I did not think I would enjoy this book as I stopped reading Hoffman several years. However if you’re a librarian or someone who believes in the magic of books, this one is for you. A pregnant Ivy, runs away from her wealthy Boston family and ends up in a “Community” where Joel is the harsh leader.. Joel marries Ivy. Ivy’s daughter Mia is placed with the other children in the children’s house. According to Joel’s rules, mothers are not allowed to have special relationships with their children. Everyone works, books are not allowed, schooling is limited, punishments are severe. Ivy had been a prodigious reader spending most of her free time as a child, in the public library. As a young teenager, Mia discovers the public library in her town and develops a special relationship with the librarian. After her mother is killed in an accident, Mia runs away. She is obsessed with The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne and has a first edition which she never returned to the library. Through the book, Mia manages to travel back in time to meet Hawthorne before he writes the book.

"Turn someone into a reader and you turn the world around."

Thank you to NetGalley, Alice Hoffman, and Atria Books for an eARC of The Invisible Hour.

I was so excited to get an advance reader copy of an Alice Hoffman book. This was the first book I have ever read by her, but many of her books are on my TBR list. This gave me incentive to bump her up the list. I absolutely L-O-V-E-D the setting of this book. I am from central Massachusetts myself, but live very close to Concord and have spent significant time in both Salem (Eastern/Coastal MA) and Western MA in the Berkshires. The Berkshires are beautiful, but secluded - the perfect place for a leader (re: criminal) to set up a cult like community. The images Hoffman painted were so vivid in my head and having experienced these settings for myself, the Community really came alive.

I also enjoyed the character development, particularly with Joel. Hoffman clearly describes him as evil and manipulative. He keeps everyone in the Community under his thumb, but it's not necessarily the physical abuse that keeps people in line. It is the mental abuse and the threat of what he could do. The leaves he left for Mia really embody this. She knows he is close by, but never knows when he will strike and how he will come for her. The feeling is so sinister that I didn't know what to expect.

I will say the pacing of the book seemed a bit slow, but I also feel this book was more character driven than plot driven. The first part really focuses on Mia's life, the second is mostly focused on Nathaniel and how Mia interrupted his life, but the third part happens abruptly and ends the book so suddenly. I would have enjoyed a bit more elaboration on the ending of each character's story - how their lives played out, did everyone get back to where they were supposed to be before the interruption, etc. - but instead we were left hoping everything got back to normal which left me feeling unsatisfied with the ending.

Overall, I did enjoy this book more than I would have with a novel that was so character driven. Hoffman mixed in the right amount of plot to keep me entertained and I am interested to read more from her. Maybe Practical Magic will be my October book club pick! 3.5 stars rounded up.

Alice Hoffman’s, The Invisible Hour, is unlike any of her previous work that I’ve read thus far. It is simply so unique and magical. The Invisible Hour is filled with so many surprises. Told in multiple point of views, this is the story of a mothers eternal love for her daughter, a fictional depiction of how Nathaniel Hawthorne came to write the Scarlet Letter, the magical world that books can transport us to, the strength of brave women, and cults…I mean really, it has it all.

This was such a quick read, and had me utterly transfixed from the very first page. Just like all of Hoffmans previous work, there is so much heartbreak, but so much healing. Although unrealistic, that’s the beauty of the book. Suspend reality and immerse yourself in it! Although I was slightly disappointed of the ending, Alice Hoffman has brought us another truly incredible story!

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Thank you so much to Netgalley & Atria Books for an ARC of the Invisible Hour, in exchange for an honest review :)

I think all books are magical and yet, Alice Hoffman's book are magic personified. This book is filled with magic. I associate magic with her deeply because her books all have that quality about them.

This story follows Ivy and her daughter Mia but then becomes Mia's story alone. Ivy gets pregnant as a teen and runs aways from home when her father slaps her and tells her that she must give up her baby. She finds, what she thinks , is a magical community (cult) run by a very oppressive man who Ivy marries. There are no books allowed, no colorful clothes, no outside people allowed. When they go to town to sell tomatoes, Ivy lets Mia go into the library and this opens up the world to Mia. She discovers books and feels a communion with The Scarlet Letter. That ones speaks to her, it also has her name written in it and she feels it is for her especially. After a death, she runs away and the librarian takes her in.

One day, after another death, she takes her book and goes to the Nathaniel Hawthorne house and finds herself in the time of Hawthorne. She comes face to face with him and they fall in love. Very magical. Oh what books can do for us!

I fell into this book and was sorry to see it end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for a copy for review.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
I can’t believe I’ve never read a book by Alice Hoffman?? I actually didn’t think this book would interest me as much, but after seeing a rave review about it, i had to pick it up immediately. I had no clue what it was about but the moment I began, i was so captivated by her writing! Long chapters ahead, but i was so surprised that i got through them fairly quickly! I was absolutely enamored by the beautiful writing and reading this book felt like pure magic 🥹

Thank you so much Atria Books and Simon & Schuester for my gifted copy!!

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
Mia has been a part of The Community, a cult where women have no rights, communication with the outside world and books are forbidden. As she stumbles upon a book written two hundred years earlier, she felt a connection to it and its writer like no other. More than she possibly could have ever imagined.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I think it would be best to go in blind. As a mother, i resonated with this book SO MUCH. It was a huge punch to the gut and a big warm hug all at once bringing on the waterworks 😭 An achingly beautiful story about love and loss in all forms, that will definitely stay with me for a very long time. It’s a poignant read that touches themes of oppression and sexism and i really enjoyed how the author weaved all of these in different timelines. If you love magical realism and/or historical fiction, this book has both and will definitely tug on your heartstrings.

I just love Alice Hoffman's writing so much, its hard for me to be critical of her or her books at this point. The first half of the book (Mia and Ivy's story) was just lyrical for me. I loved the strength and tenacity of both Ivy and Mia, and Mia's rebelliousness against the only life she knew, but she knew wasn't right. I loved that Mia found a second family in Sarah and Constance, and that they encouraged and reinforced her love of reading. And I truly loved how Hoffman made the importance of books in people's lives the overarching theme of the story. Did the fantasy aspect take a bit to get used to? Absolutely, particularly since that's not normally a genre I gravitate to. But by the time the book took the fantasy turn, I was already such a fan of the book, my mind was wide open to the fantasy option. Was it my favorite part? No. But I did like how it emphasized the importance of books in people's lives, and added a beautiful romantic aspect to the story.

Once again, Alice Hoffman has produced a spectacular story that grabbed me, enveloped me, and surrounded me in beautiful writing.

I was slightly disappointed by this one, it's my first Alice Hoffman book and now I'm wondering whether I should have started somewhere else. I can see how I might have enjoyed this a little more had I been a seasoned Hoffman fan.

The story started off strong and piqued and held my interest for the duration of the first half. I am fascinated by cult stories and all the various ways they can be told. The cult angle was a bit titillating, and I also personally related to our MC being from a very strict family myself. I traversed very solid 4 star territory for the first half of the book, but things started to veer off into 3 star territory (or even possibly less at times) once we shifted into the 2nd half which consisted of a lot of Magical realism. Hoffman uses books analogically as these things capable of whisking us away to faraway lands and exotic experiences, which of course the analogy resonated with me, but I often have a hard time following magical realism and understanding in what ways I am expected to perceive the goings on.

Our MC essentially starts time traveling to the setting of her favorite book, "A Scarlett Letter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne and "falls in love" with the author Nathaniel Hawthorne. I wasn't bored while reading this, being a book lover I was still mildly entertained by the concepts here. Which one of us book lovers has not dreamed of what it would be like to meet our favorite authors? (I myself am 100% positive I would've fallen madly in love with Steinbeck had I ever had the opportunity to meet him) The writing was top notch, as I expected it would be, and those are the reasons why I'm still giving it 3 stars, this was not a bad reading experience by any means, it's just a matter of the magical realism elements more or less going over my head, My logical brain just doesn't vibe with that sort of thing and spends the entire time trying to sort things out rationally. Is this all happening in her mind? Does she know it's happening in her mind or does she really think she's time traveling? Is she simply fantasizing, or is this a dream of sorts, a waking dream or conscious fantasy? Is our MC self aware at all? Or is she simply a character that is fully invested in the whims of the author and we're supposed to understand that in the MC's mind she is actually time traveling and in love with Hawthorne, but we as the readers are meant to understand the distinction between reality and the tools that the author utilizes to make points?!

Obviously magical realism just doesn't hit right with me, tho I do love Gabriel Garcia Marquez so it IS possible for me to enjoy, that just wasn't the case here. I prefer fantasy worlds or real worlds, not the strange in between. This was still readable IMO and others may enjoy it much more than I did, I am just the not the target audience for magical realism. I am still interested in reading her other books, tho I'd have to make sure that her books aren't all magical realism.

Alice Hoffman crafts a captivating tale of what one will do to protect the one they love. Echoing Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter, a young mother-to-be is on her own and makes a desperate decision. Years later, that decision echoes with her daughter, who is left to deal with the consequences. What choices will the daughter make. A beautiful and well-paced novel that explores women's options, past and present.

I’m a big Alice Hoffman fan. I was immediately captivated with the cult plot line. I always love how she delves into mother daughter relationships. There is a lot in one short book. I think if you like Practical Magic, Hester, or a History of Wild Places you will enjoy reading this. The Scarlet Letter and the main characters love of reading are big themes. I was wary of the time travel component but it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

The Invisible Hour is a mix of tragedy, historical fiction, time travel, fantasy, and social perspective tied up into a story that is both enjoyable and thought-provoking. There are elements of fantasy woven throughout. This is one of the many things I love about Alice Hoffman's writing. In The Invisible Hour, she starts the reader in a home where the daughter has no rights and then on to a male-dominated communal society where the women have no rights. Through the use of time travel, she is able to connect the past atrocities that occurred when women didn't have but wanted more rights and connect it to the issues going on with women losing rights in today's society, without seeming at all "preachy". She references past historical events and literature in a way that will have you thinking and researching to learn more. Though I finished this book several days ago, I still find myself making connections and wondering if Hoffman predicted these. It is an interesting book that will keep your attention if you are just reading for fun. If you get caught up in the references and start making connections, it may just become a 5-star book. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC ebook to read and review.

JUST AMAZING!!!! The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is a magical masterpiece, only as Alice Hoffman can tell a story, with many layers, incredible characters, spanning through the past and present in a most seamless, fabulous way. I loved it so very much! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Alice Hoffman has a gift for prose. She has a completely mesmerizing way of describing nature, in particular, that I never get tired of. Part 1 was utterly engrossing and I loved every minute of it. Parts 2 and 3, while still beautifully written, were not as compelling for me. I found Nathaniel Hawthorne's character to be underdeveloped and quite unlikeable and the storyline to be very disconnected from the storyline in part 1. If you're an Alice Hoffman lover, give this one a try. I'd love to know your thoughts on it.

Thank you to Atria Books and #NetGalley for allowing me to read a pre-release of this novel. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

After conceiving a child out of wedlock, Ivy Jacob escapes to a cult in Blackwell led by Joel Davis. Her daughter, Mia Jacob, lives oppressed by the confines and rules of the Community. Joel is cruel and controlling and, as typical, exempt from his harsh commandments of living. Women especially are punished harshly and publicly for failing to fall in line. Joel offers Ivy the acceptance that she wasn’t given by her family. It demonstrates how people fall into these types of situations when they feel that someone finally sees them, understands them, and “cares” for them. Mia finds solace in books as a way to escape her reality. She finds stories of other women that inspire her.

The writing is lyrical, flowy, immersive, and poignant. The story is powerful, magical, and emotional. The romance is so cute and swoon-worthy. I fell in love with the characters and I was completely swept-away into the tale. It’s the perfect blend of historical and magical. It’s an ode to the power of books, the imagination of readers, and the impact that stories have on everyone. It’s about taking control of your life and stepping into who you were meant to be. It discusses the freedom of choice for women’s lives and bodies, liberation in their careers and education. And it also touches on the bonds of family and love.

My only wish is that it was more of a full-length novel because it read more like a short story and there were parts I really wanted to be developed further. But I think that shows how much I loved the characters because I just wanted more of them. I really enjoyed my reading experience and, as it’s really a blend of genres, I'd recommend it to all readers.

Alice Hoffman is an incredibly beautiful writer. A quick read at less than 300 pages, I found this as easy to get lost in as everything she writes. Most times, her prose manages to be lyrical and dreamlike without being overly vague. There are times meanings can grow fuzzy, but that doesn’t happen much in this novel. Her messaging is more blunt that usual, though that isn’t surprising with The Scarlet Letter as inspiration - the parallels between the choices available to women in the time of the Puritans and those of our supposedly enlightened age is timely as hell.

I found Mia’s story in the first half of the book to be the more engaging. Exploring common Hoffman themes of mother/daughter relationships, family, and agency, the narrative was compelling. The plot did lose my interest a bit when we first for the to 1837 timeline with Hawthorne, and while I was pulled back in before the end, the ending itself felt a bit abrupt. Not her best book, but that’s a damn high bar. By any measure, this is a moving and highly enjoyable read. There’s an aching beauty and sadness to her work that I never tire of, and this tale is no exception.

Mia Jacob has grown up in the “Community” a sort of cult run by her “father” Joel Davis. Mia’s mom ended up marrying Joel when she left home has a pregnant teen with no options. Life in the Community is restricting and Mia longs for the other side, especially when her mother shows her how to sneak off to the library since books are banned by the Community. But when tragedy strikes, Mia finds she needs to escape before the Community destroys her. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter might be just the book that saves her life.

Like many of Hoffman’s novels, this one also has a bit of magical realism in it. I devoured the first half and found the second half a bit slower but the ending was just right. I love the strong theme about women’s bodily autonomy and women’s rights in general, that runs through this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced readers copy of this novel. This was released last week on 8/15/23.

This one stayed with me long after finishing. It is a deeply profound and beautiful book commenting human nature and the power of reading. It also explores the connection between writer and their subject, their muses, and most importantly their audience.

This book remind us that art can save our life. In tough times, there may not be people around us who understand, but we can find connection in books, music, and all art forms. And through those connections we can also find strong bonds with their creator. True art withstands the test of time and so do their creators. Our main character Mia, learns this from her favorite book & an author that she loves before meeting.

I enjoyed the magical realism of this book and the light thriller aspect that ensued around Mia's past life.

Worth the read and something to think about!

8-16-23 The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
This was my first book by Alice Hoffman, but she has been on my TBR for a while. It was recommended by Anne Bogel of the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club and What Should I Read Next. I value her recommendations highly. All the titles under the category “The Power of the Written Word were 5 star reads for me and those are very rare.
Ivy leaves her parent’s home an unsupported and unwed pregnant teenager. She is take into a strict and cultish ‘community. The leader sets all the rules which include no books and no raising your own children. Ivy, her daughter Mia, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, learn that the world can be a place of love and acceptance through the power of the written world. With a large dose of magical realism and some difficult topics, this book was a great read. I’ll be reading more of Alice Hoffman’s titles.
Thanks so much for the DRC and the opportunity to read and review The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman.
5 stars, published August 15, 2023
#NetGalley, #Atria, #AliceHoffman, #AnneBogel

I enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing was really well done. It made you want to keep reading.

Storyline and delivery were solid, and I enjoyed the characters. The overall storyline felt like it stretched my suspension of disbelief a little bit, but the overall feel of the book was inspiring. Definitely worth reading, especially if you love Nathaniel Hawthorne.

𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

This is a novel about the magic of books, but it is also a tale of the many traps in a woman’s life, and the courage it takes to escape them. This novel is sister to 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝐿𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝑁𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑙 𝐻𝑎𝑤𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑒, in a sense, and a love letter to him. Mia Jacobs grows up in a commune, curious by nature, hungry to fly away and see what is outside her narrow world. Her mother Ivy came from Boston, had lived her life on Beacon Hill born to privilege, she did as she pleased and didn’t follow the rules. Ivy was different, and different wasn’t welcome in a place where order is demanded. When she gets herself ‘in trouble’, she is heartbroken, desperate and alone. Her parents won’t stand for the shame their beautiful, unmanageable daughter has created and Ivy takes her future into her own hands, packs a suitcase and makes her escape. She finds refuge in rural Massachusetts’s on a run-down farm in a ‘cultish community’ cut off from the rest of the world. Joel Davis, head of the commune, takes her as his own, marrying Ivy. She has traded one set of chains for another, but it is all for her daughter, Mia.

Growing up Ivy had devoured books, from fairy tales to the classics, but reading isn’t allowed in the Community. There is much work to be done, no time for wasting and breaking rules leaves you branded with a letter of your sin that you wear around your neck. She tries to reckon with their restrictive beliefs, reasoning that it makes sense to keep one’s head out of the clouds on a farm. Ivy loves her daughter more than anything, hating that all the children belong to everyone there, but this is meant to be her safety, there isn’t anywhere else to go. As Mia grows up, she feels the stain of the outsider on her skin, just like her mother. Despite Ivy trying to fit in, she is accused always of setting herself apart. Mia, at fifteen, struggles with obeying the rules. One day her mother allows her to go into the library when they are in town, but it’s their secret. It is like an enchantment, her love for books, magic! Possibilities open, as does the future. Maybe her mother doesn’t know everything, maybe the Community is wrong about keeping the rest of the world locked out. From that day forward, she sneaks to the library and reads anything she can get her hands on, dreaming of escape. As it’s said, books are dangerous, they teach a person to think.

Being a dutiful girl doesn’t seem so appealing to Mia, what she absorbs in her reading makes her question Joel’s philosophy. She takes more risks, pushing beyond the confines of her life, as her mother Ivy once had. Mia knows nothing of her mother’s past only that she lived West of the Moon, and it haunts her to think that her mother shrinks herself to fit into the Community. How different would she be if she never chose this life? Mia dreams of another future for herself too, maybe they could run away together? One day a forbidden book is discovered in the barn, and punishment follows, but something worse is on the horizon.

As Mia’s life crumbles, she finds solace in the book, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝐿𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝑁𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑙 𝐻𝑎𝑤𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑒, a story that mirrors her world and explores the weight of freedom. She does as she is told, for a time, while planning her escape. When she heads out into the world, she learns more about her mother, and how much they were the same. Magic awaits her, and the dangers of freedom. Through her love affair with Hawthorne’s words, she will discover time is fluid, and choices are often a gamble with fate. There isn’t a time when women didn’t have to fight for their power, weren’t beaten into submission, shamed for their intelligence or differences. Mia, just like her mother Ivy, wants to walk her own path, but Joel won’t release his grip and his reach is further than Mia knows. How could a writer, long dead, save her life? There is power in telling stories, a melding of hearts and minds, sometimes fiction is real.

I am a huge fan of Alice Hoffman and enjoy being enchanted by the stories she spins. This is a sad novel but light is infused throughout. Thinking of the traps desperation often leads people into, the way the world punished women in the past, and even today, is dark. Someone always wants to be in power, lording it over the rest of us, don’t they? It’s why utopia is a fantasy. This is extreme but many mother/daughter stories echo Mia and Ivy, how much mothers sell of themselves to give their child better, hoping that happiness isn’t make believe, that their girl can dodge the control and judgement they couldn’t. Books truly are a special magic too, they can be medicine, friend, a guide, a key… There truly is a bond between the author and readers, just knowing someone gets it, someone out there feels your pain, fiction or not or can paint a picture of paradise in your head, an escape from the mundane is glorious. I also enjoyed Nathanial’s part in the tale, it was bittersweet. Yes, read it while we await her next novel.

Published August 15, 2023

Atria Books