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In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, shop our limited-time sale on bestselling audiobooks from April 22nd-28th. Don’t miss out—purchases support your local bookstore!
Shop nowThe Invisible Hour
A Novel
Narrator
Jessie Mueller
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Length
7 hours 44 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“A magical tale of how literature can save lives, the bonds between mothers and daughters, and women making their way out of a cult dominated by an abusive man. Beautifully narrated by Jessie Mueller. ”
— Claire • Honest Dog Books
Bookseller recommendation
“I must request that all my favorite Broadway stars become audiobook narrators. Hearing Jessie Mueller's melodious voice certainly calmed me during my packing (and hectic move) and elevated Hoffman's wonderful ethereal story beyond words. Now both Invisible Hour and Magic Lessons, narrated by Sutton Foster, will forever live as an earwig in my brain, anchoring me to the moment in time that I listened. A powerful audiobook can do that and Hoffman's gorgeous writing, literary and magical settings, and strong female characters will blow you away once again.”
— Kimi • The Silver Unicorn Bookstore
Bookseller recommendation
“This was my first read from Alice Hoffman, and let me tell you, it was love. The masterful storytelling, the in-depth character development, the vivid pictures that will be painted in your mind as you absorb her words. The way this novel succeeds in weaving Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter into its timeline is simply magical. Speaking of magic, there is no shortage of that in these chapters. A simply fantastic piece of literature. Please do yourself a service and give this one a try. ”
— Heather • On The Side Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Mia's mother joins a cult where among other rules, no reading is allowed. When Mia finds a library, she is able to create a plan to get away and the Scarlet Letter and Nathaniel Hawthorne save her life. The Invisible Hour is a book about the power of reading and how it can literally rescue you from an awful situation. A magical read.”
— Cathy • Main Point Books
The latest New York Times bestseller from beloved author Alice Hoffman celebrates the enduring magic of books and is a “wonderful story of love and growth” (Stephen King).
One June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia’s mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community—an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden. But how could this be? How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her?
Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with at the Community. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and that readers and writers affect one another in mysterious ways. She learns that time is more fluid than she can imagine, and that love is stronger than any chains that bind you.
As a girl Mia fell in love with a book. Now as a young woman she falls in love with a brilliant writer as she makes her way back in time. But what if Nathaniel Hawthorne never wrote The Scarlet Letter? And what if Mia Jacob never found it on the day she planned to die?
From “the reigning queen of magical realism” (Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author), this is the story of one woman’s dream. For a little while it came true.
Alice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The Book of Magic, Magic Lessons, The World That We Knew, Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic (a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick), the Oprah’s Book Club Selection Here on Earth, The Red Garden, The Dovekeepers, The Museum of Extraordinary Things, The Marriage of Opposites, and Faithful. She lives near Boston.
