In reading Alice Hoffman I’m always hoping for another Turtle Moon, The Dovekeepers, A Marriage of Opposites. But more often I find The Invisible Hour, another story of ill-fated love in a magical setting. And with Nathaniel Hawthorne no less! (He who seems to be having a moment of romanticism in modern writing.) Add a very political message and you’re smack in the middle of one of Hoffman’s slightly interchangeable stories. Which I’ll keep reading in hope of the difference I know she’s capable of.

This was an enjoyable read, but it was almost as if I were reading two different books in how quickly it veered off in the "time travel" direction. It was well done in how it combined the two (and quite cleverly so). I'm just not the biggest fan of time travel and I guess I didn't pay attention to what the blurb or prior reviews were telling me. All in all, I think many will enjoy this one.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is intriguing, magical and utterly captivating.

Mia’s journey was incredibly powerful.
A beautiful journey of heartbreak, love, and time.
This was an enthralling novel about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books.
I couldn't help but be so drawn into this story.
The details and descriptions were so vivid and full of emotion.
A magical and compelling story right from the start.
I love Hoffman’s writing style. She is a master at storytelling and it shows here.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors. While this was an enchanting read and time spent reading an Alice Hoffman book is always time well spent, this one wasn’t a favorite. Still, it home when we consider our freedoms to read, and more importantly what we do with our bodies are at risk.

More like 3.5*

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is the story of Ivy Jacob, a young woman who, finding herself pregnant and unwed in her teen years and without help from her family, decides to leave home in Boston, Massachusetts, and make her way to a commune three hours from home, led by a charismatic leader, where she remains for the rest of her life.

The commune, or farm, has strict working schedules; their members aren’t allowed to socialize with locals, books are banned, and reading is only allowed, from pamphlets, for religious purposes. The punishments for those who infringe the rules go from having their hair shorn, public shaming, branding of the initials for the broken rules, and enforced isolation.

Ivy Jacob, who first thought had been rescued by angels, grows increasingly disillusioned in this environment, but by then she is trapped beyond measure. Joel Davis, the leader of the farm, a man as magnetic as he is dangerous, took an instant liking to Ivy upon her arrival and made her his wife, promising to become a father to her baby daughter.

Mia, Ivy’s daughter—the protagonist— grows as free as it’s allowed in the farm under her mother’s protection. Nurturing the young is not encouraged, but Ivy and Mia develop a strong mother-daughter bond. Ivy was an avid reader in her earlier life, and she passes on her love for fairy tales to Mia. On Mia’s fifteen birthday, she discovers the joy of reading by visiting stealthily the local library. It’s there that she finds a first edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter with an inscription that speaks to her. The book’s story speaks to her as well; for the first time in her life she feels seen.

Over the next few months, a confluence of events will make Mia realize that there may be a life outside the commune, a life that is beckoning and whose call cannot longer be ignored.

Enthralling and page turning, The Invisible Hour is a novel with a prologue and three parts, a love letter to feminism, a woman’s agency, reading, libraries, and to The Scarlet Letter in particular. It reads easily and is a fine mix of literary and historical fiction, in which the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne becomes as central to the story as Mia Jacob is.

I liked the direction the book took; I thought it was original and well concocted, an origin story of sorts about The Scarlet Letter and how it came to be. Rather than writing a straightforward historical narrative, Hoffman took a risk that paid off. The Invisible Hour is not the best Alice Hoffman has written, or probably will, but it is entertaining, well told, and different. What more can this reader ask?

Disclaimer: The publisher provided me with a digital ARC, via Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Like other Hoffman books, this had me quickly engrossed in the story. I was fascinated by life at the community and rooting for Ivy and Mia. The second half lost me a little… I saw where she was going but something just didn’t work quite right. Maybe it wasn’t long enough? It almost felt like two short stories in one book. Still, it was a 4 star read for me, just would have liked to see a little more.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Alice hoffman never disappoints . This is the story of Mia raised in a puritanical cult that her Mother Ivy found herself caught in .Ivy shows Mia the library and there she finds a book that speaks to her and her situation . The Scarlet letter written 200 years earlier by Nathaniel Hawthorne .Somehow inside the cover is inscribed to Mia.How this happens and the wonderful enchanting story it tells will leave you enchanted . A wonderful , riveting , magical book

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc, I am a big Alice Hoffman fan and this book was similar to her other books in that it has a sense of magical/mysticness all thru the novel. It tells the story of Mia, who finds The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and is then transported back in time. I enjoyed being reintroduced to The Scarlet Letter as an adult who has not read it since high school. Again, I loved the magical elements in this book and as usual with Hoffman’s books, The New England setting was charming and perfect and almost acted as another character in this story. Very enjoyable novel!

"What was over was over, what was done was done, this was a world of love, and those who had been here would be loved evermore."

Alice Hoffman is one of those authors that writes in a way that stays with you long after you finish the book. I always look forward to seeing what's new from her. This time, the theme and the timing touches on some of the issues we, as readers and women, face now.

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The book begins with Ivy, a rebellious young woman in the 70's, who becomes pregnant. After her family and boyfriend reject her, she joins a cult and marries the cult leader in search of the love and acceptance she never found. She finds everything she could ever want in her daughter, Mia.

As strong-willed as her mother, Mia longs to escape the cult that her mother initially found shelter in. Thanks to her mother's shared love of reading, and secret visits to the library, Mia awakens to the many faults of the cult, including child abuse. Mia wants to run away with her mother, but Ivy dies before that happens, leaving Mia to find the strength to leave on her own. She contemplates suicide but is saved by a book she stole from the library, The Scarlet Letter, whose words inside it make Mia feel like they were speaking to her. After asking for help from Sarah, the town's librarian, she escapes the oppression of the cult.

After many years, Mia finds herself out of college and working in the New York Public Library. Mia is called back home to a funeral, and it is here in her grief she finds herself seeking shelter by Nathanial Hawthorne's grave. She travels back in time and meets the writer that saved her life. But as she falls for him, and he falls for her, the distance between them threatens to pull them apart; as well as the looming threat of her stepfather, who blames Mia for his cult's undoing.
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One of the things I loved most about this book was the way that Alice Hoffman was able to bind together the importance of stories. It's a fantastic testament to the power of words, and the relationship between writers and their readers.

"That's why we have novels. To make sense out of things."

I absolutely fell in love with Mia's character, who despite the odds, dug deep to find the strength in herself to keep going. She finds empowerment in knowledge, a gift from learning how to read, and due to this stands by the belief that women should have the right to make their own decisions.

This is a theme that is brought up many times throughout the book, although I don't believe that it came off in a preaching way. One of the other things I loved so much about this book, was that the author uses examples from past and present to highlight why it's so important for women to make their own decisions. Knowledge is power, and I do believe that unless our younger women are taught what society thought of women in the past, they won't understand why it's so important to keep fighting for this.

" "Tell me women get to make their own choices someday. Tell me there's a time when we can choose our own fate." Mia thought of how much courage it took to go against the rules. She could not say it would always be different in her own time. "I can tell you that we try." "

There was very little that I didn't enjoy about the book. Alice Hoffman introduced me to magical realism, so the time-traveling element didn't jar me. I think where I took issue with the book, is that I fell in love with Mia so much, I wasn't ready to see the world through Nathanial Hawthorne's eyes. And once I was finally back in Mia's perspective, it seemed the end of the book came too soon.

All in all, this was a magical, uplifting read. I would recommend this to any woman I know, even those who magical realism isn't their usual style. It's a love letter to women, readers, and writers, and I couldn't be more thrilled that I was selected for an advanced copy.

Thank you very much NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC, and Alice Hoffman for another beautiful story.

alice hoffman is intensely readable and this book is no departure from that. a quick, breezy little fairytale with an absolutely WILD twist halfway through that does...strain the limits of your suspension of belief, i'll admit, but who cares, i enjoyed it. drags a bit in the second act, and the third part gets a tiny bit goofy, but like i said - it's a fairytale. why not. i had a great time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as all of Alice Hoffman’s novels. I will definitely recommend this to everyone I know.

As with every Hoffman book, this book is written almost like a fairy tale-- a sense of magic and good versus evil pervades every page, even though this doesn't actually have much in the way of fantasy (aside from the time travel at the very end). This book is a quick read, focusing primarily on a young woman's life as she grows up within the confines of a commune/cult and eventually escapes, to live with a lesbian couple who take her in, surrounded by books. I love that Mia is sort of on the fringes of society, a loner with deep-seated fears and issues, but she doesn't get hung up on those issues or ever venture into 'woe-is-me' territory. A lot of the cult movies and literature I've watched/read ends up being too much of a slow burn, but the pacing here really worked. Can't wait to see what Ms. Hoffman has up her sleeve next!

All of Hoffman's fiction is lyrical prose and magical. The Invisible Hour celebrates the relation between the story and the reader and blurs the lines. Hoffman illustrates how discovering a book can make a bleak life bearable, as well as using time travel to explore cultural commentary about limitations placed on women through Nathanial Hawthorne's time period. I found the story of Ivy and Mia very moving and powerful. I did think the last section of the story when she travels back to the Berkshires in 1840(?) a little less compelling, and found myself wanting something else. That said, it is a totally compelling read and Hoffman's fans will not be disappointed. If you have never read her, choose another title first, then savor this slowly. I liked her personal prologue, and her celebration of libraries. I received an advanced copy of this for an honest review from Netgalley. My friends will have to wait til August to read.

I recently read all of the books in the Practical Magic series, and enjoyed the world Alice Hoffman has cultivated in her books. Was really excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley for her new book, The Invisible Hour.

Mia, the main character finds The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and is then transported back in time. I enjoyed being reintroduced to The Scarlet Letter as an adult who has not read it since high school. Love the magic in this book and as usual with Hoffman’s books, I was absorbed into her picture-perfect New England setting while reading. All in all, it was a very memorable book that highlights the power of books, libraries, words and women.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved the letter in the beginning of the book from the author to the readers. It prepared me to realize the power of words upon a persons soul, their being, their entire reason for life.

I loved the beginning with Ivy and Mia. I could have stayed in that part of the book the entire time. I loved the ways in which Ivy and Mia would break the Community's rules.

Then the second part and Mia meets Nathanial. I suspended disbelief and still was loving the story.

Part 3....ok, what did I just read? What happened? What happened to Mia? we know what happened to Nathanial, but what about Mia and why would Joel get arrested?
I was confused.

Overall the book started out strong and then began to peter out as the pages went by.
Still a solid novel by the author and one I would recommend to anyone wanting escapism.

I am a huge Alice Hoffman fan. I have read and loved so many of her books and this book was no exception ! Her books are always so captivating and magical. I loved how this book captured the feeling that books are so powerful and can change your life. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter literally saved Mia’s life and changed the course of her life completely. It gave her the hope and courage she needed to leave the Community. 4.5 stars !! I highly recommend this for book lovers !

Thanks for Netgalley and Atria Books for my Arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first Alice Hoffman book and I was sold!
I love the time loop and how it all played out. I don't want to give to much away but it was written so beautifully. And showed that just because are are able to escape horrible things in your life doesn't mean that they won't come back to haunt you.

I guess I need to do some disclaimers:
1) I received an advance copy from the publisher in return for a fair review. As you could see from my other reviews, I have no issues speaking my mind on what I don't like!
2) Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite writers. But I don't love everything she writes-- there's even a dnf in there. So not a guaranteed glowing review
3) I work at the House of Seven Gables. And yes, there was a scene in the book that had me screaming at the author and which a part will be quoted in our closing procedures ("if you see a red-headed woman or anyone else, don't do what this guy did"). But overall, we don't want a bad book associated with us so if it was a bad book, I would be slamming it!

All that being said, I loved the book. The writing brought the story so alive and you really became a part of the story. And such a creative story- it never went where I thought it was going! Loved her portrayal of Handsome Hawthorne and his family. She was smart not to do too many scenes in Salem- any inaccuracies there would have damned her in town, they're v picky about such things!

So why did I do 4 star? Well, the mechanics of the time travel were unclear. And the ending was murky. It's probably a 4.5 and as much as I loved the book and Hawthorne's new role as leading man, there was just something missing. that I can't quite describe. Although if the book brings lots of attention (and donations) to the Hawthorne Birthplace, I'll bump my score up to 5 stars! That poor building gets forgotten against the Gables. Just please come during regular hours and enter where you should!

Book Title: The Invisible Hour
Author: Alice Hoffman
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Historical Fiction -Mystery
Pub Date: August 15, 2023
My Rating: 3.5 Stars

I read "Rules of Magic" when I was looking for something to download and this novel appeared. Knew nothing about this story but was expecting some magic! SO I downloaded it!
Story turned out far more interesting than I expected. Since I enjoyed it, I then put author:, Alice Hoffman on my TBR list :)

When Ivy Jacobs the only child of strict Boston parents was only sixteen when she got pregnant in high school (her boyfriend and father of the baby wants nothing to do with her or the baby), she has no choice but to follow her parents orders by going away, having her baby and giving the baby up for adoption.
However, Ivy wants to keep her baby so runs away and ends up in a community in Blackwell, Massachusetts. At that time Ivy wasn’t aware that community was a strict religious cult.
Ivy gives birth to her baby girl she names Mia. . . . . This is where this story begins.

When Ivy sudden dies Mia can no longer tolerate this strict environment and attempts to escape.
Books are banned and communication with the outside world is not allowed. There is an exception and that is when they go to town to sell their produce in the town market. One time Mia was able to sneak away and ended up at the Library where she finds Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter".
She loves the power of the written word and Hawthorne’s story gives her hope; she knows she must make her way back in time.

The story does involve time travel which I always love.
It cover show Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter came to be written.
However, it was only a few months ago that I read "Hester" by author, Laurie Lico Albanese. It s the story of Hester Prynne, the heroin who was the inspiration for Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter".. I really enjoy that story however, it did take away some of my enjoyable of this story. I am sure the opposite would have happened if I read this one first.
Looking forward to the next Alice Hoffman story!
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Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 15, 2023

1. What a strange and delightful read this is.
2. Time travel, cults, books, libraries…you never quite know what’s around the corner in this one.
3. I don’t think I read this, it’s more that I swallowed it whole. I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know.
4. Now I need to read all that Nathaniel Hawthorne I’ve put off reading all my life…and maybe a biography or two.