Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

30 reviews

brichneyfloss's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Infidelity

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Slavery, and Grief

jmschnepp's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Hester is the story of Isobel Gambel. She comes to America from her homeland, Scotland, with her husband, Edward. They leave Scotland to escape the poor house.

Edward signed on with Captain Darling for travel and trade. While he's gone, Isobel becomes close with Nathaniel Hawthorne. What ensues is an affair that produces a child and one of the most important and well-known pieces of literary fiction ever written.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Infidelity, Violence, Addiction, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

atamano's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Classism, Misogyny, and Racism

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Pregnancy, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Vomit

megwilli's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Drug abuse

laheath's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Although I had fantastic English teachers in high school, I remember the study of The Scarlet Letter being dry though the story was pretty good overall.  This book imagines the origin of Hawthorne's inspiration for that book.  With the inclusion of such details as strong female characters, references to the Salem witch trials and the Underground Railroad, and issues such as classism, equality, and freedom, this is a very interesting story of a woman making her way in the world with her own gifts.

Unfortunately, once again, the audiobook does not include the author's notes, which I've been told detail her research.  These should never be left out of audiobooks!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Sexism, Slavery, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Racism, and Abortion

Minor: Sexual content, Drug use, and Classism

micaelamariem's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This book had really good writing but the plot didn’t get too interesting until the last third. I’m sorry but I don’t find things about stitching and dressmaking interesting. Of course there was a lot more to it than that but that seemed to have the majority of the descriptions 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Vomit, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Sexism, and Slavery

chandrayisaacson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Evocative description, made me want to embroider everything I own. Strong women! Satisfying ending. Subtle magic. Interesting magical realism.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Abortion, and Colonisation

Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Slavery, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

bookswithbront's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book tried to do a few too many things and didn’t develop some of its ideas as fully as I’d like. But I still really enjoyed my time with the story. And I have a feeling that Isobel’s colors and the way the women came together to help each other survive are going to stick with me for a long time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Slavery, Trafficking, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Miscarriage

icieri's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Grief, Alcoholism, Death, and Drug abuse

kates_books's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I didn’t love this book, but it was an interesting concept. I enjoyed the light touches of magical realism, the range within the historical accounts (Scotland, the Salem witch trials, Americas slavery, etc), and the message of the power possible when women come together. I think it was an honest reflection of the darkness and cruelty of men. However, it moved pretty slowly for me. It really picked up in the last third but getting there was tedious. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Slavery