4.25 I always enjoy Alice Hoffman’s works, and this one, The Invisible Hour, did not disappoint. This tale wove many of her themes from earlier books. It involved spiritual magic as in the Practical Magic books, and a historical side as with The Dovekeppers, The Marriage of Opposites, and The Museum of Extraordinary Things,, along with the familiar themes of love, heartbreak, loss, mother daughter relationships, and love of books, among others. Ms. Hoffman’s mastery of storytelling reverberates throughout the story. Mia is the daughter of a woman, Ivy, who after finding she is pregnant as a teen and the lack of acceptance of it by her proper Bostonian family, runs off to join a puritanical cult in western Massachusetts Children in the cult were generally forbidden to read anything, and were taught very little, but after Mia escaped once to a library in the town, with the help and understanding of the town librarian and with the various stories her mother told her as she was growing up,, she developed a love for books, particularly The Scarlet Letter. Herein starts a magical journey with Nathaniel Hawthorne. A very entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased and candid review.

This is the first book I have read by Alice Hoffman and it did not disappoint. If you love historical fiction, fantasy and time travel this is the book for you.
Ivy is young woman who finds herself alone and pregnant with no choices or hope for her future. She becomes involved with a commune and it does not give her or her daughter the freedom she craves. Her daughter Mia rebels and through her love of reading is able to break away and travel to the past to ensure her future.
I loved the connection with The Scarlet Letter and her relationship with Nathaniel Hawthorne.
The description of the the community surrounding the Berkshires was also beautifully written.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading my first Alice Hoffman book earlier this year, I was hooked... although I first experienced her storytelling capabilities when I fell in love with the movie, Practical Magic. After reading the first two books in that series, I wanted to savor the characters and hold off on the final one, but I also needed to read more Hoffman... that's when I noticed The Invisible Hour appeared on NetGalley, and I was lucky enough to get a copy. Very different (yet remarkably similar, this book focuses on Ivy and her daughter, Mia, who grow up on a commune in Western Massachusetts. All the usual things that happen on communes occur, both bad and good, which prompts Mia to run away after an incident. She's taken in by a kind librarian and her girlfriend, and that's when the book takes different turn. Mia transports back in time to be with her favorite author, Nathanial Hawthorne, as she felt like the stigma of the scarlet letter symbolized their life on the commune. That's when Hoffman teases readers by showing us that Mia inspired Hawthorne to write the book, and the book is what saved Mia from staying on the commune and bring abused.

Loved the concept; less magical than other books, as it was just the concept of transporting through time rather than spells and potions. I think I prefer the spells and potions, but adoring Hawthorne's books made me also feel connected to this one. Slightly confusing at times, the plot zigzagged through history to connect several characters and relationships. Ultimately, I view this less as a plot-based contemporary/historical novel and more as a character-based literary novel. Life lessons are taught. Imagery is shared to push readers to think about how and why things happen. Are coincidences always coincidences, or has someone like Fate been pulling strings. A good way to experience Hoffman, but I wouldn't start with this book as your intro. Looking forward to sample more in the future.

First off, I want to say that Alice Hoffman is my favorite contemporary author and that will never change for me. Her writing is always whimsical and spiritual and her prose is always brilliant. I am still reading this because once it hit the time travel mark I have been trudging through. I like the time travel bit, but the relationship with Nathaniel Hawthorne is hard for me to swallow. I love how she makes you care about her characters, but for some reason I don’t care much about him. Besides being a brilliant writer, I don’t have a strong sense of compassion from him. This is where the story has some issues. I would perhaps have loved to see Nathaniel travel to the present, perhaps being pulled to Mia in some transformative way because of a writing block. Her power is to heal him. And take it from there. Oh well. Still a wonderful read if not up to par with her other novels. And not every one of them have to be perfect. She is the best, always!

Thanks netgalley and s&s for allowing me to review an ARC of this book!

Mia grew up in the cold confines of the Community, a cultish commune in western massachusetts, where her only lifeline is her beloved mother, and the library that is supposed to be forbidden to her. After her mother tragically dies, Mia finally runs, finding a new life for herself, but is still haunted by the memories of the community, and saved by hiding in books, until the distant past and her future collide.

I love how hoffman writes and the first half of the book was so damn beautiful to me- so much regret and hidden joy and it was just so special. The magical jump, initally, was a little too much for me. In the end, it worked out but it was still, even in a magical world, a bridge too far. But i still enjoyed this quick read, and the authors note at the beginning was really special. I feel like i need to recisit some hawthorne after reading this.

❤️ 3.5 stars, really.

Such a magical story about the power of books. The
Invisible Hour is a multi-generational story of a
mother's love, the magic books hold, and a girl's story
to coming into her own.
I loved the story of both Ivy and Mia growing up and
into themselves. Ivy strives to do everything she could
for Mia as a mother, and Mia finally realizes this years
later. The aspect of cults has always fascinated me, and
this book definitely gives you an inside look to that life
Mia's found family, her love of reading, her
determination all made for a character you continually
rooted for. This was a beautifully written storv.
Mia Jacob is a member of the cultish Community where
rules are stringent and reading books aren't allowed.
After tragedy hits, Mia finds solace in forbidden books
at the local library where she picks up The Scarlet
Letter. She finds such comfort in the story because it
reminds her of her mother Ivy and all she went through.
Mia was at her darkest when she connected with the
book and it's author Nathaniel Hawthorne which gave
her the strength to escape the Community and begin
her new life.
Through her connection with The Scarlet Letter and
love for the author she discovers books can also guide
you through time travel and help your dreams come
true. She finally meets the love of her life when she
travels back in time, but she starts to struggle with
becoming invisible. Her dream has come true, but what
will the consequences be? Will finally meeting her love
change everything that occurred before? She struggles
with living out her dream and ensuring to keep the future intact.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CrqNV21rgun/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I'm a fan of Alice Hoffman so of course I was excited to be allowed to read this arc.

I really enjoyed reading about the character Mia and her escaping from that community

The story lost me with the time travel stuff.

Overall, a good story that I recommend

Thanks Atria and Netgalley.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

This is of my favorite authors and have always loved the whimsical, enchanting tone that a lot of her stories take. The first part of this book really had me so drawn to the plight of both women and how the love of books is both transformative, but also sets them apart and makes them different from other people. I really liked how this idea really encompasses this concept from the scarlet letter and uses this to tell the story. The tie in with Nathaniel Hawthorne however just feels forced. The book is demonstrated to be something that saves Mia and then out of nowhere there is time travel and fantasy elements that really do not work with the original story. It ended up feeling like I went in reading fiction and then the book just decided to change up the genre and become disjointed. This did not really work for me as a reader. I felt that the book was trying to tie in the stories about the mother and daughter, however it just did not get there for me. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. I still felt that this was a good read.

Prepare to be swept away on a journey of sorrow, mystery, love and magical adventures.

Ivy finds herself pregnant and alone at the tender age of 16. Rather than give her child up as her father insists, she chooses to run away and join a commune. At first, she feels loved and secure and feels privileged to be courted by the leader, Joel, and she soon becomes his wife. When Mia is born, the rules state that the child must be shared with The Community. Not long after Mia’s birth, Ivy realizes The Community is worse than the home she left behind. Women cannot make their own decisions, they must share their children with everyone, they are told what to wear, they are subordinate. To Ivy, escape seemed an impossibility. To Mia, escape is inevitable.

When tragedy strikes, Mia runs and seeks refuge with the kind town librarian. She will never feel safe and secure from Joel’s retribution, but she finds an escape in the world of books, especially “The Scarlet Letter”. It’s almost as if that book was written about her mother. Mia fancies herself in love with Nathaniel Hawthorne and her imagination allows her to emotionally escape to a better time where she can fall in love and feel safe in his arms. Or can she truly travel through time and back again?

This book brings an awareness to current issues through artful wording and beautiful prose. It’s as happy as it is sad. It’s as beautiful as it is tragic. It’s as light as it is heavy.

This impactful book deserves 5 stars. It completely captured my imagination. Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC. The Invisible Hour hits the shelves in August 2023.

DNF - The story didn’t pull me in the way Alice Hoffman’s stories usually do, and the relationships felt off, the writing felt off, the dialogue felt stilted, and I just wasn’t invested enough to stick with the story when it went off in a completely different direction.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was my first book by Hoffman. The storyline was good but the overlap didn't really work for me. I struggled to finish

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman What started out as an exciting and promising book took a steeeeeep nosedive into nothing but a lyrical rant about current controversies. Ivy is alone and pregnant with no where to go but West of the Moon. She finds The Community and Joel finds her. This cult is where Mia, Ivy’s daughter, is raised and where she eventually flees. Part 2 is when it plummets into awful. We now are introduced to a young Nathaniel Hawthorne. What could have been a beautiful, albeit weird, love story is turned into a political rant and it leaves the story in the background. Just yikes and ewww.

Thank you to #atriabooks and #netgalley for an advanced readers copy.

This was my introduction to Alice Hoffman and I’m grateful for it. Excellent story, great writing, I am hooked

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman, publication date set to be August 15, 2023 by Atria

This book is a story of family - both biological and chosen. It's a story of love and heartbreak mixed with a bit of magic.

I chose to request this ARC because I absolutely loved Practical Magic and The Bookstore Sisters. This book did not disappoint. What I view as Hoffman's trademark feminism was present. The novel was beautifully written with excellent character development. It's my favorite of the three novels of hers I've read so far! Five stars!

Alice Hoffman is the type of wonderful author that has the ability to turns words into music. Every time I read her books, the writing just flows from the page that reminiscently sounds like a score from Beethoven or Mozart's greatest works. I LOVED this book. This book is brimming with romance, history, drama, and classic literature (Hi Nathaniel Hawthorne!). I sat down and was lost in the wonderful world and story Ms. Hoffman created, and did not want to return to everyday life until I turned the last page. You won't regret reading this book, it is breathtaking. One of the best I have read this year! Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher! Ten Stars!!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up and I think that might have made it all the better. This book is a love letter to books and to writers and to readers and to the mighty power of reading in our lives. I myself have found myself saved by the power of the written word and this book encompassed all of those feelings and more, all written in with Alice Hoffman's beautiful prose. What I read here is going to stick with me forever. The story that Hoffman weaves of a girl raised in a bad place with a mother trying to do her best and the ways in which her life unspools from there through the kindness and love shown to her along with the choices she makes for herself was beautiful. I cried and I smiled and I fell so deeply in love with everything written here. This book has touched me deeply and I am so glad that I got read it. Just like it celebrates the power and magic of books, it is part of that power and magic.

Within the archaic confines of The Community in Western Massachusetts, runaway Ivy Jacobs and her daughter Mia are dreaming of a better life--a life of freedom in which their every thought isn't decided for them. In The Community, children are shared by all, contact with the outside world is prohibited, and books are forbidden. As Mia grows up under the oppressive eye of The Community's leader, her rebellious spirit and love for books--particularly "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, grows as well.

Before long, Mia's trips to the library do lead to that life she's been dreaming of for so long.
And so much more.

"The Invisible Hour" is--somehow--my first venture into the magical world of Alice Hoffman. Despite it coming in under 300 pages, it's a well-crafted, wide-sweeping story that surpasses the boundaries of time, place, and generation. Hoffman's descriptive, transportive writing certainly bears an enchanting quality; and, despite the heaviness of the story, there were moments where it felt light, otherworldly, and wonderfully-escapist.

Overall, the plot of "The Invisible Hour" tries to accomplish a lot in a few amount of pages. There were moments when the story felt slightly disjointed or mis-paced a bit, but for the most part I really enjoyed Mia's journey and the magical realism elements to it. Without giving too much away, there was a part of this story that was completely unexpected, and though it was decently-executed, I'm still not sure how I felt about it or its blending of worlds.

Nonetheless, "The Invisible Hour" is an ode to the many lives books allow us to live; this is a read for readers everywhere, and for those longing to find freedom in a place yet unknown. Just lovely.

So amazing. Has cults which I love and a beautiful story. Definitely liked the first section more than the second but still great.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman follows a girl born in a cult-like community that treats women similarly to how they were in the early 1800s. While secretly visiting the nearby town's library, she finds a new world within the books - ones that she's not supposed to read. What follows is a time-bending adventure that incorporates a lot of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter and even the author himself. It's also a view of how much things have changed for women even though we're still dealing with issues related to our own choices today. The Invisible Hour has all the beautiful, verbose descriptions that Alice Hoffman shows in her prior works which also can be compared to how Hawthorne writes as well. For anyone who love Hoffman's Practical Magic series or have even liked Emilia Hart's Weyward, you would really enjoy The Invisible Hour. I only rated it 4 stars out of 5 stars as I was a bit confused by the ending and I'm learning that these types of stories aren't really my favorites even though I think I'm an outlier on that. I'm sure this could be a 5 star or maybe even a new favorite for many readers.

Ivy's story---all in on it.
Mia's story---loved it.
Nathaniel's story---just fine.
The overlap---didn't work for me.

Starting off with a teenager's escape to a commune (CULT) to have a baby, it was interesting to see how Ivy changed AND stayed the same, to watch her relationship with Mia grow, and to see some glimpses into the power struggles within the camp. Mia's life was interesting, but I was completely thrown off by the time travel and the relationship between Mia and Nathaniel.

Eventually, I did wind back around to the story. The tie ins to Mia's influence on Nathaniel and the importance of facing struggles kept me going to the end.

Overall: 3.5 stars

I'll tell my students about: sex, language, physical violence, LGBTQIA+, parental death, trauma

**Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**