The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is a heartwarming and enchanting novel that explores the power of books and the magic they possess. Mia Jacob, the protagonist of the story, finds solace and strength in The Scarlet Letter when she is at her lowest point. The novel takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, love, and heartbreak as Mia leaves behind the rules of the oppressive cult she grew up in and discovers the power of reading.

Hoffman weaves a beautiful tale that is both timeless and modern. The story explores themes of love, family, and the human spirit's resilience. The author's writing is evocative and poetic, transporting readers to another time and place. Hoffman's descriptions of the Community, Mia's childhood home, and her journey through time are vivid and immersive.

The characters in the novel are well-crafted, and the relationships between them are complex and nuanced. Mia is a strong and relatable protagonist, and readers will root for her throughout the story. The love story between Mia and the brilliant writer she falls in love with is beautifully written, and their connection feels authentic and genuine.

Overall, The Invisible Hour is a stunning novel that will leave readers feeling uplifted and inspired. Hoffman's masterful storytelling and beautiful prose make this a must-read for anyone who loves books and the power they possess to change lives.

When young Ivy Jacob becomes pregnant in high school, her parents give her little choice but to be sent away to give birth in private - eventually giving her child up for adoption. Raised in a strict, religious family in Boston, Ivy makes the ultimate decision to run away from home where she eventually ends up in a place called the Community in Blackwell, Massachusetts. Unbeknownst to her, Ivy has entered in a religious cult run by a man known as Joel Davis, who ultimately names Ivy as one of his wives and is declared the father of Ivy's child, Mia. Mia grows up in this environment, always feeling like something isn't quite right, but her and her mother's shared love of books that manages to carry her through. After Ivy's sudden passing, however, Mia is forced to take her life in her own hands and attempts to escape the Community. Her love of literature continues to follow her as an adult and it's her deep connection to "The Scarlet Letter" written by Nathaniel Hawthorne that gives her a pathway forward.

This is my first foray into Alice Hoffman's writing so I didn't quite expect the shift into magical realism / time travel in the later sections of the book. The first 2/3rds or so of the novel is strictly contemporary fiction and the passages I connected with most; you follow Ivy's story as she upends her life in an attempt to keep her daughter before it transitions to Mia's perspective as she grows up and realizes the Community she was raised in is far from just. The latter sections of the book and her interactions from Nathaniel Hawthorne felt quite jarring to me, especially with the unexpected element of romance thrown in.

I ultimately think this is a well-written novel with elegant prose that highlights the power of literature and books, but was perhaps executed in a way that I couldn't fully appreciate.

I just finished reading “The Invisible Hour” by Alice Hoffman. This book was provided to me an an advanced reader copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, it was a wonderful book. I am a bit biased as Alice Hoffman is one of my all time favorite authors. Like most Hoffman books, this book envelops the reader in a world of magic from the very start. Even the ordinary, mundane things are magical.

There were a few places, particularly in the middle where I wasn’t sure I loved it. There were a few parts that seemed completely incongruous and took me out of the ex-Erie ce of the book. However, by the end I was won over enough to overlook those minor disruptions.

Overall, I loved it. It was all the beauty and magic I expect from Hoffman, but uniquely its own at the same time. I finished it in only a few settings and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys magical realism/fantasy.

Ivy was unmarried and pregnant when she arrived at the Community. They took her in and helped raise her daughter, Mia. Once she discovered that the Community was an oppressive cult, it was too late to get them both out. As a teenager, Mia is desperate to escape by any means necessary. One day she discovers The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The book closely aligns with her mother's story and the power of the words gives her a reason to live. She finds a way out, but the Community won't let her go easily. Through time and magic, Mia learns how to save herself.

I really liked this book. The magical realism really threw me halfway through, but once I understood what I was going on I was able to get back into it. I was really rooting for Mia. I also loved the idea of the power of words and how writers can impact their readers for centuries.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Mia Jacob, growing completely within a cult like community, knows nothing more than the farm she grew up on and the books she sneaks and steals from the local library.

After leaving the Community, attending school, and opening her eyes to more literary works, she falls in love with the writing and author, Nathaniel Hawthorne.

I really enjoyed reading about Mia, her mother's past, and the Community and her ultimate steps toward escaping.

The story lost me a bit with the time travel and falling in love with an author that died so long ago.

Overall, very well written.

I first read The Scarlet Letter in my high school English class as a junior; my teacher was Mrs Copperud. It was the first book I read in which symbolism played a major part of the storytelling and plot. I was absolutely fascinated with the story, the characters, and how an author could craft a story with all of these moving parts. Did Hawthorne set out to write a book with symbolism in mind, or did that just come as the story unfolded? It is still the one book that fascinates me - it’s a true result of craftsmanship and masterful attention to detail.

As I was scrolling through Netgalley looking for a book that piqued my interest, I first noticed the cover of The Invisible Hour. It is stunning! And then I read the blurb - a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter with a time travel element in which the main character, Mia, actually meets and falls in love with Hawthorne? I was in!

I absolutely loved everything about this story! There are strong female characters; it tells the story about the power books have and the importance of libraries. Alice Hoffman weaves a grand tale and her writing is superb.

Thanks to @netgalley @atriabooks and @ahoffmanwriter for the opportunity to read The Invisible Hour early in exchange for an honest review. It’s not often I give a 5-star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Release date is August 15

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is a story about the power of books and the importance of libraries.
As an avid reader, I loved that she includes libraries in this story. And more than just one library too!!! The history she includes about one library in particular is incredible.

In The Invisible Hour, we meet Ivy and read about her tragic story. I loved this character so much. I appreciated where Ivy was and what she had to deal with in her youth, that made her so strong and determined later on.

Then along comes Mia. Like mother, like daughter, the two share a love of reading and the feeling of magic and sanctuary that is found in the public library. Although, where they live, reading is forbidden and books are banned, this doesn’t stop them! With Mia's journey, the discovery of her own ability to love and to right the wrongs suffered by her mother, make her the heroine in this novel to me. I appreciated the delightful blend of magic and woman power to a story that indebts its foundations to the novel, The Scarlet Letter.

As this enchanting story continues, it becomes centered around that very famous book and its very famous author. Alice Hoffman has created yet another love story with a magical secretive travel that takes us back and forth in time. What a great ride!

The Invisible Hour is unique and certainly a love letter to the power of words, books and women.
Thanks to Atria Books, Alice Hoffman & Goodreads for an advanced readers copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Another amazing novel by Alice Hoffman. You can never go wrong with one of her books.

I'm pretty sure Alice Hoffman can do wrong in my eyes...I've loved everything she's ever written, and 'the invisible hour' was no exception. I haven't read Hawthorne's 'Scarlet Letter' since high school, and this novel, a contemporary re-telling of the story (with time travel!) introduced a very memorable version of Nathaniel in the flesh. The setting is typical for Hoffman...a bucolic, idealized New England that exists only her novels and always draws me in and makes me want to live in a farmhouse with chickens, picking apples from my orchard.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

Mia Jacobs is born out of wedlock. Her mother, Ivy, has no choice but to find a new place to live when faced with her parents' disapproval. Mia and Ivy find a new home at a compound with strict rules and an erratic leader. Mia and Ivy find strength in each other. Mia is not allowed to attend public schools. But she does find solace in the library and books she has read. She cherishes a copy of Letter with an inscription to Mia. As she ages, her mother does her best to protect her from her erratic stepfather, the commune's leader.

Ivy is killed in an accident at the commune, leaving Mis alone. Mia quickly realizes she cannot stay in the commune. Mia seeks help from the only friend outside the community she has—the librarian from the local library. The librarian and her friend help Mia escape. And they offer her a safe place to live. Mia takes her most treasured possession, her copy of the Scarlet Letter. With Sarah and Constance, Mia slowly overcomes past traumas creating a life for herself that includes college and a career.


After constance dies, leaving Sarah and Mia shattered, they must find a way to move on. As Mia and Helen adjust to their new life. Suddenly Mia is transported to the 16th century. In this alternate world, Mia finds comfort in a man, Nathaniel Hawthorne. They spend blissful time together before nMia must return to her world.
The time travel, which occurs toward the end of the book, made me want to go back and read the book looking for clues to Mia's time travel. While I am usually not a fan of F time travel books, this one works for me. This book has a unique plot, tension and surprises. And characters I could care about.

The story begins with a seventeen year old girl, Ivy, who finds herself pregnant. Her “boyfriend” wants nothing more to do with her and she overhears her parents making plans to send her away and put the baby up for adoption, something she definitely does not want. She runs away and becomes part of a Community in western Massachusetts. The Community is a cult, which claims to be based on love, but is in reality a very oppressive way of life, run by a controlling man that creates the rules. The members are not allowed books, the children are to be raised by everyone, there are strict rules and if they are broken, punishment can be imposed in many ways - including being branded. Ivy gives birth to Mia, and she is raised in this Community. Mia is now a teenager and discovers the library and a love for books. Of course, this goes against the cult and she ends up escaping. Mia is saved through her love of books and the kindness of a librarian.

There comes a point in the book that Mia travels back in time, to meet Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of her favorite book - the book she felt saved her life. I don’t want to give everything away so I’ll stop with the story there.

I thought the characters were well written. I really cared about Ivy, Mia and the people that showed Mia so much love and kindness. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story of Mia’s life in the cult, her escape, the people who help her and her evolution into adulthood. The story lost a little interest for me with the time travel. I felt it was a little too predictable and not as captivating.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and would give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Alice Hoffman book and certainly won't be my last. I haven't read a good magical, historical fiction book in a while. This is a great book to read if you want to feel the power of women. Very much enjoyed.

I seriously don't think Alice Hoffman can do any wrong! Such a fun book and so perfectly written. Two of my favorite genres perfectly combined - historical fiction and magical realism.

The excitement of getting to read a brand new Alice Hoffman book! I was over the moon!

This is my fifth Alice Hoffman read and it was just magical.

I loved how it brought in the Nathanial Hawthorne narrative and how the Scarlet Letter came to be written.

Time travel is another of my favourite narratives so I was so happy to see that Alice Hoffman crafted this into the story.

The book starts with Ivy, a 17 year old girl who is pregnant by her boyfriend. When he tells her he doesn’t want anything to do with the baby and her parents plan to send her away until the baby is born and insists that the baby be given up for adoption, Ivy runs away and finds a Community on a farm with a controlling leader who becomes her husband. There she gives birth to her daughter, Mia, the main character of this novel. And where the magic comes to life, not just in time travel but Hoffman’s writing in general.

That’s the very thing I love about Alice Hoffman’s books, they’re pure magic, her writing is enchanting and full bodied and gorgeous.

If you feel like being swept away in a fairytale then pre order this stunning novel.
Out August 15, 2023.

Thank You @atriabooks & @netgalley for my review eARC.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman blends historical fiction with a hint of magic. Mia Jacobs grows up as part of the Community, where amongst many other things reading books of your choice are forbidden. Women are expected to dress modestly, follow the rules, and work for the Community, while children belong equally to everyone. Mia's entire world is irrevocably changed though, when she realizes that within the town library there are books that can through her imagination can bring her anywhere, and when she finds a copy of the Scarlet Letter with the inscription for Mia, she can't help but feel like it was written specifically for her. Then at the time of most need, she realizes that she can go to other places through her love for books, beyond just her imagination....

The book is easy to read and left my heart feeling squeezed for the women characters. It blends elements of The Scarlet Letter, into a new story and shines a light on elements of female life that have changes, while still others remain. It may be helpful for some readers to note that this story does make Nathaniel Hawthorne, writer of The Scarlet Letter, a character, as historical fiction that uses real people as characters is not for everyone.

This book blends the real world with magic and tells the story of a number of female characters making their way in the world. I would recommend it for people who enjoy books by Alice Hoffman, magical realism, or historical fiction with real people rom history used as part of a historical fiction story. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Invisible Hour is my first Alice Hoffman book. I quickly became absorbed in the book’s storyline and author’s writing style. Her words and descriptions are really captivating and draw the reader in.

This book was really interesting in that it began with a story of a troubled teen living an upscale Bostonian life a generation ago. Without the love and support she so desperately needed, she leaves the life she’s always known to live in a commune in western Massachusetts. Loved this half of the book.

The second half of the book takes a turn as the reader is transported back to 19th Century Massachusetts, following the life of author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Although interesting to gain background on his life, I found the segue to this second half of the book non-existent. I was also not convinced by the time travel aspect of the relationship that blooms. Peppered throughout the book are, in my opinion, a few too many references to specific books.

All in all I’m happy to have been introduced to Alice Hoffman but ultimately the plot just didn’t do it for me. I’m not a huge fan of time traveling love, so this aspect of the book was a miss for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

The Invisible Hour was a story about the love of reading and empowering women. The story revolves around Ivy & Mia who are living at a commune with a horrible man named Joel. The book The Scarlet Letter has a major role in the story as does the author Nathaniel Hawthorne. I really liked the Ivy/Mia timeline, the Nathaniel one was a bit slow for me. I loved the theme of libraries being a safe space and reading being powerful enough to frighten bad people. As a whole, the story worked however the ending left me with questions. I am a fan of this author and while I did not find this book on the same level as some of their other works, I found it very enjoyable.

Mia Jacob lives in a cult-like community with her Mother Ivy. Contact with the outside world is forbidden and books are seen as evil. Mia finds solace in reading the very books that she could be punished for. Her favorite author is Nathaniel Hawthorne; The Scarlet Letter a novel which not only resonates with her current situation but literally saves her life.

The Invisible Hour is a magical new novel by Alice Hoffman in which a book inspires two different life paths for a mother and her daughter. I typically love anything Alice Hoffman writes but this one was definitely one of my least favorite. The first half of the novel was excellent and tells the story of Ivy who finds herself pregnant. As her choices about her pregnancy are taken from her so she runs away and joins a commune whose eccentric leader makes her his wife. Fast forward to her daughter Mia who has grown up in the commune and vows to escape the leaders oppressive grasp. The second half of the novel then introduces Nathaniel Hawthorne prior to his life as a famous author. Mia somehow is transported back in time and they become lovers. This was a bit too much for me but it was still a very enjoyable and entertaining read.

The Invisible Hour, Alice Hoffman's most recent book, is a captivating exploration of the power of language and the enduring allure of literature.

Mia Jacob is a young lady who comes upon a book that appears to describe her mother's life in a western Massachusetts cult. Mia learns that reading may take you to other worlds or bring them to you through a journey of heartache, love, and time as she is forced to breach the rules she was raised with at the Community.

Hoffman's language is exquisite, and she creates a compelling portrait of the challenges of cult life and the influence of literature. Her characters are well-rounded, and the narrative is interesting and provocative.

The Invisible Hour impressed me overall, but I gave it 3.5 stars since I was far more engrossed in the current timeline of Mia than in the journey to the Nathaniel Hawthorne timeline. I would suggest it to anyone who appreciates reading novels that investigate the persuasiveness of language and the enduring allure of books.

In exchange for an unbiased review, Netgalley, Alice Hoffman, and Atria Books provided me with an eARC.

Some things are just a sure thing. Alice Hoffman books are one of those. I screamed when I got the notification that I was being gifted the opportunity to read an advance copy of Alice's newest book, The Invisible Hour. I've loved everything I've read of hers up to this point and knew this one would be just the same. I didn't need to read a synopsis to know I'd want to read this one.

Ivy is just a girl living in her parents' rich world in Beacon Hill. She's a teenager in love with a Harvard student. Unfortunately, she's a bit naive and gets pregnant, believing her boyfriend will be there for her. But he, and her parents, don't seem to care. She leaves, determined to do it on her own, but Ivy doesn't know much about the real world and being a teenage mother. She gratefully falls for the first man to promise to take care of her and her unborn daughter. Community leader Joel falsely represents himself, as so many cult leaders do. Before Ivy realizes this, it's too late. Now, many moons later, her daughter Mia is feeling the strain of being in this world and is saved by the words of Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter. She feels seen and finds her salvation in books, something forbidden by Joel and his Community. Mia seeks a way out, but can we ever truly escape our past?

Thematically this got me with books being both Mia and Ivy's saving grace. Also, the love of a mother. I read Hester in 2022, which focused heavily on The Scarlet Letter, and found myself lost but this one didn't lose me at all, in spite of having never read The Scarlet Letter. It was beautifully written and I lost myself in it a bit.