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DEEP & TWISTY - SUSPENSE STORIES (GROWN-UPS)
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Start giftingHester
A Novel
Bookseller recommendation
“I listened to Hester via Libro.fm and loved the book. I was originally a little hesitant but that quickly went away once the story began to unwind. Hester is the fictionalized story of the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's Hester Prynn in The Scarlet Letter. But this story is so much more than that. It is the story of a woman who embraces her life, destiny, and supernatural powers and creates a life that she lives on her terms. It is beautiful and inspiring and just a great all around story.”
— Rebecca • Rediscovered Books
Bookseller recommendation
“A nicely woven tale of love and betrayal. Perfect for fans of New England history. I loved the voice in this and Saskia Maarleveld captures it perfectly. Hearing about Salem, Hawthorne, the witch trials, and the struggles of women through Hester was cool.”
— Kristine • Buttonwood Books and Toys
Bookseller recommendation
“A magical retelling of a strong woman coming into her power. I would have enjoyed The Scarlet Letter in high school if this was the book we were forced to read. I love the incorporation of synesthesia and the art of the needle and thread.”
— Sebya Gorre-Clancy • A Seat at the Table Books
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“Loved this so much - and *really* terrific as an audiobook!”
— Liz • Whitelam Books
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“A beautiful and intricately woven story about a young woman's journey across oceans, through society's vicious and shifting mores, love, heartbreak, true friendship, and finding her way home. It gives us a vivid glimpse into life in Salem in the early 1800s as the town strides forward into the future while fleeing the wretched ghosts and legacies of its past. Splendidly written, vividly descriptive, and deftly winding together both micro and macro issues of the time, it shows us women's place in society, the Abolitionist movement, and the booming trade that made Salem thrive. I listened on Libro.fm and Saskia Maarleveld's mastery of accents, tension, and yearning was first-class.”
— Ashleigh • Wellesley Books
"This well-written, well-researched, and masterfully performed novel provides satisfying listening."- AudioFile (Earphones Award Winner)
A vivid reimagining of the woman who inspired Hester Prynne, the tragic heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and a journey into the enduring legacy of New England's witchcraft trials.
Who is the real Hester Prynne?
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 medicāāleaving 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 gallowsāāwhile 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, Laurie Lico Albanese's 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.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.
Laurie Lico Albanese has published fiction, poetry, journalism, travel writing, creative nonfiction, and memoir. Her books include Stolen Beauty, Blue Suburbia: Almost a Memoir, Lynelle by the Sea, and The Miracles of Prato, co-written with art historian Laura Morowitz. Laurie is married to a publishing executive and is the mother of two children.