Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this advance reader’s copy.
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I enjoyed studying The Scarlet Letter in high school, and I enjoyed Albanese’s fictional book based on the life of painter Gustav Klimt, so I was excited to dive into this story about the muse behind Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me after the 20% mark. What started so strong fizzled out as characters and relationships didn’t develop much throughout the story. The historical look at the Salem witch trials was the more interesting timeline for me, but it got very little page time. This book was very atmospheric, and it might be a good choice for a reader looking for something seasonal this fall, but not spooky.

The best way to describe this book is vivid and resplendent. The technicolor descriptions of everything from words to feelings to the detailed needlework Isobel does will draw you in. Historical fiction is not usually my favorite genre, but I kept coming back for the beautiful writing and to witness Isobel’s strong character growth. I wouldn’t call it a full “spin” on The Scarlet Letter, but it adds interesting fictional flavor if you’re familiar with the novel. Listening to the audiobook with the narrator’s Scottish brogue only added to the experience, and I can’t imagine having read it any other way.

What a great read for the fall time. Having never read the original THE SCARLET LETTER, I found this story to be both gripping and entertaining, raw and emotional, and very timely.

After traveling from her home in Scotland to the New World with her troubled husband, Isobel finds herself alone and isolated in the New England town Salem. Seeped in a dark history of witch trials, Isobel knows too well what it can mean to stand out as a woman. Soon after arriving, Isobel's husband leaves on a ship to earn money, and she must find a way to make her own living. A talented seamstress, she soon takes to creating beautiful embroidered cloths that is sold to high-society women, and attracts the attention of aspiring writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, only for her to later become his inspiration for his famous novel The Scarlett Letter.
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I really enjoyed this book! It was seeped in fictionalized history that was so immersive I felt like I was living in the time - walking along the streets of Salem with Isobel. The characters were well-developed and seemed true to the time period. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves classic literature or historical fiction.
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A huge thank you to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. #Hester #NetGalley

I so enjoyed this book! I often have a hard time focusing while listening to audiobooks of fiction, but I had no trouble with this one because the book was engaging and the narrator (Saskia Maarleveld) was excellent. It took a few minutes to get used to her Scottish accent, but her voice acting was wonderful. I've always loved The Scarlet Letter, so it was fun to explore a fictionalized Nathaniel (Nat) Hawthorne and his influences. Reading about Isobel's experiences also helped me better understand the world in which Hawthorne was writing, and, in many ways, it was very similar to Salem of the 1600s! Most chapters alternated between 1800s Scotland or Salem and 1600s Scotland or Salem, which highlighted the similarities and more explicitly incorporated the witch trials into the story. I will definitely recommend this to students who have read The Scarlet Letter and to teachers of the book as well. I also enjoyed the book's focus on various forms of art and expression, particularly through writing (for Nat) and sewing (for Isobel).

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this audiobook.

I want to thank @netgalley and @minotaur_books for my ARC of the new Finlay Donovan book. If you liked the other two, you will enjoy this one as well. They are fun, entertaining reads. Elle Cosimato nails parenting toddlers. I laughed at the antics of Finlay’s son because it was so relatable.

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the opportunity to read this #eARC #audiobook! Hester will be published October 4.

This beautiful retelling of The Scarlet Letter reimagines Hester Prynne in Isobel Gamble as a seamstress who journeys to Salem from Scotland with her husband, Edward. Edward is abusive in nearly every sense of the word and abandons her in Salem for an extended period, steals from her, breaks all his promises, and suffers from a drug addiction that has a firm grip on him. Despite a slew of misfortunes and betrayals, Isobel clings to her gift for needlework and the vivid colors she sees.

This was heartbreaking, as was the original but so beautiful. Women like Isobel are so strong and their true gift lies in their perseverance and strength. I loved this book and the narrator did a lovely job that added to the tale (I do recommend reading this on 1.25 or 1.5x speed if you’re a speedy/impatient reader like me!). I recommend this for fans of The Scarlet Letter, heartbreaking tales, and intriguing tales of strong women.

🪦🪦🪦🪦 - 4/5

Hester is a masterpiece. I will be recommending this to everyone and anyone I meet, with major enthusiasm and force. Everyone, every woman, needs to read this book. It is a brilliant and vivid work of fiction that will last forever ♥️
I never thought I would feel this was about a historical fiction novel. I was initially interested in the book because of the ties to the Salem witch travels, and Nathanial Hawthorne, but found I was captivated by Isobel Gamble. Isobel is such a rich character, full of talent and desire, and make the story come to life. The way she sees colors in words, and brings those colors to life with her stitching is such a gift, one I am envious of. I felt a slight kinship to her character, since I am a stitcher myself and am constantly inspired to express myself within the art. I felt her need for recognition in her work, and talent. She literally put a piece of her within all of her work, and I made my heart burst.
The relationship between Isobel and Nathanial becomes the inspiration for The Scarlet Letter. Though this story is fiction, it’s completely believable. I want to believe the love between them existed. Wrapped up in forbidden love, and saturated with unsavory history that haunts Nathanial, allows the affair to build up to heights you know will end in disaster. It’s thrilling and heartbreaking, and will linger in your thoughts forever. I refuse to believe this story is not true!
I did have the opportunity to read this book on audio format. I really can’t recommend this version enough. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, has a buttery Scottish accent that brings an authentic vibe to the story. I could listen to her speak all day, especially when she talks about love and her home. I can’t gush enough about the audio!

I loved this book. I read The Scarlet Letter in high school and thought this new take was inventive and fascinating. I love how the author went back and forth between the centuries to the Salem witch trials. The language was enveloping in its description, and I loved learning about synesthesia and the descriptions of how words and letters have color. The author is a master storyteller! I went back and forth between the ebook and audiobook and loved listening to the voice of the narrator. So soothing and added an additional dynamic to the story. Highly recommend the audio! Posting review soon on Instagram @tiffanyvt4

I’m realizing more and more that I love books that talk about the inspiration behind classics. I really liked The Scarlett Letter but I definitely liked this even more. It’s an imagining of the woman who inspired the character Hester. Isobel is such a wonderful character. I loved the inclusion of synesthesia. I also loved the split timeline with Isobel's ancestor, Isobel, and Hawthorne's ancestor as a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. Everything about this book just worked. The writing was beautiful and it all flowed so well.

Hester is a beautiful, lush tale of love, loss, redemption and determination. I loved every bit of it from beginning to end. Isobel is a resilient and worthy main character all of us can relate to. We share her joys and her disappointments right up to the end while she charms us with her lush descriptions and lovely needlework. Saskia Maarleveld did an amazing job narrating this novel. She captured not only a world of accents and people but the magic of this beautifully woven take!

I loved Hester. It was simply riveting and unputdownable. Like most of my generation, The Scarlett Letter was required reading for HS English. An American Tragedy and The Scarlett Letter taught me the terrible price women pay for risking sex outside of marriage. Albanese has reimagined Hester Prynne in the form of Isobel Gamble, a young, married Scottish immigrant who arrives in Salem and meets Nathaniel Hawthorne, a struggling writer. I am not always taken with retelling of classics, but Hester gripped me from the get- go and I look forward to reading more from Albanese. The audiobook is narrated by the spectacular Saskia Maaeleveld. Many thanks to St.Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for galleys in exchange for my honest opinion. Well done and Highly Recommended!

This book does such an incredible job of setting the mood and taking you back to the time in which the story takes place. That is actually my favorite part about the authors writing style and while I wasn’t such a huge fan of this story, I did quite enjoy that aspect. It made reading this a lot easier as I attempted to progress through. I would highly recommend this for any historical fiction fan and obviously those who adore the original that this retelling is based off of.

I'm not sure if me not remembering anything about The Scarlet Letter helped or hindered me with this book, but for a retelling, I was pleasantly surprised. Usually I despise retellings and it wasn't until after I picked it up that I was told it was a feminist retelling of The Scarlet Letter. The story centers around a young seamstress, Isobel Gamble, and her emigration from Scotland to Salem. Isobel is soon deserted by her husband after joining a ship in the New World as a medic, with no money and forced to figure out her own path. After meeting Nathanial Hawthorne, the two get closer and more romantically involved. What's the worst that could happen?

This book is a complete atmospheric read in every way. That being said, the slow build up once you get about 25% in doesn't move faster until the very end. The early chapters of this book really enrich the story's exposition and I was so ready to see what happens, but then it takes way too long for a build up. I enjoyed the spin on Nathaniel Hawhorne's character and I also enjoyed how beautifully set everything is. Although Hester is definitely leaning towards one of my more enjoyable retelling reads, it further proves that retellings are just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

For fans of Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary, and those with any interest in The Scarlet Letter and Nathaniel Hawthorne, or the Salem witch trials. Bonus points if you already know Hawthorne’s connection to the trials.

I don’t know if there’s any truth to this accounting but I definitely hate Nathaniel Hawthorne now. It’s classified as a “reimagining” so I’m reading it as 100% fictional. I still hate Nathaniel Hawthorne. A google search doesn’t bring up anything other than a story about a Mary Bachiler Turner and a Hester Craford who may have inspired The Scarlet Letter.

This novel examines sexism, accusations of witchcraft, generational trauma, and early racism in America.

The main character, Isobel, is a seamstress and talented needleworker, abandoned by her husband in the New World, she must use that needle to save her life in more ways than one.

She is immediately drawn to Nathaniel, and when it looks like her thieving husband has set sail for the islands and abandoned her…

Let’s just say Nathaniel is the least interesting part of the story. Hester is navigating a world that doesn’t like her and finds comfort where she can get it, striving to create a place for herself that feels like home. She is rejected again and again for her Scottish lineage and heavy accent, and the accusations of witchcraft that run very deep. She finds companionship with other needleworkers, she learns about their hardships and better understands her own. She positions herself among the most talented needleworkers in the New World, but because of her accent and sketchy business tactics, she is paid a pittance of the profit.

Even her small successes will be taken from her when she falls pregnant, months after her husband has abandoned her. And we begin to see how Isobel’s story inspires the creation of Hester.

Living in 1800s Salem may not be what it was in 1692, but it is certainly not a safe place for a sinner. The smallest transgression can have you shunned and cast out. And Isobel’s transgression is growing, ever steadily, in her womb.

To see for yourself Isobel’s trials and triumphs, go find yourself a copy of Hester, out on October 4, 2022.

My first by this author, and different from my usual read. I have always been fascinated with people who have a unique gift. Isobel Gamble, has a connection to witchcraft in her ancestry.

She must escape Scotland with her husband because of his debts. They set sail to the New World. Once they arrive Isobel is abandon by her husband as he departs on a trip. She is a talented seamstress and must find work to survive. She meets Nate Hawthorne and they strike up a friendship.

Obviously we know Nate is an American novelist from the mid early-to-mid 1800’s. A unique read where you are taking back to a time, when women were supposed to depend on a man, but Isobel has other ideas.

We also learn about Nathaniel Hawthorne was haunted by his ancestors past in the Salem witch trials on 1692.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and author Laurie Lico Albanese for this novel. Available October 4, 2022. #netgalley, #macmillionaudio, #audiobook, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50

Beautifully written, historical retelling.
Having never actually read the Scarlet Letter, I was interested into going into Hester blind.

Dual timelines tell the story of Isobel, a talented seamstress and that of her grandmothers.
Isobel is a strong and empowering character, far beyond her time.
Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress who leaves her homeland of Edinburgh, with her older husband Edward who is an apothecary. Edward has fallen under the spell of opium and has other troubles throughout the years.

The book explores the connection between the salem witch trials, feminism and progression. You can tell the author did authentic historical research.
The writing is engaging, and the author used accessible language which I always appreciate.

Utterly inventive yet still seeming firmly rooted in reality and history.
I believe this is the case since I like reading books that explore the source of inspiration for well-known stories. It's a type of recounting that is rarely done but always has a positive outcome,  not to mention how lovely the writing is. I feel like the writing is similar to how the men of Salem in this story accuse the women of enchanting or bewitching them. It's a fantastic tool for presenting a tale layered with the complexities of human nature and the mysteries of the new world.

The narration was an absolute pleasure and really enhanced the reading experience!

Thank NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced copy!

I DNF'd this at 10%.

The writing was OK, but didn't really speak to me. I found myself listening and wondering what the point was or even what I just heard. Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace for this book, or it was requiring more effort to read/listen to than I currently have. Maybe someday I'll pick it up and try again, but at this point it just isn't the book for me.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this take on the character from The Scarlett Letter. I’ve never read that book but I actually want to after listening to this. I loved the Salem Witch Trials angle and the weaving of two storylines.

Also, as someone with synesthesia, I’m very aware that this could have caused problems for me had I been born 200 years earlier. I liked reading about a character with the same sensory ability.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.