After reading the Practical Magic series, this book would be great on a shelf right next to them. I loved the magical writing I know Hoffman for, and the cult inclusion was great too. Her writing is so beautiful and creates a believable sense of magic.

I just love a Hoffman book, always amazed by her range of settings and characters while always offering deft notes of magical realism, strong female characters, and engaging plots. The Invisible Hour is great, an ode in a way to the value and power/importance of books (alas still a timely topic) as well as an examination of how decisions impact multiple lives. I am always here for a book that has themes on cults as awareness of these themes is also still valuable and relevant and I valued how Hoffman developed this part of the book in the first part of the story as well as the mother/daughter relationship.
Reading a Hoffman book does mean you need to expect the magical realism/somewhat fantastical elements of her stories but here, once again, these add resonance to the themes she is trying to present: we are all looking at times to escape (books can do this), we all yearn to understand our lives and the lives of others we love, and we all seek connection and meaning.

I appreciate the review copy from Atria, who via S&S Bookclub favorites, also sent me a well loved physical copy as well. With appreciation for a book from a favorite author!

recommended for fans of Hoffman as well as readers open to a different kind of magical realism and homage to books and how books can save lives. A great discussion book for book clubs!

I was sucked into the story at the start. Ivy's story of finding herself pregnant and running away only to end up as part of a cult with little to no contact with the outside world was both sad and interesting. Especially when the cult leader takes a liking to her and she ends up marrying him before realizing that this is all a mistake. From their we following Mia, Ivy's daughter and how the community tries to keep children separate from their parents, since they believe children belong to everyone. Mia finds her escape in books thanks to the librarian in the neighboring town. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the book Mia credits with saving her life because she feels like it is telling her mother's story. Mia manages to escape the community but the cult's leader is not willing to let her go so easily. Mia learns that books can transport you to another place, literally. She finds herself back in time with the beloved author she credits with keeping her alive. I enjoyed the story a lot but was a bit jarred when Mia ended up time traveling, since the story really didn't have a magical element to it up to that point. Despite this, I still had a good time reading this book.

This is the first Alice Hoffman book I've read. Gasp! I know, right? Well, if all of hers are THIS good, them I'm her newest fan. I can't even begin to review this without spoilers. If you love "The Scarlet Letter" and a bit of magic mixed in, this is the book for you. It wasn't SO woo-woo as to be unbelievable, but wow. What a beautifully written story. I loved all the characters (at least the ones we are SUPPOSED to love) and the ending was divine. Perfect for crisp fall days and with a bit of dreaming.

This was not at all what I expected, but in the absolute best way! I definitely questioned it a few times and braced for disappointment, but it was perfectly executed despite being out of my comfort genre.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and author Alice Hoffman for providing me with the ARC for an honest review.

"Invisible Hour" follows a young woman who faces an unsupported pregnancy and runs away with a fellow runaway. She becomes ensnared in a cult, isolated from her daughter, Mia. As Mia grows, she explores the world beyond the cult and navigates her path towards a meaningful life.

Alice Hoffman skillfully develops characters, delving into their inner workings. The protagonist embodies hope and resilience, with a touch of magic and a found family dynamic that shapes the narrative. The book, while moving at a slightly slower pace, masterfully weaves through various character stories, conveying significant depth in its concise novella length.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my free and voluntary review. Alice Hoffman is nothing short of amazing.. Her stories capture you from the first sentence, taking you from one emotion to another, bringing you to feel as if you are in the story yourself. She is a spectacular author, as I have read other novels written by her, that are just as wonderful as this one. Read this book, and then be sure to find and read her others. You will not be disappointed, except for the fact that the story ended. I adore this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an interesting retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter, but the setting is today in the right to life versus abortion political climate. It is also the story of the power of books, a mother's love and finding your safe home.

Ivy is an unwed teen during the time when pregnant unwed moms were shipped off to be out of sight. She runs away and joins a cult in Massachusetts. Fast forward 16 years and Ivy's daughter, Mia, is still living in the compound. Mia finds her escape in the library and becomes obsessed by one book, The Scarlet Letter by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne. This book and the library save her life.

In planning her escape from the cult, Mia discovers how reading can transport you to another time (literally). Here is where the story falters for me a bit: Mia has fallen in love with her favorite author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and time travels back to him, becomes involved with him and pregnant by him. I think this is called magical realism but for me this was too far off the deep end and ruined the story.

The first half of this book is so well done. I loved the story of Ivy and Mia, the cult, the lives of Constance and Sarah, the libraries and Mia's life. The prose is so lyrical and the characters are well developed. What I did not like was the forced addition of abortion and the time travel which was odd and not well done in my opinion.

I have mixed thoughts about this one but I do think its worth the read if you are ok with the above.
3.5 stars.

Alice Hoffman is such a talented writer; her prose are beautiful and this story was completely captivating. It follows Mia who is born into an oppressive cult in Western Massachusetts, who doesn’t see a way out. In that moment she finds Nathaniel Hawthorne’s A Scarlet Letter and quickly begins to understand her own existence, and the struggles her mother faced.

This book is like a mix of contemporary fiction, historical fiction and magical realism, so there is a portion of this book where you must be able to suspend your disbelief. The only reason I didn’t give it four stars, is that I thought the portion where she travels back in time to meet Nathaniel a little slow, and I expected them to have a more interesting discourse around what they learn from each other. However, I still couldn’t put this one down and couldn’t wait to see how it ended.

This book is an ode to the power of books, libraries, librarians and the strength of women who must make sacrifices to survive in impossible circumstances. It also touches on the author/reader relationship and its importance. I loved how this book touched on themes that were important hundreds of years ago, but still resonate today— the importance of access to libraries and books, and women having bodily autonomy.

My favorite quote (and there are endless quotable moments in this book): “…once a girl walked into a library she could never be controlled again.”

Thanks to Netgalley + Atria Books for the ARC!

As the current climate in the USA involves public schools banning books, this was a timely read juxtaposing Ivy and Mia (mother and daughter) and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic “The Scarlet Letter”. A lot goes on in this novel, for me, too much. Hoffman tackles a lot of important subjects and although she does it in an interesting way (time travel?!) I never felt connected to the characters or felt the tension in the running plot I knew I was supposed to feel. I loved the focus of the true power of books and reading as well as learning so much about Hawthorne. Thanks to Atria Books for the advanced copy!

4.5/5

“To Mia, If it was a dream, it was ours alone and you were mine.”

This was my first Alice Hoffman book outside of the Practical Magic series and it was just as magical and wonderful as I expected. She’s easily one of my favorite authors and I will reread her books until I, too, become invisible.

As with everything Hoffman writes, your heart will be full and then it will break, but you will have no regrets reading this. Her books never have typical “happy endings,” but they each have a perfect conclusion (I hesitate even with this wording because her stories never really end; rather they end with a new beginning).

I’m not one who likes to read too much into the plot ahead of time, but I will say this book is for any woman (or anyone) who has ever felt confined by society and found an escape in books. And it’s us readers who know that magic really does exist, because we experience it every day (and if you’re not convinced, just read a book by Alice Hoffman).

Alice Hoffman really knows how to make her readers feel the emotions of her characters. I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this story. I didn’t read any other reviews beforehand and barely skimmed the synopsis. I was pleasantly surprised when the second half of the book began. We follow Mia as she grows up in a cult-like community with her mother. She learns the world through books she secretly checks out from the library in town. No spoilers, but the adventures she has and the conclusion to the story made me sob. This was a beautiful and magical novel. 5 stars from me. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC copy of this book.

The author, Alice Hoffman, is what enticed me to read this book. I have always enjoyed her writing. I was also intrigued to learn that there was a connection to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter.
Time travel and suspense made this an interesting story. Hoffman made a point of incorporating a women’s right to choose and was nicely able to weave the two different worlds, centuries apart, into a very good story.

The Invisible Hour is the latest magical, lyrical novel by consummate storyteller, Alice Hoffman. It is a story of the powerful connection between mothers and daughters, between friends and lovers, as well as an homage to the rich history of the literature of New England. It is also a quiet yet powerful indictment of men, past and present, who wield their power to control women and suffocate their spirits.
In Boston, teenager Ivy, pregnant and rejected by her parents, finds her way to a cult-like Community in western Massachusetts, run by a charismatic man, Joel. He is entranced by her beauty and aware of her vulnerability, and he weds her immediately. Fifteen years later, Ivy and the other women of the commune are submissive and broken by his dictatorial rules. Ivy’s daughter, Mia, chafes at the oppression and dreams of a freer life, dreams that are fed by her stolen moments with books in the local library, which, it is said, “is a place with a thousand keys to a thousand doors.” It is there that Mia discovers Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, “The Scarlet Letter,” inscribed to Mia.
From that moment, this tale unwinds in a magical way, with one foot firmly planted in the present and the other in Hawthorne’s Salem of 1837. A wonderful sense of place and history envelops the reader, with impactful quotes from literary giants like Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne and Melville. The beautiful prose adds an ethereal quality to the descriptions of places and seasons, with Hoffman’s imagery and allusions to magic and the powers of women beautifully represented.
The preface is a poignant letter to the reader explaining the author’s deep feelings for her subject matter, rooted in her own childhood and her single working mother, who gave her the gift of independence, an upbringing without restricting rules, and a love of books.
For women of all ages and book lovers everywhere, immerse yourself in this magical story and savor every beautiful moment.

My deepest thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

If you could travel back in time to any era in history, when would it be?

Mia, a young girl raised within the confines of a dangerous and radical cult, is saved by the power of books. She escapes her harsh reality by becoming lost within the pages— a most grievous sin for members of “The Community.” On the day that Mia is certain she can no longer go on, she opens the pages of The Scarlet Letter, a book written by Nathanial Hawthorne two hundred years prior. Through the mysterious parallels, Mia finds herself a piece of hope to cling to. Thus starts a love affair that spans a lifetime, in this world and in a world two hundred years past.

This book felt like two books in one. The first half— the tale of Mia and her mother Ivy— was quick and compelling. Unwed and pregnant in a time much different from today, Ivy is taken in by Joel, the leader of The Community. However, things quickly change and I found myself speeding through the pages to see what would happen and whether Ivy and Mia would ever escape.

The second half was quite a different experience. I didn’t realize there was a magical realism/time travel aspect to this book and it was a pleasant turn of events. By 65% I was digging out my old copy of The Scarlet Letter to read, as learning about Nathaniel Hawthorne was truly fascinating.

So here’s where this one lost a few stars for me: this is a book with a LOT of telling rather than showing. There is limited dialogue, as the author prefers summarizing conversations rather than writing them out. Reading about Nathaniel’s life was akin to reading from a textbook— which is not to say it was unpleasant, it just didn’t flow well within the context of the novel. On one hand, the author seems to fly through days, months, years within just a few pages, which keeps the action moving, but on the other hand, it lacks depth, particularly when developing a romance.

This book is a true story— it tells a tale, without relying on many of the modern literary devices we may be accustomed to. In that way, it almost felt nostalgic, as if written from another time itself. At its core, it’s an ode to women and a love letter to readers, and I won’t soon forget it.

Thank you to Atria Books, Alice Hoffman, and NetGalley for providing my advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5

The first half of this book is totally gripping and immersive, and the writing throughout is gorgeous, but once the plot veers into timeslip elements, it loses its power. I wish I'd loved this book more than I did -- so much about it is wonderful, including the messaging about books having the power to change lives.

Another brilliant, magical novel from Alice Hoffman. Pure delight and Ms. Hoffman has such a gift for words and story. This novel is an ode to the power of those words and the way we can be saved through books.
Mia Jacob is raised inside an oppressive cult, called the Community. After her mother is killed in a terrible accident, and Mia refuses to give up her grief, she plans to join her mother in the afterlife. However, she discovers a 1st edition copy of The Scarlet Letter, which seems to tell her mother, Ivy's, story to a tee. The inscription inside the book also seems to hint at something more. Mia learns through a journey of time that love is stronger than any chains that bind you.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-arc.*

A magical look at The Scarlet Letter, self empowerment, and the choices women have had to make. I loved Mia's story and it's is woven with elements that are currently in the forefront. Finding freedom, living the life you want and keeping banned books available to everyone.

Alice Hoffman’s books never disappoint. The invisible hour has cults, magic , love and even some time travel. This was truly a story about how your love of books and reading are really magical in some cases they can even save you.

This novel tells the story of Mia, who escapes from a cult as well as suicidal thoughts with the help of the book The Scarlet Letter. She becomes obsessed with Nathaniel Hawthorne throughout her life, even as the leader of the cult continues to haunt her. On the one hand, the writing in this novel was beautiful. On the other hand, the time travel aspect was too jarring and simplistic for the story being told.