Hester

 By: Laurie Lico Albanese

Location: FIC ALB

Genre: Historical Fiction- Goodreads Finalist 2022

Who is the real Hester Prynne?

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.

The first Hester I met  had a surname Harrison was from Hamel Hamsted in Hertfordshire and her Dads name was Henry.

Hester  Harrison from Hamel Hamstead Hertfordshire , lived at Henrys House!

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 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?

• 'Like the greatest historical fiction, Hester makes you believe utterly'

  Gillian Flynn, international bestselling author of Gone Girl

• ‘Full of lush and colourful prose, Hester proves that a woman will do whatever she must to prosper, even when she is left with nothing but courage – and a few secrets of her own’ 

  Sarah Penner, bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

• ‘A masterpiece that should be required reading alongside Hawthorne’s classic tale of adultery. Enthralling, ambitious and a total knockout’

  Fiona Davis, bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue

• ‘A luminous blend of fiction and truth, Hester weaves a spellbinding tapestry of Salem history as it has never been told before’

  Afia Atakora, author of Conjure Women