Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this!

I was immediately drawn in from the title and description to this: I study adaptation of the 19C specifically, so an origin story / adaptation of Hester from The Scarlett Letter was such a cool concept! And, I think, for the most part the concept really works!

My "problems" (though I resist calling them that) can be summed up in three major points:

1) At times, the extreme romanticization of Nathaniel Hawthorne was troubling. Though he isn't intended to be a great (or even good) guy, the conversation about slavery and the protagonist's continued interest in him was weird. At many times the MC identified with enslaved people, as an immigrant (which I'm equally unsure about), so it was jolting to have her so infatuated even after that conversation. Which leads to...

2) I'm really not sure how I felt about the representation of slavery and enslaved people in this text, but I didn't feel great. I am not a trained sensitivity reader, so I could be misreading what is intended to be critique, but it seems as though Albanese tried to include slavery in a sensitive way, but it just gets a little lost in the greater context of a romance and/or love story as basis for Hawthorne's book. This is again stemming from that specific conversation with Hawthorne (who was still Hathorne), but there was a lot of compare/contrast with forms of oppression, and I just don't know how I feel about that in this specific context.

3) There is too much interiority in the protagonist's mind for me. It took me a long time to get into this story and I felt as though I was hearing every single thought - some of the inner monologue ABOUT certain events was longer than the exposition of the event itself. This is a reader preference critique and is in no way reflective of the author, but it's not my preference.

Ultimately, I think this is a pretty interesting case for adaptation! There were parts I enjoyed and other parts I did not, though I will end on this note: Albanese's prose is very beautiful which paired excellently with the characters' interests in color.

This book is the fictional story of the woman Isobel, who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s character, Hester Prynne. Hester is beautifully written with different timelines that are easy to follow, and a touch Of magic. The character development is excellent, the reader is invested in the life of each character.
Isobel and her husband need a fresh start so they travel to Salem. Her husband leaves to work on a ship and Isobel is left to try and make a life on her own in a strange place, knowing no one. Although the witch trials are over, there is still suspicion and fear and being an immigrant, Isobel is an outsider. This book tells the story of love, survival, truth, “witches”, and fighting for freedom. I loved it!

Hester, written by Laurie Albanese, is an elegant historical novel that tells the story that animates and inspires the classic novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Hester gained my attention immediately and held it to the last page. The author wrote with such grace that captured every emotion and detail. It was enchanting and magical. The characters were well developed and genuine. This novel easily becomes one of my favorites.

I received this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review from author Laurie Lico Albanese, Publisher St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley.

A wonderful imagining of the Scarlett Letter from the point of view of Hester Primm. Isobel, deserted by her husband and left without resources, Is forced to make her own path using the only gift she has - her sewing. The story is magical in it’s telling about a woman finding her strength and learning to make her own magic using her talents with a needle. I couldn’t put it down!

This book was so much more than I was expecting. I really dig the Scarlett letter, and when I saw the cover for this one I lost my face! This was a vivid and beautiful reimagining of Nathaniel Hawthornes Hester Prynne. The tie in to the Underground Railroad and the Salem witch trial was top notch. Definitely a must read for fans of historical fiction!

This is the second book of Laurie Lico Albanese that I have read, and at this rate she's an automatic read for me. Her writing is absolutely beautiful. This story had hardship, good and trying relationships and was overall beautiful. Our Heroine Isobel is an admirable and strong character and I didn't want to put the book down. I didn't know it until I read this book, but now I want or NEED to read The Scarlet Letter next!

I found the imagery to be repetitive, and ultimately just didn’t feel that this was for me.

I did enjoy the introduction of synesthesia, but didn’t care for the repetitive way it was discussed, when other things could have been focused on.

I love retellings of classic novels. I don't think there's an American alive who hasn't at least heard of The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. While it isn't one of my favorite classics, I do love reading modern author's takes on potential inspiration (real or imagined) that closely tie into these stories.

Hester was one of those books that reeled me in. In fact, after reading Chris Bohjalian's book "The Hour of the Witch," I feel like I was primed to find this book and devour it, and devour it I did.

Isobel's story moved back and forth through generations. Nat Hathorne was presented as a character version of my imagined real Hawthorne--dark, broody, and conflicted. I found the story to move quickly and to be thoroughly engrossing. In fact, I found it hard to put down (something I definitely didn't struggle with in the original).

How much does family history and ancestors affect our present? Can DNA in a family line predict behavior? These are the very questions Isobel and Nathaniel explore in Laurie Lico Albanese's extraordinary novel HESTER. Told backwards and forwards in time in both Scotland and the New World, this novel has more than a nod to Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER and the origin of Hester Prynne.

"Why do men bind themselves to a flag and a nation when women bind themselves to passion and love?" Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese is a terrific story. I loved reading about Isobel, who doesn't know her own strength. Scared, penniless and alone in America, she forges her way and her own friendships. I enjoyed the way Albanese paints Isobel's story with color, and how Isobel becomes her own person, outside of the shadows of men. It's sad to think prejudice against each other, so prominent in Hawthorne's time, is still so prevalent today.

P. S. Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Listen, I haven’t read The Scarlet Letter since high school so it’s been a while but I think that this was a much more compelling story than the one we all know about Hester Prynne.

Albanese writes beautifully and with that lovely prose gave Hester/Isobel a voice in this imaginative retelling. She gave her a way to fight. She made her a woman I truly wanted to read about. The ending was so perfect. I loved seeing the characters from a different perspective, and learning their “backstories”. This was a wonderful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing this ARC.

An interesting and compelling historical fiction that takes on the imagining of the character, Hester Prynne, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter. The story largely takes place in the 1800s in Salem, Massachusetts with the main character, Isabel Gamble, a young Scottish woman who with her newly married husband emigrated to the United States with dreams of making a fresh and new life in a new country. Interspersed in the novel is the story of Isobel’s ancestors, one of whom was charged with witchcraft in the 1600s as well as stories of the Salem witch trials and its impact on the town then and into the 1800s. We also see a tormented writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, who meets Isabel and there starts what can be viewed as the underpinnings of the Scarlet Letter. Add a bit on the slavery debate, colors, and magic, and there is the recipe for the novel. Good writing and well researched, but it was a little hard to engage with in the beginning but then the novel took off. Also I thought the novel was a bit contrived with all of the different plots going on, but it was a good read. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advance copy for a candid and unbiased review.

When I read The Scarlet Letter way back in high school, I honestly fell rather in love with the whole novel. But I was definitely one of the many people who would have loved to know more about where the inspiration for the book came from. Hester takes the little bit of information that one can glean from other Nathanle Hawthorns novels and brings such an intricate tale to life.

The thing I loved the most about the book was in between current chapters we got answers about the past through small snippets of almost journal-like entries. This really fleshed out the story nicely and personally, I found it a nice tension breaker between some more heartwrenching chapters.

The main character's story is compelling and completely fleshed out. She truly feels like she could have certainly been part of the author's history.

And I also really like the way that the author portrayed a kind of synesthesia in a very respectful way. That also made it understandable for the time how people reacted to it.

This is one of my favorite books of the year so far.

I enjoyed the book! As an English major, I was looking forward to this kind of prequel/sequel to The Scarlet Letter. The author's writing flowed nicely with a good coverage of history, as well. I felt the characters were believable and quite well-developed., and the use of color evocative I was surprised that this book was fast-paced (especially about 3/4 of the way through. ) It was a book I was sorry to see end. It provided interesting spin, while also educating about the Underground Railroad. Thank you to Laurie Lico Albanese and NetGalley for providing me Wirth this free book to read and review.

I couldn't put this book down!

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese tells the story that "inspired" the classic novel, The Scarlet Letter in this imaginative and moving historical novel. Isobel is inspiring in her perseverance and determination to survive and succeed in America after being abandoned by her opium addicted husband.

Albanese gives us a strong protagonist in Isobel. As she finds ways to survive using her needle, Isobel encounters both friends and enemies in Salem. Beautifully descriptive, cleverly plotted, and totally engaging, this novel is a simply stunning.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 4
Plot development: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the perspective of a behind the scenes, of The Scarlet Letter. I found the timeframe intriguing. I was confounded by the Puritanical religious shame mongering portions of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review- all thoughts and opinions are my own!



Hester- the book cover - gorgeous. The book itself? Even moreso. Love a different feared woman. Love.

I do love a reimagining or the "story behind a story". Hester was a great one. The story behind the character of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. It was a beautifully written story of the times detailing the hardships that women and immigrants faced in our country and how the inequality of women and men affected the outcome of women's lives. The unfairness of it all is astounding. But it is a story of strength in the face of adversity, of perseverance through the hardest circumstances. Great read.