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phantomgecko's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Big fan.
A novel that takes embroidery and sewing and portrays it as the legitimate art medium it is. Her needlework is not a weak female stereotype. It quite literally empowers her to be her own woman in a time when that's not easy.
Isobel is a fun character too. She's kind and clever but also naive and makes frustrating mistakes.
Also, hadn't thought much about xenophobia in New England. Like, here's a literate white woman in Massachusetts but oops, she's from ScOtLanD which means she's an imMiGraNt and uNtrUstwOrthY.
As a whole though, this was a great novel with great historical influence and creative speculation.
A novel that takes embroidery and sewing and portrays it as the legitimate art medium it is. Her needlework is not a weak female stereotype. It quite literally empowers her to be her own woman in a time when that's not easy.
Isobel is a fun character too. She's kind and clever but also naive and makes frustrating mistakes.
Also, hadn't thought much about xenophobia in New England. Like, here's a literate white woman in Massachusetts but oops, she's from ScOtLanD which means she's an imMiGraNt and uNtrUstwOrthY.
As a whole though, this was a great novel with great historical influence and creative speculation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Classism
apollo222's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, Slavery, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: Forced institutionalization
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.
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: Addiction, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
rachelwhicker06's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Abortion
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, Misogyny, Racism, and Classism
Moderate: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Death of parent
ninafrondorf's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Slavery, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: Self harm and Death of parent
alibookedup's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A good story if you vibe with the history of witch hunting in Salem and "post-slavery freedom". Isobel meets quite a lot of characters in her journey from Scotland to the New World. It's interesting to see how she moves throughout the world as a woman during that time with only her needlework to earn her way. It's also cool how it is based off the Scarlet Letter - if you were/are a fan of the classic, this is another take on how the story came to be and who the story was written about.
Personally, this book was just okay. I'm not sure if I expected more witchcraft or betrayal, but something of the storyline just felt lacking. Isobel was a bit oblivious to everything around her, too gullible, and seemed to speak up/stay silent at the worst times. She was also, in my opinion, too enamored with Nathaniel too quickly to feel believable. There's a bit of a slow burn, however, when your main character is somewhat obsessed from the jump it defeats the point. I also wasn't the least bit surprised with his character development in the story -- when a guy says things like "you intrigue me", I never think it's a good sign. Thank you good sir, but I'm not an item made to intrigue you and I can tell you are only interested for the sake of your own boredom. Anyways, all in all, I felt like Isobel was a very plain character.
However, that's not to the say the story as a whole was not well written and I overall enjoyed most of the book, including the ending. It just didn't blow my mind like I thought it would after hearing so many great reviews.
Personally, this book was just okay. I'm not sure if I expected more witchcraft or betrayal, but something of the storyline just felt lacking. Isobel was a bit oblivious to everything around her, too gullible, and seemed to speak up/stay silent at the worst times. She was also, in my opinion, too enamored with Nathaniel too quickly to feel believable. There's a bit of a slow burn, however, when your main character is somewhat obsessed from the jump it defeats the point. I also wasn't the least bit surprised with his character development in the story -- when a guy says things like "you intrigue me", I never think it's a good sign. Thank you good sir, but I'm not an item made to intrigue you and I can tell you are only interested for the sake of your own boredom. Anyways, all in all, I felt like Isobel was a very plain character.
However, that's not to the say the story as a whole was not well written and I overall enjoyed most of the book, including the ending. It just didn't blow my mind like I thought it would after hearing so many great reviews.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
deagaric's review
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Vivid retelling of The Scarlet Letter through Hester Prynne's perspective.
This is a speculative historical fiction of the woman and story that inspired Hawthorne's famous novel. Hawthorne himself plays a major role here as he pursues and subsequently almost ruins Isobel, the woman who will later be known to all as Hester.
I enjoyed reading this and thought it was a well-written story of personal growth and learning to redefine one's purpose in the world. There were parts that were a tad slow-paced, some story lines didn't seem to come together as cohesively as I wished, and there was some unexpected violence and gore in a couple places, but overall, an interesting read for anyone familiar with the classic.
This is a speculative historical fiction of the woman and story that inspired Hawthorne's famous novel. Hawthorne himself plays a major role here as he pursues and subsequently almost ruins Isobel, the woman who will later be known to all as Hester.
I enjoyed reading this and thought it was a well-written story of personal growth and learning to redefine one's purpose in the world. There were parts that were a tad slow-paced, some story lines didn't seem to come together as cohesively as I wished, and there was some unexpected violence and gore in a couple places, but overall, an interesting read for anyone familiar with the classic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Slavery
haley49's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Rape, Sexual content, Abortion, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
yourfavavery's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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? No
3.75
So because I'm an idiot sometimes, I didn't read or familiarize myself with the Scarlet Letter before reading this. It was still a great read though.
The story follows Isobel Gamble, a recent Scottish immigrant to Salem. She made the passage with her husband, who is addicted to opium and neglects his wife's well-being as a result. Isobel is a master embroiderer, and after her husband head to sea for work she meets Nathaniel Hawthorne. So this is meant to be the story that inspires him to write the Scarlet Letter.
She also learns more about the Salem witch trials, slavery's legacy in the North and ongoing effects in the US, and that the "freedom" Salem residents love to crow about isn't for everyone.
The story is compelling, the writing is rich, and the themes are
The story follows Isobel Gamble, a recent Scottish immigrant to Salem. She made the passage with her husband, who is addicted to opium and neglects his wife's well-being as a result. Isobel is a master embroiderer, and after her husband head to sea for work she meets Nathaniel Hawthorne. So this is meant to be the story that inspires him to write the Scarlet Letter.
She also learns more about the Salem witch trials, slavery's legacy in the North and ongoing effects in the US, and that the "freedom" Salem residents love to crow about isn't for everyone.
The story is compelling, the writing is rich, and the themes are
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Abortion