Why did I love this book?
I love historical fiction, and this book checked all the boxes. It is set in an interesting time period that jumps from the Salem witch trials to a hundred years later.
The characters drew me in, especially our heroine, Isobel, who believes her synesthesia is a hereditary curse passed on to her from her ancestors, who were witches. When she meets up with Nathaniel Hawthorne, their relationship transforms her in ways both good and bad.
She is complicated and must navigate the societal prison women have lived through historically. I also found it interesting to delve into a community in which descendants of the Salem witches and their accusers still must live together. I love the writing, the characters, and the world. It drew me in and transported me.
4 authors picked Hester as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Named a Most Anticipated Book for Fall by Goodreads • Washington Post • New York Post • BuzzFeed • PopSugar • Business Insider • An October Indie Next List Pick • An October LibraryReads Pick
"A hauntingly beautiful––and imagined––origin story to The Scarlet Letter." ––People
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 Glasgow for a fresh start in…