottish immigrants, slave ships, runaway slaves, freed slaves and slave catchers, the possible beginnings of the underground railroad, poppy addiction, and probably a few I'm missing. And of course, this story is for the women daring to show the slightest bit of independence being branded as witches, by men and women alike. Despite this long list, the book is very focused and Albanese does an amazing job pulling it together.

This story could have become bogged down in anger and the evil that people do to each other, but this book is full of kind folks as well, both men and women, as well as those who may not actively do evil, but turn a blind eye when evil is done. I was left with a smile on my face for the "real-life" Hester as well as for Pearl.

Albanese weaves in stories of the past in between the chapters, and while they were definitely relevant to the story, it broke up the rhythm of the story for me. These ended up becoming natural pausing points for me. I think if it had not been for these interludes, I would have sped through the book more quickly. That said, I have requested the audiobook and am curious if that will change the rhythm for me. I would not mind giving this a reread.

This is my first book by the author, but I have already requested her previous book, Stolen Beauty, based on how much I enjoyed this. If you're a fan of historical fiction, alternate histories, American history, and strong heroines surviving adversity, I can recommend this book highly.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Reimaginings are one of my favorite things. The Scarlet Letter will always be one of my most loved classics and this reimagining was fantastically done.

When I saw that the novel Hester was based on the heroine of Nathanial Hawthorne's classic novel The Scarlet Letter, I knew I had to read it. I've always been fascinated by Hawthorne as a writer and as a man and used to teach his works, including The Scarlet Letter, years ago in a summer seminar as it's one of my favorite books. I couldn't wait to read what Laurie Lico Albanese had to write as she told Hester's story and explored just exactly who Hester was. I loved how she answered that question!

The heroine of this novel is Isobel Gamble. She's a skilled needleworker, which is a skill she needs to care for herself. Soon after she and her opium-addicted husband Edward, an apothecary, move to Salem, MA in the 1800s, he departs on a ship in search of ingredients to make medicine, and she's left alone and penniless. Isobel is also hiding a secret, one that could get her accused of witchcraft just like her ancestor. She has synesthesia-- she can hear a word or letter and instantly sees a color for that letter, so she experiences one sense through another. It's a talent, a blessing, and a curse that she must either embrace or control in a time when being a so-called witch was dangerous.

Nathanial Hawthorne is a character in this book, which I found delightful! He and Isobel embark on a forbidden and dangerous affair since she's still very much married although her husband is out at sea, possibly lost. It's a romance that's both beautiful at times but ill-fated and doomed from the start.

I loved the writing--it's lyrical and descriptive, very emotive at times. The characters are excellent, especially the female ones. They're strong, resilient, independent, and bold, especially Isobel, and they show strength and determination in a time when women were treated less than by the men around them. It's also a magical book, not just the story, but there are elements of magical realism--just a touch, and it's just perfect for the story.

I did think the story was a bit slow at times, but that's my only complaint. Otherwise, I recommend you pick this one up if you're a fan of The Scarlet Letter, or even if you're not and are a historical fiction fan as this gives a wonderful history of Salem in the 1800s, racism at the time, the Underground Rairound, witchcraft, women's rights, and more! A perfect fall read!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

-review posted to Goodreads, Twitter, and Amazon on 10/29/22

The Scarlett Letter is one of my all-time favorite books. I read it for fun in high school. Looking back, that's probably why I enjoyed it so much - reading it for fun. Thus my excitement for this retelling of that incredible story.

Isobel is a young woman born with the ability to see words and voices in color. This gift makes her an incredible seamstress and designer who can create anything on fabric. It also puts her in danger in an era when women were often accused of witchery. As was common then, she is married off to an older man with the ability to care for her and to relieve her father from that financial burden. Her husband, though, develops an addiction and they are forced to flee for the new world. Isobel forms a friendship with the ship's captain that steadies her new life.

She meets Nathaniel Hawthorne, a wealthy young man who spends his days writing and daydreaming, in town one day and instantly feels an attraction. As their relationship grows so do her struggles to survive and find friends in this new place.

Readers of The Scarlett Letter can imagine how their relationship plays out. The placement of Hawthorne in the center of this story makes this book a literary masterpiece. It is evident that Lico Albanese did a lot of research to portray Hawthorne and the era as accurately as possible. This beautiful story will live with readers long after the book ends.

#netgalley #hester

Hester was a perfect October read. I loved Hester. Albanese’s writing was captivating and engaging. She immediately drew me into the story.

Isobel is a young, talented seamstress who sees people and words in colors. Her ancestress was tried as a witch in Scotland during the witch trials. Isobel’s mother fears that Isobel’s ability will be misunderstood and encourages her to ignore the colors. Isobel marries an apothecary who falls under the spell of opium, and the couple must leave Scotland and try their luck in Salem, Massachusetts. Isobel meets Nathaniel Hathorne, and they are immediately drawn to each other. Like Isobel, Nathaniel is haunted by his ancestors. An affair follows, and Isobel must decide whom she wants to be in this new world.

The story of Isobel is interspersed with flashbacks to her ancestor being tried for witchcraft and Nathaniel’s ancestor’s involvement with the Salem witch trials. Additionally, Isobel must grapple with current issues in 19th-century America, including racism, the Underground Railroad, women’s rights, and religiosity.

This novel is an imaginative story of Hawthorne’s inspiration for his character, Hester Prynne. I highly recommend it, and I look forward to future books by Albanese.