Hester Prynne's inspiration imagined - A bewitching tale!

Hester, Laurie Lico Albanese

St. Martin's Press, October 4, 2022, 336 pages

Read. This. Book! This title was recommended to me by a friend so I went in knowing nothing about it other than the obvious reference to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Those are always the best reads, aren’t they? You enter a world and get to explore it all without any preconceived notions or ideas about where the journey will take you. So I embarked on this new book much like our heroine Isobel embarks, mostly solo, in the New World.

Oddly enough, Hawthorne’s disciples are able to track the inspirations of all his books, except one. Who was the muse for Hester Prynne? Albanese throws us into a world that may hold the answer in this beautifully written novel about female empowerment and competition, struggles of the oppressed and making new starts. My only regret is that there were no pictures to show the beautiful, ornate designs of our beloved Isobel as we rooted for her the entire time. (I want a pair of leopard gloves!) Isobel is vulnerable, yet stoic and fierce in her own delicate way. She's the friend we all want to have and unfortunately she has a tough row to hoe before she is able to rest among the good people and detach herself from the misguided.

I enjoyed all the characters I met, even the dubious ones, and wished there was any possiblity for a sequel. I missed this book as soon as it was over! My friend gave me her copy that she rented from the library. I read the borrowed copy and loved it so much, including the gorgeous cover art, that I had to have my own. I purchased it from PangoBooks - a new-to-me app to buy and sell used books - and I think I may endeavor to read it again right away! I found PangoBooks from Bookstagram (@sequillreviews - I'd love a follow!) which I have come to love, giving more than just book recommendations but how to feed my reading habit economically!

For Hester, well done, Ms. Albanese: I am bewitched! It was exquisite much like the adornments created by Isobel, and I impatiently await your next novel, whatever and whenever that may be. For now I am left with a sound truth: You think you know, but you have no idea. People are always more than what they seem, for better or for worse, and Nat Hawthorne can be one steamy literary....Who knew!?

Grab your copy today and consider shopping local this holiday season to support your local economy and independent bookstores!