Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese REVIEW

Hester

by Laurie Lico Albanese

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Blurb

Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress carrying generations of secrets when she sets sail from Scotland in the early 1800s with her husband, Edward. An apothecary who has fallen under the spell of opium, his pile of debts have forced them to flee Edinburgh for a fresh start in the New World. But only days after they've arrived in Salem, Edward abruptly joins a departing ship as a medic––leaving Isobel penniless and alone in a strange country, forced to make her way by any means possible.

When she meets a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, the two are instantly drawn to each other: he is a man haunted by his ancestors, who sent innocent women to the gallows––while she is an unusually gifted needleworker, troubled by her own strange talents. As the weeks pass and Edward's safe return grows increasingly unlikely, Nathaniel and Isobel grow closer and closer. Together, they are a muse and a dark storyteller; the enchanter and the enchanted. But which is which?

In this sensuous and hypnotizing tale, a young immigrant woman grapples with our country's complicated past, and learns that America's ideas of freedom and liberty often fall short of their promise. Interwoven with Isobel and Nathaniel's story is a vivid interrogation of who gets to be a "real" American in the first half of the 19th century, a depiction of the early days of the Underground Railroad in New England, and atmospheric interstitials that capture the long history of "unusual" women being accused of witchcraft. Meticulously researched yet evocatively imagined, Hester is a timeless tale of art, ambition, and desire that examines the roots of female creative power and the men who try to shut it down.

Review

Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was such a new and refreshing take on the classic tale The Scarlett Letter. In Hester, we don't actually focus on Hester, but rather the woman who inspired Hester's character and the novel The Scarlett Letter.

The writing is simply exquisite. The story is so beautiful and enchanting. It's almost as if Isobel Gamble has placed you under her spell. Set in Salem this witchy tale flawlessly takes you back and forth between our main characters present time and the Salem witch trials. The tiny flashbacks to the Salem Witch Trials add a haunting and chilling feeling to the overall story.

Hester is the perfect thing to pick up if you're looking for a spellbinding read. It's the perfect tale for October or any time you'd like a haunting witchy tale.