Hester tells the fictional story of the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

Isobel has seen the colors since she was a child. Voices, sounds, letter, all have colors for Isobel. But with her mother’s warning and her family’s magical past, Isobel hides what she sees, all the way across the ocean from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts. But when she meets the mysterious Nat and must work to keep herself alive in the new world, she finds her colors may do more good than possible harm.

Hester was a beautiful novel. The descriptions of the character’s synesthesia was intricate and as a reader, you begin to associate the colors through the novel in the same way as Isobel. I liked all of the sociopolitical issues Albanese tackled within 19th century Salem.

My only critique is how quickly the climax and conclusion happen. It felt slightly jarring compared to the slow explanation of the rest of Isobel’s story. But that could have been a very conscious choice by the author.

4.5 🌟


One of my favorite classic stories is 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 by Nathaniel Hawthorne, so I went into this one with high expectations and a bit of nervousness.

I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised! I loved how Laurie Lico Albanese reimaged this story. It may help if you know that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ancestors were involved in the Salem Witch Trials. A fact Albanese brilliantly weaves into this tale.

Young Isobel Gamble, a needleworker with synesthesia, a special gift to see colors in words, arrives in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1829 from Scotland with her husband, Edward.

When Edward must go to sea, Isobel finds herself in the company of a young, troubled writer, Nat Hathorne. While Isobel struggles to hide her dark secrets and fit into this rigid society, Nat is haunted by his family’s past. They soon become enchanted with each other; she is his muse, but does he understand what he is playing with?

I loved that this centers around how Hawthorne found his muse for the character of the original Hester Prynne. Some of the original characters make an appearance; even the scarlet letter “A” pops up. This is a captivating blend of historical events from witchcraft and the underground railroad. 𝘝𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵-𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥!



Thank you @stmartinspress for this gifted copy and @macmillan.audio for the audiobook.

Hester is the perfect read going into the fall season. It’s somewhat of a retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Set in Salem, Hester draws on the dark history of the Salem witch trials and the people who played a role in the accusations of witchcraft.

Isobel Gowdie is the main character of the story. An accomplished seamstress, Isobel also sees color in letters and language. A native of Scotland, Isobel and her husband Edward immigrate to America in search of a new start after Edward gets them into debt.

Right after they get settled in Salem, Edward decides to take a job as a medic on a ship and leaves Isobel alone to settle into the new world. Isobel immediately begins to draw parallels between her own family history and that of Salem’s past witch trials.

Early on, Isobel meets Nathaniel Hawthorne and they are immediately drawn to one another. The romance was a bit predictable, but what happens later is not and I loved how the author included so much of the history of the time into the story.

The novel has the same somber, forbidding tone found in The Scarlet Letter and I found this to be a perfect read going into October.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am pleased to offer my honest review.

Perhaps because I never read the Scarlet Letter, I lack perspective. However, the writing, storytelling, sentence and paragraph structures were not compelling for me. I enjoyed the mystical aspect of the colors, but felt it wasn’t appropriately incorporated. Others seem to appreciate this book more than I so you may want to read it and draw your own conclusions. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I have to say that I have never read The Scarlet Letter...it wasn't something that I had or wanted to read. This is a twist to The Scarlet Letter and I absolutely loved it from the very start.

The author is new to me and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing. She is so descriptive that I could imagine myself right there in the story. I had a hard time putting this book down because I had to know what happens next. The story puts Nathaniel Hawthorne in Salem in the 1800's and his path crosses with Isobel Gamble who just got off a ship from Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband Edward. They were fleeing from Edinburgh because of debts that Isobel's husband accrued from his apothecary and his drug addiction to opium. In a strange new country Isobel hasn't even gotten settled in her new home when her husband decides to leave on another ship as a medic. Isoble, a seamstress, has no work and hardly any money she has to find a way to take care of herself.

As time slips by Isobel finds a job as a seamstress working for another woman. She meets Nathaniel Hawthorne and is drawn to him for company. Being a married woman she has to be careful what the community of Salem thinks of her. The writing of this story is flawless and brilliant.

I loved the character of Isobel and how she had to adapt to a life of seclusion away from her family. Isobel is gifted with sewing and she uses that to her advantage although others use it against her. The embroidery she does inside her cape depicts her family history and some think she is a witch.
Exceptional writing and wonderful characters. A book that I fell in love with.

Highly recommend! If you didn't like or read The Scarlet Letter I suggest you get this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy of Hester for an honest review. These are my words and my words only they may not be eloquent but they are from the heart.

I both read and listened to Hester. I really enjoyed this story it especially going into the Halloween season. The book acts as a prequel to The Scarlet Letter, a book most of us have been instructed to read in high school.

Overall, I’d rate this book a 4/5 stars. The narrator was incredible, I could listen to the book all day with her narration. The story was very well detailed and the main character developed beautifully throughout. I thought the author was able to hit on many key themes for this time period and follow them through, including Salem’s witch trials, slavery, feminism, and even touch on addiction. There were no plot lines that seemed to be unfinished but all woven together in a perfect fit.

While I did enjoy it, there were some slow parts, mainly the middle third of the book. I also struggled to piece together the timeline and the back story to Salem and Scotland. It took about halfway through the book to understand the timeline and how it fit together. .

Thank you so much to Net Galley for the free copy, I will be recommending this to my historical fiction readers!

This conjecture on who might have inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter really caught my fancy. I’m struck by the combination of innovation and research that must have gone into its telling, and impressed by how smoothly the story flows. There are separate timelines to the story, in 1662 Scotland Isabel’s maternal namesake grandmother Isobel Gowdie, 26 yrs old, is tried as a witch and escapes; and in 1829 in Salem Massachusetts, Isobel MacAllister Gamble, 19 yrs old, meets the writer who changes her destiny, nearly causes her downfall, but instead gives her immortality.

Since reading The Scarlet Letter in high school English class, and traveling to England and Norway and having discussed the shameful history of witch hunts, I’ve often wondered how such atrocities of misjustice came about, and author Laurie Lico Albanese truly delivers here. I love what a tribute to enduring feminism this is. In the notes and acknowledgments section Hester is named our first historical feminist hero AND our original badass single mother! It did make me laugh Isobel’s tongue flattened against the roof of her mouth illustrating outright lustfulness, ha!

*Thank you to NetGalley for an early ARC of this book.*

I couldn’t put this book down. From the first paragraph the author had drawn me in and I had to know more about Isobel. This book explores the inspiration behind Nathanial Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter’ and the question, what if Hester Prynne was based on a real person?

Our main character, Isobel, is a talented embroiderer, who sees colors in words and letters, and uses them in her work. Her story starts in Scotland, where she is forced to work in a white on white sewing shop after the death of her mother. Before her passing, her mother warned her not to let people know about her colors as they would accuse her of being a witch. Years pass and after her husband leaves them destitute they leave for a better life in Salem, Massachusetts. After a month at sea, her husband becomes indebted to the captain and must return to sea with him, leaving Isobel to create a home and survive on her own with the little income she brings in from embroidering. Here enters Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Hathorne. A brooding poet/writer who is tormented by his family’s past involvement with the Salem Witch Trials. Nat and Isobel quickly become friendly and she begins to rely on his company and opinions. When their relationship changes, everything else changes with it, and it could mean complete ruin for Isobel.

This gripping story will have you tied to the page, desperate to know what happens next. I highly recommend it!

I truly liked this novel. I have always been fascinated by the Salem Witch trials and the persecution of women in Europe so the subject matter appealed to me. I also liked the descriptions and depiction of vivid colors and thread that Isobel used.
I’m not a fan of American classics so while never having read any of Hawthorne’s books I am familiar with his works and his background.
There are so many substories that enrich the central theme.
My favorite characters were Capt. Darling and Mercy.
Readers get a good sense of how Salem hadn’t changed much in the 200+ years since the hangings.

Isobel is a young lady with the gift of the needle. She is a beautiful seamstress and tells stories, sends messages with her gorgeous embroidery. She marries an apothecary and is on the road to a prosperous life. However, his opium addiction secures their place in the poorhouse. Her father sends them to America to make a new start there. Her husband, Edward, leaves her penniless in Salem, Massachusetts. Having a relative been accused of being a witch, she has a strong tie to Salem. She begins to use her needle skills to trade for food and support her self. She becomes friends with Nathaniel Hawthorne. A brief affair with him leads to a pregnancy which will lead to her being outcast. What happens to Edward? How did she survive and raise her daughter Margaret? The ship captain who brought them to America is a lifesaver. Does Margaret ever discover who her father was? When Nathaniel Hawthorne publishes The Scarlet Letter, much is revealed.
This book gives us a glimpse at several different Important aspects of history. Slavery, class, immigrants, and much, much more. A great book for lovers of historical fiction.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? A is for Red

Why this book? Anticipated read

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? On the couch, watching Gilmore Girls

Any preconceived notions? I think I’ll enjoy this one

Identify most with? Isobel No. 2

Three little words? “colors of home”

Goes well with? Needlework

Recommend this to? People who like historical fiction

Other cultural accompaniments: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1886/04/the-scarlet-letter-by-nathaniel-hawthorne/304668/

Grade: 4/5

I leave you with this: “A dressmaker is talented with a needle, but above all she is a secret keeper.”

📚📚📚

In 17th century Scotland a young girl named Isobel is learning needlework and through this we learn that she has synesthesia. Her mother warns her to keep this secret as anything out of the ordinary is considered bad and she could be accused of witchcraft.

Years later, her descendant, also named Isobel, who dreams of becoming a needle worker. She leaves Scotland to the New World with her new husband due to dire straits. Her husband has to leave for a job as a medic and Isobel finds herself lonely. She meets Nathaniel Hawthorne (yes, the guy who wrote The Scarlet Letter). They share an attraction and become close confidantes.

I think, like most people, that The Scarlet Letter isn’t the most favorable novel or even one that brings good feelings as it’s included in many school’s curriculum. Unfortunately, books that are required reading typically don’t get a good rap. That being said, I was still intrigued with this one. Ever since I learned what synesthesia is, I’ve wished I was a synesthete. My senior paper was about synesthesia in Baudelaire’s poetry. So, of course, I was hooked. And any story of someone being the inspiration behind an important part of literary history interests me. I recommend Hester as it has well written characters and it’s definitely better than its source material.

Hester is available now.

In this novel, the author imagines that Hester Prynne, the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, was inspired by a woman Nathaniel Hawthorne actually encountered.

Isobel MacAllister experiences synesthesia so letters and sounds are associated with colours. Her mother warns her to keep her experiences of colours a secret for fear of being accused of witchcraft. She marries Edward Gamble, and circumstances cause them to sail to Salem, Massachusetts, in 1829, to begin a new life. When Edward leaves her there alone and virtually penniless while he sets off to become rich, Isobel uses her skills as an embroiderer and seamstress to support herself. Nineteen-year-old Isobel meets 24-year-old Nat Hathorne, and the two are immediately attracted to each other.

I liked the premise of the novel but I was not overly impressed with the execution. I found the book unnecessarily long; its pace can only be described as glacial. The constant references to Isobel’s synesthetic experiences become tedious. The focus also seems scattered. It’s supposed to be about the inspiration for Hester Prynne, but there are distracting side stories. For example, the detailing of the Underground Railroad in New England seems tagged on at the end. The flashbacks to Isobel’s ancestor who was accused of being a witch are supposed to suggest that Isobel is in danger 167 years later? I’ve never read about synesthesia being connected to witchcraft. Because the book dragged, I kept checking how many more pages I had to read to reach the end.

Isobel is supposed to be a strong female protagonist and she does possess admirable traits. She is skilled, resourceful, and determined. It must be noted, however, that she is rescued by others on more than one occasion. What bothered me is her poor judgment of men. Even after being abandoned and betrayed by her husband, she abandons all caution and easily trusts Nat? We are supposed to accept that she is attracted to him because she senses a kindred soul: “Here is a man who is at war within himself as I am with my colors”?

The romance between Isobel and Nat I found inexplicable. Why is she so attracted to a man who is obsessed with his family’s involvement with the Salem Witch Trials 137 years earlier? Even after their conversation about slaves, a conversation that certainly does not show Nat in a positive light, she continues to be enamored with him?

There are several minor characters who remain undifferentiated and seem to be used merely as plot devices. Women such as Widow Higgins, Nell, Abigail, and Eveline appear conveniently to advance the plot and then disappear and are never mentioned again unless needed for plot purposes. Using these female characters in this way seems dismissive when the author is obviously intending to emphasize the strength of women.

I enjoyed the examination of life for women in the early nineteenth century, though there is no new information. Men could stray but women could not. It was important that women behave in a “normal” way: living by society’s norms (like attending church) and not drawing attention to themselves in any way.

I did not find this an immersive read. The book will undoubtedly appeal to many readers, but it just fell and felt flat.

This was a truly intriguing tale of a young woman and her encounter with Nathaniel Hawthorne. Isobel Gamble finds herself drawn to Nathaniel and they two form a close relationship and then draw even closer.

Isobel bears many secrets and together with her new husband travel from Scotland to the new world. Her husband, Edward also has a secret as he becomes deeper involved with opium, He leaves Isobel in a strange land, penniless and departs becoming a medic on a ship that is casting off for foreign lands. leaving Isobel forsaken. However, she does amazing needlework, so this seems to be her destiny until Nathaniel comes along.

The times are difficult for all, but especially women who always carry the suspicion of being a witch should they possess special skills. History was recent and the witch trials of Salem are still vivid in the minds of many.

Ms Albanese also writes well of the concept of what made an American and how different Europeans were shunned because of their origins and accents. It also offers a picture into the world of some men, who do all in their power to make sure women stayed in their place, never glorifying the talents that said women possessed.

It was truly a fine story of what could have inspired Hawthorn's book. A Scarlet Letter, This story was meticulously researched and filled with the possibilities that there was something behind Hawthorn's writing of his famous tale.

Truly and enjoyable and engrossing story and definitely recommended to those who enjoy an well done historical fiction book.

Thanks go to Lauie Lico Albanese, Macmillion Audioboooks for a copy of this book, via NetGalley.

I was fortunate enough to receive both the written and audio copies and this most enjoyable historical fiction. Thank you St Martins' Press for the written copy.

Seeing a whole new aspect of the Salem witch trials and what happened after is what I'd been missing all these years. The idea that all of these families stayed intertwined coming and going from Salem throughout generations makes my skin tingle and my mind spin.

Accusers and descendents find themselves in the same spaces over and over again, history being repeated, families becoming blended and the past never being forgotten all while trying to just survive day to day and some days not knowing how you'll get to the next, who you can trust, or who will betray you in the worst way possible.

With moments that range from dark and dastardly to loving and pure the lives we see our characters living in both times makes them seem human, more than just characters. It made me think about what the next generation or two could have looked like.

Each of our characters has good and bad to them, they're complex and relatable and my very favorite type of character to read, they make you think and wonder and process all while keeping you engrossed in this story that wraps you up in it's pages and won't let you go.

The symbolism in this book is fascinating and beautiful, the way nature is woven into the story, the embroidery Isobel puts into her cloak and everything else she makes tells a story, is created with magic and memories and leaves a legacy for the people she trusts enough to let in.

I found myself rooting for the women in every aspect of this story, I can't imagine living in a time where a man can go from being an apothecary to calling himself a Doctor and just have it accepted, but where women had to have introductions in order to just walk into certain situations.

Through marriage and birth, life and death we see these women who cross worlds and generations learn from one another, teach one another and try and leave the world and their families a little better than they were when they leave it, whether that's by fates hand or the hangman's.

All in all this is a beautiful tale, told with compassion for the characters while giving all of them the strength and determination they needed to survive hopeful and horrendous times. Even knowing some about the Salem and Scottish witch trials the ending of this one gave me goosebumps and made me want to cry.

This is a solid 4.5 star book and I would love to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an advance copy of this book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Written as a fictional origin story for The Scarlet Letter, the true alchemy of Albanese’s narrative is in its depiction of a relationship between Isobel Gamble and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The tension! The chemistry! The red flags! Isobel is a young Scottish seamstress recently immigrated to Salem with her much-older husband, an apothecary with an opium addiction and an impossible dream to invent an elixir of life. In short order, her husband succeeds in building a pyramid scheme of investments in his fraudulent venture, steals his wife’s savings and abandons her in Salem while he sets off to sea. Enter twenty-five year-old Nathaniel Hawthorne - brooding, ambitious and set on Isobel.

Hester feels most similar to The Book of Longings in its desire to give women at the center of the narrative agency and voice. Midway through the book, as it becomes clear Hawthorne sees Isobel as his muse, she tells us “...I’m standing before him with a life of my own and a heart that is my own. I’ve told him my secrets and shown him my passion... And still, he looks at me and sees only himself.” And THAT is what we come away with from this read, the frustration that Hester and many women depicted in "classics" have never actually been the main characters of their own stories.

This was an immersive, page-turning read, though I struggled with themes that felt a bit overstated, and I was confused by the depiction of Isobel’s speech (described throughout as the rough Scottish brogue of a new immigrant with little to no formal education, but not written to reflect this?). Contrasted with the dialogue written for other characters, the inexplicably formal speech of our main character was a confusing decision.

HESTER is an imaginative retelling of the classic The Scarlet Letter, which I read in high school and admittedly didn’t love. The story is told in dual timelines between Scotland and Salem and while I enjoyed both, I enjoyed the Salem Witch Trial timeline a bit more.

I believe I’m in the minority, but the pacing felt a bit slow to me. I read this in the midst of newborn baby haze and I was craving a story with a bit more narrative drive. The most interesting aspects of the story for me were the Underground Railroad and synesthesia.

Overall, I appreciated the way Laurie Lico Albanese raised timely questions about what it means to live in America. While this wasn’t the right book for me at the time, I think historical fiction lovers will be satisfied.

RATING: 3.5 (rounded up to 4 stars)
PUB DATE: October 4

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There were so many aspects that I enjoyed about Hester! It’s a perfect autumn read, taking place in Salem, the horrors of the witch trials still vivid in the town’s collective memory. As an immigrant, Isobel is looked at with suspicion, which only deepens when people see her mad sewing skills. Is she an enchantress? Or worse, a witch? I loved the inclusion of synesthesia, and how that translated into Isobel’s work. While it is something that she initially fears, Isobel eventually grew confident enough in her skills to embrace what she saw. In fact, Isobel may be one of my favorite protagonists of the year. She’s young and naïve, but she’s also hopeful and strong. At every turn, she fights for herself and her future. Isobel and Nat are also forced to contemplate what their future looks like, as they try to balance the reputation and weight of their family names. The middle was a bit too slow for me, though the last quarter tied things up nicely. I always appreciate a good epilogue that shows where everyone ended up! Isobel's lack of knowledge about the slave trade was a bit disappointing, as I thought she could have been an ally, or participated in some way, as opposed to being an outsider in a different way.

Nat was kind of an irritating character. So caught up with his reputation and family name, but wanting to break free of those restraints. Typical elitist white male, which I guess shouldn't be surprising.

Capt Darling truly was a darling and would love to read more about him!
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Thank you to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for an e-arc of Hester.

"Do you love me from afar when you are right next to me?"

The connection between writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and married seamstress Isobel Gamble is immediate when they see each other for the first time and so is my love for the haunting descriptive prose in Hester by the mesmerizing brilliance of author Laurie Lico Albanese.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was ahead of his time writing a story about adultery and how the woman, Hester Prynne, was made to be unmercifully ridiculed wearing a red A for everyone to know her crime and shame. The man, well, I don't even remember his name. What made Hawthorne write such a controversial story? In Hester we are introduced to Isobel who may have been the writer's muse for his most iconic story.

I expected forbidden love; what I wasn't expecting was a story about The Salem Witch Trials, Hawthorne's and Isobel's ancestral connection to them, the beginnings of the Under Ground Railroad, the prejudices of the New World that has Isobel commenting, "...but this is the New World, isn't everyone new here?"

Why Hester wears the sewn red letter A for her supposed sin and its connection to Isobel left me gasping and in awe of this author's vivid meticulous imagination.

One of my favorite narrators, Saskia Maarleveld,was on point with all the different accents but her portrayal of Isobel's pain, abandonment, and surprise of falling in love was poignantly honest.

Listening and reading this story I experienced a writer masterfully bring colors and words to life. I felt this story with all my heart. The Scarlet Letter is a classic and Hester is a masterpiece of literary historical fiction.

I received a free copy of this book audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy Pub Day to St. Martin's Press and the author Laurie Lico Albanese.

Synesthesia is magical. I am sure it's hard to explain or might even be frustrating at times but the thought of it really intrigues me. I loved how the author took her story and married it with colors so vibrant that you could feel them. The way that Isobel described what she saw and how people really were (beyond their facade) was fascinating. I loved her "sixth sense" (is that what we call it, a sixth sense?)

I didn't read the original Scarlet Letter so I have no idea if this book is even close to the original. However, I would highly recommend anyone to read Lico Albanese retelling. From the different points of view to the witch trials, it kept me wanting to read late into the night.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I liked this one!! I’ve recently (within the past 3 years) reread The Scarlet Letter and although it is dense and hard to get through because of the old English, it’s a great story of women’s struggles and perseverance against all odds. Hester was the same. It’s such a cool concept to get the “prequel” to The Scarlet Letter. I often wonder how authors come up with their stories so it was really interesting to imagine this as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s inspiration. I loved the “witchy” vibes in this, which is fitting for October and spooky season. It is interesting and sad to read about the struggles women faced back in the 1800s and how some are still relevant today. I loved Isobel’s growth though. She transforms from a quiet, obedient girl to a strong, independent and self-sufficient woman. This one is out today! I highly recommend this if you like retellings, historical fiction about the Salem Witch Trials, and The Scarlet Letter itself!