Hester
Laurie Lico Albanese
Category: Historical Fiction,
A dazzlingly inventive tale of troubled legacies, desire and unsung power, inspired by The Scarlet Letter.
Glasgow, 1829: Isobel, a young seamstress, and her husband Edward set sail for New England, in flight from his mounting debts and addictions. But, arriving in Salem, Massachusetts, Edward soon takes off again, and Isobel finds herself penniless and alone.
Then she meets Nathaniel, a fledgling writer, and the two are instantly drawn to each other: he is haunted by his ancestors, who sent innocent women to the gallows during the Salem witch trials β while she is an unusually gifted needleworker, troubled by her own strange talents. Nathaniel and Isobel grow ever closer. Together, they are dark storyteller and muse; enchanter and enchanted. But which is which?
Reviews
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'Like the greatest historical fiction, Hester makes you believe utterly'Β Gillian Flynn, international bestselling author of Gone Girl
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βFull of lush and colourful prose, Hester proves that a woman will do whateverΒ she must to prosper, even when she is left with nothing but courage β and a fewΒ secrets of her ownβΒ Sarah Penner, bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary
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βA masterpiece that should be required reading alongside Hawthorneβs classicΒ tale of adultery. Enthralling, ambitious and a total knockoutβΒ Fiona Davis, bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue
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βA luminous blend of fiction and truth, Hester weaves a spellbinding tapestry of Salem history as it has never been told beforeβΒ Afia Atakora, author of Conjure Women
