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The Invisible Hour
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fiction (2023)The latest New York Times bestseller from beloved author Alice Hoffman celebrates the enduring magic of books and is a “wonderful story of love and growth” (Stephen King).
One June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia’s mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community—an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden. But how could this be? How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her?
Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with at the Community. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and that readers and writers affect one another in mysterious ways. She learns that time is more fluid than she can imagine, and that love is stronger than any chains that bind you.
As a girl Mia fell in love with a book. Now as a young woman she falls in love with a brilliant writer as she makes her way back in time. But what if Nathaniel Hawthorne never wrote The Scarlet Letter ? And what if Mia Jacob never found it on the day she planned to die?
From “the reigning queen of magical realism” (Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author), this is the story of one woman’s dream. For a little while it came true.
One June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia’s mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community—an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden. But how could this be? How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her?
Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with at the Community. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and that readers and writers affect one another in mysterious ways. She learns that time is more fluid than she can imagine, and that love is stronger than any chains that bind you.
As a girl Mia fell in love with a book. Now as a young woman she falls in love with a brilliant writer as she makes her way back in time. But what if Nathaniel Hawthorne never wrote The Scarlet Letter ? And what if Mia Jacob never found it on the day she planned to die?
From “the reigning queen of magical realism” (Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author), this is the story of one woman’s dream. For a little while it came true.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 2023
About the author
Alice Hoffman
113 books22.7k followersAlice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The World That We Knew; The Marriage of Opposites; The Red Garden; The Museum of Extraordinary Things; The Dovekeepers; Here on Earth, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; and the Practical Magic series, including Practical
Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.
Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,820 reviews
September 28, 2023
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2.5 Stars
Alice Hoffman is a beautiful writer, and of that there is no doubt. This one is about a cult and a young girl who escapes it because of her love of adventure and books (which aren't allowed on the compound). The book started off well enough and had so much potential. There is a lot of love throughout these pages and I so enjoyed reading Ivy and her daughter Mia's story. But when the plot veered into Nathanial Hawthorn territory I became bored. As much as I like time travel stories this one just didn't do it for me. Maybe I am just not smart enough for this type of book. The second half feels like a different book altogether.
The book tries too hard to fit many genres into too few pages. Is it fantasy, literary fiction, women's fiction or a thriller? I think it got a bit watered down trying to be too much at once. It is a well-written story and Hoffman's prose is front and center, the premise is a good one. Unfortunately, the bad/boring parts overrode the good. 2.5 stars rounded down.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
2.5 Stars
Alice Hoffman is a beautiful writer, and of that there is no doubt. This one is about a cult and a young girl who escapes it because of her love of adventure and books (which aren't allowed on the compound). The book started off well enough and had so much potential. There is a lot of love throughout these pages and I so enjoyed reading Ivy and her daughter Mia's story. But when the plot veered into Nathanial Hawthorn territory I became bored. As much as I like time travel stories this one just didn't do it for me. Maybe I am just not smart enough for this type of book. The second half feels like a different book altogether.
The book tries too hard to fit many genres into too few pages. Is it fantasy, literary fiction, women's fiction or a thriller? I think it got a bit watered down trying to be too much at once. It is a well-written story and Hoffman's prose is front and center, the premise is a good one. Unfortunately, the bad/boring parts overrode the good. 2.5 stars rounded down.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
August 18, 2023
3.5⭐️
As the novel begins, we meet fifteen-year-old Mia Jacob as she plans her escape from the oppressive cult in western Massachusetts, where she has spent all her young life. Mia was born to Ivy Jacob, a teenager from an affluent family in Boston who left when pregnant with Mia and joined the community headed by Joel Davis whom Ivy later marries- a decision she soon comes to regret. Joel is controlling and life in the commune is governed by strict rules and regulations and minimal contact with the outside world and those found guilty of any indiscretion are severely punished. Mia has broken the rules by visiting the library on the sly and reading books. On one of her visits, Mia finds an old copy of The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the library and falls in love with the story, which she finds bears similarity to her mother’s life and is intrigued by the inscription inside the book. When tragedy strikes, Mia finds no reason to remain with the cult. The narrator follows Mia as forges a new life for herself with the help of Sarah, the town librarian. Her love for books and reading remains a driving force in her life. However, Joel never backs down from his pursuit of Mia. In a surprising turn of events, adult Mia finds herself transported to 1837, where she meets young author Nathaniel Hawthorne – a meeting that would irrevocably impact the lives of both Mia and the young author.
Revolving around themes of mother-daughter relationships, found family, women’s rights, hope, healing and the power of books, The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is a beautifully penned novel. However, I enjoyed the premise of this story more than the execution. I really liked the protagonist and the supporting female characters. I loved how the author depicts the transformative power of books and how Mia finds inspiration and hope through her love for reading. The first half of the novel had me hooked, but my interest waned in the second half. I would have enjoyed this novel more had we spent more time with Mia in the years after she escaped from the cult instead of rushing through it (more telling than showing) to the point when adult Mia traveled back in time. The commentary on women’s rights, both historically and in the present day, was timely and relevant but could have been presented better if more deeply embedded in the narrative. The use of magical realism and the time travel element wasn't as impactful as one would expect.The latter half of the narrative where Mia meets Nathaniel Hawthorne was interesting, but I wasn’t quite invested in this part of the story. The past and present timelines felt a tad disjointed, resulting in a narrative that lacked both cohesion and depth. Overall, while I did not dislike the story, I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
I must mention the author’s exquisitely penned, heartfelt letter to the reader where she talks about her inspiration for this novel and much more.
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of The Invisible Hour. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
“A book doesn’t live when it’s written. It lives when it’s read.”
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
As the novel begins, we meet fifteen-year-old Mia Jacob as she plans her escape from the oppressive cult in western Massachusetts, where she has spent all her young life. Mia was born to Ivy Jacob, a teenager from an affluent family in Boston who left when pregnant with Mia and joined the community headed by Joel Davis whom Ivy later marries- a decision she soon comes to regret. Joel is controlling and life in the commune is governed by strict rules and regulations and minimal contact with the outside world and those found guilty of any indiscretion are severely punished. Mia has broken the rules by visiting the library on the sly and reading books. On one of her visits, Mia finds an old copy of The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the library and falls in love with the story, which she finds bears similarity to her mother’s life and is intrigued by the inscription inside the book. When tragedy strikes, Mia finds no reason to remain with the cult. The narrator follows Mia as forges a new life for herself with the help of Sarah, the town librarian. Her love for books and reading remains a driving force in her life. However, Joel never backs down from his pursuit of Mia. In a surprising turn of events, adult Mia finds herself transported to 1837, where she meets young author Nathaniel Hawthorne – a meeting that would irrevocably impact the lives of both Mia and the young author.
Revolving around themes of mother-daughter relationships, found family, women’s rights, hope, healing and the power of books, The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is a beautifully penned novel. However, I enjoyed the premise of this story more than the execution. I really liked the protagonist and the supporting female characters. I loved how the author depicts the transformative power of books and how Mia finds inspiration and hope through her love for reading. The first half of the novel had me hooked, but my interest waned in the second half. I would have enjoyed this novel more had we spent more time with Mia in the years after she escaped from the cult instead of rushing through it (more telling than showing) to the point when adult Mia traveled back in time. The commentary on women’s rights, both historically and in the present day, was timely and relevant but could have been presented better if more deeply embedded in the narrative. The use of magical realism and the time travel element wasn't as impactful as one would expect.The latter half of the narrative where Mia meets Nathaniel Hawthorne was interesting, but I wasn’t quite invested in this part of the story. The past and present timelines felt a tad disjointed, resulting in a narrative that lacked both cohesion and depth. Overall, while I did not dislike the story, I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
I must mention the author’s exquisitely penned, heartfelt letter to the reader where she talks about her inspiration for this novel and much more.
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of The Invisible Hour. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
“A book doesn’t live when it’s written. It lives when it’s read.”
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
April 2, 2023
I was touched to read Alice Hoffman’s letter to her readers at the beginning of this novel. “The bond between writer and reader is a cherished and mysterious one. A book doesn’t live when it’s written. It lives when it’s read.” What a perfectly beautiful thing to say as this book is in many ways a ode to the powers of books and how they touch people’s lives. In this particular novel, it’s about how a one novel saved the life of a young woman living in a cult where reading was forbidden. As in a number of her other novels, there’s an element of magic. It’s through time travel in this story. Yes, of course you have to suspend your disbelief for a while to experience the modern day character connecting with and falling in love with her favorite writer. But for an avid reader, things don’t get any better than to imagine that. It’s clear from the beginning that there is a reflection on issues that are very relevant right now - book banning, the freedom of women to choose. A message here, for sure, but it’s an engaging, well written story . I always find Hoffman’s writing magical no matter what the story is about.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 30, 2024
in every fairy tale girl who is saved is the one who rescues herself.--------------------------------------
people in love were such fools, they made up excuses, they wound up doing as they pleased no matter how much good advice they been given.The Invisible Hour is a twice-told tale of a mother and a daughter.
Ivy Jacobs’ Beacon Hill family did not exactly treat it as a crimson-letter day when the sixteen-year-old informed her parents that she was pregnant by a feckless Harvard sophomore. Despite her tender years, Ivy wanted to see the pregnancy through and keep the baby. Decisions and plans were made, none of them involving input from Ivy. The newborn would be put up for adoption. Ivy bails, getting as far away as she can, which turns out to be a sort-of commune in western Massachusetts.
Alice Hoffman - image from Penguin Random House - shot by Alyssa Peek
Mia Jacob is the daughter Ivy bore. We meet her at 15. Living in the place to which her mother had fled, The Community. More of a cult really, an authoritarian farm where the leader’s will is law. Joel Davis took Ivy in, married her soon after she’d arrived, so is Mia’s step-father. But child-rearing is communal here, so parenting is not what you or I would recognize. You will recognize the cult-leader, control-freak personality Joel wears like the headgear sported by the QAnon Shaman. Vanity is supposedly being punished, but it is accomplishment, growth, intelligence and independence that are the targets. He likes his followers unquestioning and compliant.
Ivy has stolen parenting moments over the years, so has had a hand in helping Mia find her true self, a young woman who is curious about the world, eager to learn, to investigate, to explore, to read. Discovery of her criminal reading marks her for punishment. When we meet Mia she is, as her mother was, a teen about to flee her oppressive environment.
Although we learn about and spend time with both women, it is Mia who is our primary focus. In a dark time, she considers suicide, but, fortuitously, reads a book that saves her, changing her life, giving her hope, The Scarlet Letter.
We follow her coming of age, assisted by her mother and an understanding librarian in the town where The Community sells their produce.
Her passion for Hawthorne is such that she finds in it a magical power. Alice Hoffman loves her some fairy tales, so it will come as no great shock that one fine day Mia finds herself transported back to the 19th century, and into the presence of her literary love object. Complications ensue. In those, however, we get a sense of Hawthorne, his personality, his material conditions, his family and friends, and his writing challenges. Nice looking fellah, too, to go with that oversized talent.
There is some wonderful imagery woven into the novel. The notion of invisibility is large among these. There are times in which it might be useful to go unseen, as in when one is doing something for which one might be punished, or which are simply secret. On the other hand, it is not so wonderful to be unseen in normal human interactions. Like “Yo, dude, human here. Whaddaya? Blind?” There is some literal invisibility as well.
Apples are a core element as well. There is a particular breed of apple grown in the area, which is no Eden. They seem less associated with The Fall than with a push. Joel uses leaves of that apple tree as a threat. One could certainly see his actions as serpentine. Mia even decides never to eat apples, given the associations she has for them with The Community. Howdaya like dem apples? Johnny Appleseed comes in for some attention, with plantings of his effort bearing local fruit.
The woods as a magical place gets a visit or two. Indeed, magical things go on there. Strange people and buildings appear. There is even one “Once upon a time” in the book. The Woods is where Mia goes to escape.
Much of the tension in the book centers around women taking control of their own lives. This happens in various ways. There is the usual disobedience one would expect, with the most daring taking the greatest risks. Reading figures large in this, as subservience is sustained under the lash of forced-ignorance. Reading is the gateway drug to independent thinking, and dreaming of better. Some women even learn herbal medicine, to see to their needs. The comparisons of the modern day with the repressive Puritan world depicted in The Scarlet Letter are clearly drawn. Plus ça change…
I think it's a bad idea to write for the moment because the moment passes so quickly. The other thing about time is that what's right and what's good and what's accepted suddenly becomes not. I thought about that with the way women were treated in "The Scarlet Letter," the way that the Puritans blamed women, and they believed in original sin and that women were responsible for that because of Eve. It all changed, but then it changes back. And then it changes again. A lot of the things that women are coping with right now are not that different, really. The judgment against women. - from the Salon interviewThere is a garden in town where all the plants are red. It may feel familiar to frequent readers of Hoffman.
This new book [The Invisible Hour] actually takes place in a town where I wrote a book of connecting stories about called The Red Garden, so it's the same place. It's just a novel that takes place in that town. - from the Salon interviewI consider myself an Alice Hoffman fan. While I have not read all her books, I have certainly read more than a couple. Any reader of her books knows that there are certain things one can expect. Among other things, there will be an engaging lead, facing difficult choices, and there will usually be bits, at least, of magic, often of a fairy tale sort. So, one cannot really gripe about a time-travel element pushing things too far, particularly when done in the service of giving us a closer look at a literary icon. My sole gripe is that I felt that the baddie was given too much magical license to pursue his dark ends.
Otherwise, despite it’s title, The Invisible Hours very much deserves to be seen. It offers not only an uplifting, engaging tale of empowerment, but an homage to one of the greats of American literature, and long-form praise of the power, the importance, the necessity of reading. I am sure we can all see the value in that.
“Q: Did you set out to write a novel so deeply rooted in women’s empowerment? How did it evolve to include time travel?”
“A: I started to think about The Scarlet Letter and how modern-day issues for women are not that foreign from issues in that time period. I’m not certain I realized when I first read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s great novel what the deeper meaning of his heroine’s situation is—she has no say over her body or her choices and yet, she does make her own choices. It’s a very brave book.
I’ve always wanted to time travel and been drawn to books about time travel. I think during the time of Covid, when I was writing this, more than ever I want it to be in another time period.” - from A Conversation with Alice Hoffman, an appendix in the book
Review posted - 12/22/23
Publication dates
----------Hardcover – 8/15/23
----------Trade paperback - 5/21/24
This review is cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Instagram and FB pages
Profile
Other Hoffman books I have reviewed:
-----1999 - Local Girls
-----2003 - Green Angel
-----2004 - Blackbird House
-----2005 - The Ice Queen
-----2011 - The Red Garden
-----2011 - The Dovekeepers
-----2017 - Faithful
-----2017 - The Rules of Magic
-----2019 - The World That We Knew
Interviews
-----Salon - "I want to believe": Alice Hoffman is always seeking magic, practical and otherwise by Alison Stine
-----Shondaland - Alice Hoffman Talks Her Latest Novel, ‘The Invisible Hour’ by Sandra Ebejer
-----Harvard Review - An Interview with Alice Hoffman by Christina Thompson
Song
-----Agnes Obel - Brother Sparrow - relevance to the chapter title
Item of Interest from the author
-----Salon - Alice Hoffman: Five amazing tips to help you write your novel
Items of Interest
-----Wiki on Nathaniel Hawthorne
-----Wiki on Johnny Appleseed, mentioned multiple times
-----Gutenberg – full text of The Scarlet Letter
-----Good Will Hunting - Howdaya like dem apples?
-----Wiki on the QAnon Shaman
August 31, 2023
2.5 stars
What happened? I adore Alice Hoffman, but I feel like something went really wrong with The Invisible Hour. It’s not up to her usual snuff.
Hoffman’s signature magical realism is there: a woman escapes the cult she was born into, finds refuge in books and libraries, and then travels back in time to when Nathaniel Hawthorne was a young writer. Ever present, too, are her whimsical prose and astute observations on life and love. Her latest release should’ve been a dream come true for a Hoffman fan like me.
The problem is that the book is too slim. The Invisible Hour is much shorter than many of her other novels, and I wonder if she thought it’d have more of a fairy tale feel if she kept the page count low. But by doing this, so much depth is lost. The plot is rushed and underdeveloped, and the characterization is flat. There’s no substance to any of it.
I did appreciate the main theme of the story, about how books can be our saving grace. They sure do help us through tough times, don’t they? And I should note that the first half of the novel is far better than the second half. But there’s not much else positive I can say.
Now to remove the dagger from my heart.
My sincerest appreciation to Alice Hoffman, Atria Books, and Edelweiss+ for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
What happened? I adore Alice Hoffman, but I feel like something went really wrong with The Invisible Hour. It’s not up to her usual snuff.
Hoffman’s signature magical realism is there: a woman escapes the cult she was born into, finds refuge in books and libraries, and then travels back in time to when Nathaniel Hawthorne was a young writer. Ever present, too, are her whimsical prose and astute observations on life and love. Her latest release should’ve been a dream come true for a Hoffman fan like me.
The problem is that the book is too slim. The Invisible Hour is much shorter than many of her other novels, and I wonder if she thought it’d have more of a fairy tale feel if she kept the page count low. But by doing this, so much depth is lost. The plot is rushed and underdeveloped, and the characterization is flat. There’s no substance to any of it.
I did appreciate the main theme of the story, about how books can be our saving grace. They sure do help us through tough times, don’t they? And I should note that the first half of the novel is far better than the second half. But there’s not much else positive I can say.
Now to remove the dagger from my heart.
My sincerest appreciation to Alice Hoffman, Atria Books, and Edelweiss+ for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
May 11, 2023
"Books may well be the only true magic." - Alice Hoffman
Another enchanting book by Alice Hoffman! What an absolute pleasure this book was! I was instantly drawn into this gripping tale about love, family, finding your family, sacrifice, survival, strength, the love of reading, the power of books and the plight of women.
Ivy left her home after receiving poor reactions from both her family and her unborn baby's father. She runs away looking for a better life, what she finds is a "community" with a charismatic leader who turns out to be a wolf in disguise. The community she has joined is a cult in western Massachusetts where books are not allowed, and babies are taken from their mother's and raised in the Nursery. Ivy is crafty and finds time to bond with her daughter Mia. Mia has inherited her mother's love of reading and finds ways to obtain books - one which will save her and change her life in so many ways....
Hoffman also shows what life was like for women in the past, the choices they had to make, the expectations that were placed upon them and how they were living in a man's world. She also shows the power of books and the written word. Books transport readers, comfort, provide food for thought, educate, evoke emotions and so much more.
I have always enjoyed Hoffman's writing and in this book, she is at the top of her game as Mia goes back in time to meet the author whose book saved her life! As always, her writing was beautiful and vividly descriptive. She weaves a little bit of her own magic into this book, and I had no problem taking that leap into the past.
Beautifully written, gripping, and hard to put down!
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Another enchanting book by Alice Hoffman! What an absolute pleasure this book was! I was instantly drawn into this gripping tale about love, family, finding your family, sacrifice, survival, strength, the love of reading, the power of books and the plight of women.
Ivy left her home after receiving poor reactions from both her family and her unborn baby's father. She runs away looking for a better life, what she finds is a "community" with a charismatic leader who turns out to be a wolf in disguise. The community she has joined is a cult in western Massachusetts where books are not allowed, and babies are taken from their mother's and raised in the Nursery. Ivy is crafty and finds time to bond with her daughter Mia. Mia has inherited her mother's love of reading and finds ways to obtain books - one which will save her and change her life in so many ways....
Hoffman also shows what life was like for women in the past, the choices they had to make, the expectations that were placed upon them and how they were living in a man's world. She also shows the power of books and the written word. Books transport readers, comfort, provide food for thought, educate, evoke emotions and so much more.
I have always enjoyed Hoffman's writing and in this book, she is at the top of her game as Mia goes back in time to meet the author whose book saved her life! As always, her writing was beautiful and vividly descriptive. She weaves a little bit of her own magic into this book, and I had no problem taking that leap into the past.
Beautifully written, gripping, and hard to put down!
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
July 2, 2023
"Real life is unbelievable. Souls are snatched away from us, flesh and blood turn to dust, people you love betray you, men go to war over nothing. It's all preposterous. That's why we have novels. To make sense of things."
The Invisible Hour is a book about a book. It tells the captivating story about a young girl, Mia Jacob, who was raised in a cult that separates children from their mothers, punishes members who rebel against the leader, forbids contact with the outside world, dictates what women can do with their bodies, and bans reading any books. "In a place where books were banned, there could be no personal freedom, no hope, and no dreams for the future."
Mia, ever rebellious, sneaks into the local public library on numerous occasions. She is befriended by the kind librarian. After finding an original copy of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne with the inscription "To Mia" she no longer wants to kill herself. She recognizes it tells the story of her own beloved mother, Ivy. Mia gathers her strength and escapes the community. The evil community leader continues to hunt and taunt her throughout her life, hindering her personal development.
Mia is able to break the boundaries of time and reach out to her beloved author before The Scarlet Letter has been written. In this journey of self-discovery and self-empowerment of women, Mia learns the eternal truth that love is stronger than any chains of past bondage.
Alice Hoffman is such a gifted writer. I was moved by her author's note when she states "A book doesn't live when it's written. It lives when it is read." No wonder I am so enchanted by her stories.
4.5-stars, rounded up.
The Invisible Hour is a book about a book. It tells the captivating story about a young girl, Mia Jacob, who was raised in a cult that separates children from their mothers, punishes members who rebel against the leader, forbids contact with the outside world, dictates what women can do with their bodies, and bans reading any books. "In a place where books were banned, there could be no personal freedom, no hope, and no dreams for the future."
Mia, ever rebellious, sneaks into the local public library on numerous occasions. She is befriended by the kind librarian. After finding an original copy of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne with the inscription "To Mia" she no longer wants to kill herself. She recognizes it tells the story of her own beloved mother, Ivy. Mia gathers her strength and escapes the community. The evil community leader continues to hunt and taunt her throughout her life, hindering her personal development.
Mia is able to break the boundaries of time and reach out to her beloved author before The Scarlet Letter has been written. In this journey of self-discovery and self-empowerment of women, Mia learns the eternal truth that love is stronger than any chains of past bondage.
Alice Hoffman is such a gifted writer. I was moved by her author's note when she states "A book doesn't live when it's written. It lives when it is read." No wonder I am so enchanted by her stories.
4.5-stars, rounded up.
July 18, 2023
I will confess to being a huge Alice Hoffman fan. And no wonder, when she writes books like The Invisible Hour. It’s a story about the power of books, the strength of a mother’s love and the beauty of a found family. It’s an ode to librarians. As always, the writing is beautiful.
This starts as just a regular cult story. A young pregnant woman runs away from her family and ends up at a cult based commune in Western Massachusetts. A community that demands total obedience to its rules, including banning reading fiction. As the town librarian thinks “in a place where books were banned there could be no personal freedom, no hope, and no dreams for the future”. The woman becomes the wife of the cult leader and eventually gives birth to a baby girl. Going against the rules, she teaches her daughter the joys of reading and her daughter discovers the town library. In particular, she develops an intense love of the book, The Scarlet Letter. The bulk of the story covers the daughter, Mia and her fight to be her own person.
Then the book makes an abrupt shift for the second half and here’s where Hoffman’s magical realism comes in. We are transported back to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s time. I didn’t feel the ending held together as well as I would have liked, but loved the book up until the last few pages.
The book is a reminder that too often, throughout the years, women don’t get a say over their bodies or their lives.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
This starts as just a regular cult story. A young pregnant woman runs away from her family and ends up at a cult based commune in Western Massachusetts. A community that demands total obedience to its rules, including banning reading fiction. As the town librarian thinks “in a place where books were banned there could be no personal freedom, no hope, and no dreams for the future”. The woman becomes the wife of the cult leader and eventually gives birth to a baby girl. Going against the rules, she teaches her daughter the joys of reading and her daughter discovers the town library. In particular, she develops an intense love of the book, The Scarlet Letter. The bulk of the story covers the daughter, Mia and her fight to be her own person.
Then the book makes an abrupt shift for the second half and here’s where Hoffman’s magical realism comes in. We are transported back to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s time. I didn’t feel the ending held together as well as I would have liked, but loved the book up until the last few pages.
The book is a reminder that too often, throughout the years, women don’t get a say over their bodies or their lives.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
August 4, 2023
I’m a huge fan of Alice Hoffman and there’s always a delicious sense of anticipation when there’s a new book on the horizon and with this latest novel she yet again draws me effortlessly in and enchants me.
Ivy Jacobs is an outsider, she’s highly intelligent and an independent thinker, a lover of books but she’s very unhappy. When her rebellious behaviour, as her parents view it, leads to pregnancy, she’s dismissed and abandoned. By a series of chances she finds her way to the West Massachusetts Community, a cult led by Joel Davis, whom Ivy marries a few months later. Sixteen years on, her daughter Mia is stuck, trapped inside this oppressive cult where she’s been punished many times for her perceived transgressions especially her love of books which are banned. The book that saves her life is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a novel from 1850 that understands her story and literally speaks to her. Let the magic begin.
The harsh cult is very well conveyed with all its austere and repressive rules which contrasts so sharply with the wonderful spirits of mother and daughter and the things they cannot repress. All the characters are deftly portrayed with a few brush strokes you can visualise them with ease. I love both mother and daughter but Mia in particular, I love her independence of spirit and thought with her love of books being a given! Her connection to The Scarlet Letter takes the storytelling in a fascinating direction. I find I can totally buy into the magical elements and delight in how Nathaniel Hawthorne is woven so cleverly and movingly into the story. Via Nathaniel, Mia goes on a journey of discovery, she is able to come to many a realisation, learning some valuable life lessons. I like how we can see the situation for women in the mid nineteenth century and there are some dualities with difficulties faced today.
This is a wonderfully creative novel with some beautiful prose and I guess I expected nothing less from Alice Hoffman! I become utterly caught up in the plot direction especially the theme of the power and magic of books - as book lovers, how can we deny this??!! Books can offer a portal to a fantastical world and many do indeed speak to us as The Scarlet Letter does for Mia. Although there is a cult element and Joel continues to feature, this is a book about love, the unbreakable bond of a mother’s love for a child and of finding love wherever and whenever you can. It’s a beautiful captivating story with a powerful message by a gifted writer. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Ivy Jacobs is an outsider, she’s highly intelligent and an independent thinker, a lover of books but she’s very unhappy. When her rebellious behaviour, as her parents view it, leads to pregnancy, she’s dismissed and abandoned. By a series of chances she finds her way to the West Massachusetts Community, a cult led by Joel Davis, whom Ivy marries a few months later. Sixteen years on, her daughter Mia is stuck, trapped inside this oppressive cult where she’s been punished many times for her perceived transgressions especially her love of books which are banned. The book that saves her life is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a novel from 1850 that understands her story and literally speaks to her. Let the magic begin.
The harsh cult is very well conveyed with all its austere and repressive rules which contrasts so sharply with the wonderful spirits of mother and daughter and the things they cannot repress. All the characters are deftly portrayed with a few brush strokes you can visualise them with ease. I love both mother and daughter but Mia in particular, I love her independence of spirit and thought with her love of books being a given! Her connection to The Scarlet Letter takes the storytelling in a fascinating direction. I find I can totally buy into the magical elements and delight in how Nathaniel Hawthorne is woven so cleverly and movingly into the story. Via Nathaniel, Mia goes on a journey of discovery, she is able to come to many a realisation, learning some valuable life lessons. I like how we can see the situation for women in the mid nineteenth century and there are some dualities with difficulties faced today.
This is a wonderfully creative novel with some beautiful prose and I guess I expected nothing less from Alice Hoffman! I become utterly caught up in the plot direction especially the theme of the power and magic of books - as book lovers, how can we deny this??!! Books can offer a portal to a fantastical world and many do indeed speak to us as The Scarlet Letter does for Mia. Although there is a cult element and Joel continues to feature, this is a book about love, the unbreakable bond of a mother’s love for a child and of finding love wherever and whenever you can. It’s a beautiful captivating story with a powerful message by a gifted writer. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
September 1, 2023
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Alice Hoffman for a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Now available as of 8.15!!**
A high-concept journey of magical realism in the literary sphere that got MORE than a bit lost in translation...
Ivy has always been a bit of a rebel, a free spirit, and most of all, a lover of books. Her cold and judgmental parents have no room for anything they deem a transgression, however, so when Ivy ends up pregnant as a teenager, they send her away. Ivy ends up as a member of a harsh and oppressive cult, led by the unyielding Joel Davis, who has no problem shaming women and even branding them when they behave outside the norm.
When Ivy's daughter Mia comes of age, she has inherited her mother's love for the written word and her rebellious nature and dreams of freedom. When she picks up Nathanial Hawthorne's book The Scarlet Letter, it seems as though every page is written just for her. In its pages, another young woman is persecuted for her transgressions, including her penchant for books. Mia longs for life outside her Community and wishes for some way --- ANY way --- to be free.
Then suddenly... she gets her wish.
Mia is transported back in time, and comes face to face with none other than the man of her proverbial dreams: Nathanial Hawthorne himself. As she has come to learn with the help of a few librarians over time, books can take you anywhere...but is Mia able to stay in this fantasy? When the line between dream and reality begins to blur entirely, will the truth she finds be enough to make up for the terrible tragedies and pain she has encountered thus far? Could a book TRULY be enough to save her very life?
Hoffman is one of those writers I've been meaning to get to for AGES, and the premise sounded so fascinating that I couldn't resist to pick this up. I read the Scarlet Letter in high school and remember being enough of a fan that I could understand Mia's adulation for Hawthorne in this book, and I put my usual reservations about cult books aside long enough to try to dive into this story without hesitation. And it worked...for a while. The beginning of the narrative, about Ivy's backstory and early years in the cult (prior to Mia's teen years) were dark, dramatic, and engaging. I felt sorry for the situation Ivy endured, and got emotionally invested in pretty short order.
But once Mia took over...things started to descend into muddled and messy territory, and the wheels sort of came off the wagon.
I get that Mia was supposed to be enraptured by Hawthorne...but I don't understand exactly WHY he was so taken with her. The romance part of the book felt so forced, and longer than it needed to be. There were even portions told from Hawthorne's POV, but it felt more like Hoffman was determined to sprinkle in all of her research rather than create her version of Hawthorne as a fully fleshed out person. On top of this, Hoffman wrote this as sort of a 'love letter' to libraries and librarians, which in theory is a beautiful idea...but having this sort of juxtaposed against the love story between Mia and Nathan just sort of muddled the overall message.
There have been many instances where I've struggled with magical realism, but in this one I think so much of the magic felt like it just sort of happened randomly, without provocation, that it lost the 'realism.' Hoffman spends SO much of this book telling rather than showing, and this also bothered me. Gentle and thoughtful lines of prose were broken up by expository passages that just sort of moved the plot along...and often without thorough explanation.
The timeline sort of moves around, the focus moves around...and for several reasons, Ivy's voice (the driving force behind the opening narrative) gets lost entirely. Instead of a now and then that felt so close in time, I think it would have been fascinating to have Mia's perspective take place during modern times, and CLEARLY during modern times. There often felt like there wasn't enough separation or clarity about what year we were in at any given moment and this book sorely needed it.
While I hoped to feel moved, enchanted, and captivated by Hoffman's brand of magic, I think in this case I would have settled for something a bit more, well, "Practical."
😉
3.5 stars
A high-concept journey of magical realism in the literary sphere that got MORE than a bit lost in translation...
Ivy has always been a bit of a rebel, a free spirit, and most of all, a lover of books. Her cold and judgmental parents have no room for anything they deem a transgression, however, so when Ivy ends up pregnant as a teenager, they send her away. Ivy ends up as a member of a harsh and oppressive cult, led by the unyielding Joel Davis, who has no problem shaming women and even branding them when they behave outside the norm.
When Ivy's daughter Mia comes of age, she has inherited her mother's love for the written word and her rebellious nature and dreams of freedom. When she picks up Nathanial Hawthorne's book The Scarlet Letter, it seems as though every page is written just for her. In its pages, another young woman is persecuted for her transgressions, including her penchant for books. Mia longs for life outside her Community and wishes for some way --- ANY way --- to be free.
Then suddenly... she gets her wish.
Mia is transported back in time, and comes face to face with none other than the man of her proverbial dreams: Nathanial Hawthorne himself. As she has come to learn with the help of a few librarians over time, books can take you anywhere...but is Mia able to stay in this fantasy? When the line between dream and reality begins to blur entirely, will the truth she finds be enough to make up for the terrible tragedies and pain she has encountered thus far? Could a book TRULY be enough to save her very life?
Hoffman is one of those writers I've been meaning to get to for AGES, and the premise sounded so fascinating that I couldn't resist to pick this up. I read the Scarlet Letter in high school and remember being enough of a fan that I could understand Mia's adulation for Hawthorne in this book, and I put my usual reservations about cult books aside long enough to try to dive into this story without hesitation. And it worked...for a while. The beginning of the narrative, about Ivy's backstory and early years in the cult (prior to Mia's teen years) were dark, dramatic, and engaging. I felt sorry for the situation Ivy endured, and got emotionally invested in pretty short order.
But once Mia took over...things started to descend into muddled and messy territory, and the wheels sort of came off the wagon.
I get that Mia was supposed to be enraptured by Hawthorne...but I don't understand exactly WHY he was so taken with her. The romance part of the book felt so forced, and longer than it needed to be. There were even portions told from Hawthorne's POV, but it felt more like Hoffman was determined to sprinkle in all of her research rather than create her version of Hawthorne as a fully fleshed out person. On top of this, Hoffman wrote this as sort of a 'love letter' to libraries and librarians, which in theory is a beautiful idea...but having this sort of juxtaposed against the love story between Mia and Nathan just sort of muddled the overall message.
There have been many instances where I've struggled with magical realism, but in this one I think so much of the magic felt like it just sort of happened randomly, without provocation, that it lost the 'realism.' Hoffman spends SO much of this book telling rather than showing, and this also bothered me. Gentle and thoughtful lines of prose were broken up by expository passages that just sort of moved the plot along...and often without thorough explanation.
The timeline sort of moves around, the focus moves around...and for several reasons, Ivy's voice (the driving force behind the opening narrative) gets lost entirely. Instead of a now and then that felt so close in time, I think it would have been fascinating to have Mia's perspective take place during modern times, and CLEARLY during modern times. There often felt like there wasn't enough separation or clarity about what year we were in at any given moment and this book sorely needed it.
While I hoped to feel moved, enchanted, and captivated by Hoffman's brand of magic, I think in this case I would have settled for something a bit more, well, "Practical."
😉
3.5 stars
December 18, 2023
Not my favorite Hoffman.. but still a good story, and it’s really cool how she incorporated the story of Nathaniel Hawthorne and his book “The Scarlet Letter” into the novel. Now I want to read about him.
Anyway in this story we have. teenage pregnancy, cult life, how the power of the written word can save us.. and some magical realism/time travel.
Enjoy!
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!
Anyway in this story we have. teenage pregnancy, cult life, how the power of the written word can save us.. and some magical realism/time travel.
Enjoy!
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!
August 17, 2023
Lyrical and mesmerizing prose✨
This is a story about a mother and daughter. We first met Ivy when she was a pregnant and unwed teenager. Her Harvard student boyfriend only cares about his own future. Her parents plan to send her to a school in Utah where she'll give birth and give the baby up for adoption. Ivy decides to run away in the middle of the night when she met a girl who's heading to a "wonderful" community in western Massachusetts.
Ivy had her baby, Mia. The wonderful community turns out to be a cult with a typical atrocious male leader and typical cult rules. It was half gripping, half predictable. There's a time-traveling aspect that I thought was cleverly woven into the story in relation to a book from the 1850s that saves Mia from the life she's born into.
The Invisible Hour is an atmospheric, thought-provoking, and enchanting novel that draws in the power of literature and love. I love the message of healing and self-discovery. I just wish the second half kept me engaged as much as the first. Overall, an enjoyable read but not my favorite from Alice Hoffman. I thought the author's note was very special and shouldn't be missed. 3.5⭐
Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for my DRC
This is a story about a mother and daughter. We first met Ivy when she was a pregnant and unwed teenager. Her Harvard student boyfriend only cares about his own future. Her parents plan to send her to a school in Utah where she'll give birth and give the baby up for adoption. Ivy decides to run away in the middle of the night when she met a girl who's heading to a "wonderful" community in western Massachusetts.
Ivy had her baby, Mia. The wonderful community turns out to be a cult with a typical atrocious male leader and typical cult rules. It was half gripping, half predictable. There's a time-traveling aspect that I thought was cleverly woven into the story in relation to a book from the 1850s that saves Mia from the life she's born into.
The Invisible Hour is an atmospheric, thought-provoking, and enchanting novel that draws in the power of literature and love. I love the message of healing and self-discovery. I just wish the second half kept me engaged as much as the first. Overall, an enjoyable read but not my favorite from Alice Hoffman. I thought the author's note was very special and shouldn't be missed. 3.5⭐
Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for my DRC
December 7, 2023
The daughter of an unwed teenage mom whose father disowned her, fifteen-year-old Mia Jacob has grown up in the Community, a modern-day puritanical cult in western Massachusetts.
Interaction with the outside world, education, and reading are forbidden after members turn fifteen. Women who fail to obey the rigid rules set by its despotic leader must wear letters around their necks and/or branded on their arms.
Sound familiar? Think back to high school English class required reading.
Mia becomes obsessed with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter after finding a first edition mysteriously inscribed “To Mia,” while secretly visiting the town’s public library.
Escaping the Community with the assistance of Constance Allen and Sarah Mott, a loving couple of lesbian librarians, Mia grows up in Concord, attends college, and becomes a librarian herself.
One day, while visiting Hawthorne’s grave, she makes a wish that she could meet the author.
Poof!
Mia finds herself transported to 1837 Salem, MA.
“I came from another time only to meet you,” she tells him and they fall rapturously in love.
But the inevitable time-travel question arises: if she stays with Hawthorne, will she alter history? Mia recognizes that The Scarlet Letter is her life story; if the book did not exist, would she?
Hmmm.
What if their meeting and ensuing love affair is what propelled him to write his masterpiece, ultimately dedicating it to her?
You know I’m a rabid Alice Hoffman fan, so it pains me to say that The Invisible Hour is not her finest offering.
It’s okay, but another book I read this year with a character based upon Nathaniel Hawthorne is the historical fiction novel Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese, which I enjoyed much more.
Still, fans of Hoffman will find her familiar theme of women’s rights and autonomy deeply present throughout the novel. She also drives home the point that frighteningly little has changed on that front in almost 200 years.
Book banning also plays a role in the story and the transformative magic of literature and its ability to transcend time.
There’s definitely a timely lesson to be learned here, too: it’s always the despotic people in charge who want to ban the books.
August 17, 2023
Alice Hoffman’s new novel, “The Invisible Hour,” is about a young woman who runs away from a cult, discovers “The Scarlet Letter” in a public library, travels back in time almost 200 years, falls in love with Nathaniel Hawthorne and bears his baby.
As the latest fervent tribute to the Power of Literature and Libraries, “The Invisible Hour” is even more cuckoo than “Cloud Cuckoo Land.” But such are the pernicious forces arrayed against our literary culture that we’re encouraged to extol any novel that celebrates books.
Alas, this tribute to Hawthorne’s classic earns not a red A but a puce C-minus.
That’s painful to say because I’m convinced of the liberating function of literature, and I’ve got a house creaking beneath piles of beloved books to prove it. Like the heroine of Hoffman’s novel, I first fell under the spell of “The Scarlet Letter” as an adolescent, obsessed as only an innocent teenager can be with the horror of my unspeakable sins. And later, I spent a dozen years prodding skeptical students through Hawthorne’s intricately packed prose, which shimmers with passion, irony and dread like colors dancing across the scaly body of a fish.
Besides, a Hoffman reincarnation of Hawthorne ought to be fruitful. Despite their different styles, there have long been points of. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
As the latest fervent tribute to the Power of Literature and Libraries, “The Invisible Hour” is even more cuckoo than “Cloud Cuckoo Land.” But such are the pernicious forces arrayed against our literary culture that we’re encouraged to extol any novel that celebrates books.
Alas, this tribute to Hawthorne’s classic earns not a red A but a puce C-minus.
That’s painful to say because I’m convinced of the liberating function of literature, and I’ve got a house creaking beneath piles of beloved books to prove it. Like the heroine of Hoffman’s novel, I first fell under the spell of “The Scarlet Letter” as an adolescent, obsessed as only an innocent teenager can be with the horror of my unspeakable sins. And later, I spent a dozen years prodding skeptical students through Hawthorne’s intricately packed prose, which shimmers with passion, irony and dread like colors dancing across the scaly body of a fish.
Besides, a Hoffman reincarnation of Hawthorne ought to be fruitful. Despite their different styles, there have long been points of. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
February 18, 2024
Hoffman touches on some important talking points. She covers patriarchy, oppression, sexism, and time travel. Into all 270 pages— of this poignant novel— She has proven that less is more. You don't need a 400-page book to tell a beautifully written story. The author does a fabulous job of showing the importance of literature throughout society. At the same time, she showcases to the readers the profound healing powers that reading books can provide. I always say reading is my therapy.
The book is divided into three parts to track the different timelines of the characters—Ivy and Mia's story. Ivy is a young unwed woman who falls in with a cult run by a man named Joel, who will also become Mia's "father and her abusive husband . As Mia grows up, she is more and more constrained, and she begins to rebel against the harsh rules governed within the "community" especially the one that forbids the reading of books. Mia sneaks into the town library. She falls in love with literature as she discovers the Scarlet Letter and is amazed by its beauty and power—the librarian behind her. The friendship enriches Mia's life. Towards the end, Mia forges forward to create a better life for herself and her family.
The second part of the novel has Mia travel back in time to where Nathaniel Hawthorne is a struggling writer, where he and Mia meet and fall in love. The novel's third part is a harmonious blending of the present and past.
Women play a central role in the book, flowing seamlessly through the past and present; it touches on men's terrible treatment of women throughout history and how the power should shift back to women.
I loved the first and third parts of the book; the most. I didn't care for the second half's slower pace and Mia's time travel back to the past. My only minor issue is that one will have to suspend their disbelief to make the entirety of the plot plausible, which didn't distract from me thoroughly enjoying it. I just went with it and enjoyed the incredible journey
This book is about how books empower your life and the freedom that knowledge can give you. It's beautifully written, and the story will stay with me for quite some time.
I found this to be a poignant enthralling read. I highly recommend you read this book; if you're a fan of historical fiction and enjoy magical realism in your books. You won't be disappointed; I suggest you clear your calendars before reading.
This book deserves all the stars!!!
Five magical stars 🪄⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
The book is divided into three parts to track the different timelines of the characters—Ivy and Mia's story. Ivy is a young unwed woman who falls in with a cult run by a man named Joel, who will also become Mia's "father and her abusive husband . As Mia grows up, she is more and more constrained, and she begins to rebel against the harsh rules governed within the "community" especially the one that forbids the reading of books. Mia sneaks into the town library. She falls in love with literature as she discovers the Scarlet Letter and is amazed by its beauty and power—the librarian behind her. The friendship enriches Mia's life. Towards the end, Mia forges forward to create a better life for herself and her family.
The second part of the novel has Mia travel back in time to where Nathaniel Hawthorne is a struggling writer, where he and Mia meet and fall in love. The novel's third part is a harmonious blending of the present and past.
Women play a central role in the book, flowing seamlessly through the past and present; it touches on men's terrible treatment of women throughout history and how the power should shift back to women.
I loved the first and third parts of the book; the most. I didn't care for the second half's slower pace and Mia's time travel back to the past. My only minor issue is that one will have to suspend their disbelief to make the entirety of the plot plausible, which didn't distract from me thoroughly enjoying it. I just went with it and enjoyed the incredible journey
This book is about how books empower your life and the freedom that knowledge can give you. It's beautifully written, and the story will stay with me for quite some time.
I found this to be a poignant enthralling read. I highly recommend you read this book; if you're a fan of historical fiction and enjoy magical realism in your books. You won't be disappointed; I suggest you clear your calendars before reading.
This book deserves all the stars!!!
Five magical stars 🪄⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2023
I loved it up until the middle where a transition occurred that seemed so out of the place in the story.
This stoy is a hard one to review. In the beginning we fall in love with Ivy, a young girl left pregnant and pretty much bereft of any help. In frustration and fear, she attaches herself to a cult left by a charismatic but evil man, Joel Davis, who eventually seduces and imprisons Ivy in a circle of fear, authoritarian rule, and a community where secrets were often betrayed to their cult leader.
Ivy gives birth to a daughter. Mia, and as this girl grows, she feels her life is missing something. At fifteen years of age, while working at a farmers' market, Mia slips off to the library, where a world opened up before her, especially when she secrets away a book, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne which we now know as The Scarlet Letter. So much of her and Ivy's lie seem to be reflected in Hawthorn's writing, that she falls in love, not only with the words but with the author himself.
Time travel comes onto the scene, and before one knows it, Mia and Nathaniel meet and fall madly in love. However, can this oddity continue, when Mia is well aware of where Nathaniel's life will go and it's not with her as his bride.
I believe what bothered me at this point, (although I am not a fan of time travel,) was the abruptness of the change in Mia's life, and the very weird sensation that this was in no way an authentic happening as much as we may have wanted it to be.
Of course Alice Hoffman writes lovely prose and diligently describes beautiful scenery and cherished moments. However, this book just struck me as a way in which to throw remarks about men, (Ivy's boyfriend casts her out when he find her pregnant, and the cult leader was such an evil pervasive character appearing everywhere) as well as women's rights, and other topics du jour.
Many others enjoyed this foray into the past and tripping back to the present, but for me it was a tad disappointing.
This stoy is a hard one to review. In the beginning we fall in love with Ivy, a young girl left pregnant and pretty much bereft of any help. In frustration and fear, she attaches herself to a cult left by a charismatic but evil man, Joel Davis, who eventually seduces and imprisons Ivy in a circle of fear, authoritarian rule, and a community where secrets were often betrayed to their cult leader.
Ivy gives birth to a daughter. Mia, and as this girl grows, she feels her life is missing something. At fifteen years of age, while working at a farmers' market, Mia slips off to the library, where a world opened up before her, especially when she secrets away a book, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne which we now know as The Scarlet Letter. So much of her and Ivy's lie seem to be reflected in Hawthorn's writing, that she falls in love, not only with the words but with the author himself.
Time travel comes onto the scene, and before one knows it, Mia and Nathaniel meet and fall madly in love. However, can this oddity continue, when Mia is well aware of where Nathaniel's life will go and it's not with her as his bride.
I believe what bothered me at this point, (although I am not a fan of time travel,) was the abruptness of the change in Mia's life, and the very weird sensation that this was in no way an authentic happening as much as we may have wanted it to be.
Of course Alice Hoffman writes lovely prose and diligently describes beautiful scenery and cherished moments. However, this book just struck me as a way in which to throw remarks about men, (Ivy's boyfriend casts her out when he find her pregnant, and the cult leader was such an evil pervasive character appearing everywhere) as well as women's rights, and other topics du jour.
Many others enjoyed this foray into the past and tripping back to the present, but for me it was a tad disappointing.
January 16, 2024
Today was a frigid day to stay indoors and read. I started and finished my first Alice Hoffman book, The Invisible Hour. I knew little about it. I know the author is famous for her magical realism novels. Books about real witches is something I won’t read. This is more of a spiritual based read based on those that dare to live outside of societies standards of the time.
Mia reads Nathaniel Hawthorn’s novels and falls in love. She travels back in time where they fall in love until she has to leave.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. Though I enjoyed the 2nd half, well like I said, i am just not sure what to think. I didn’t hate it. I will selectively read more from this author.
Mia reads Nathaniel Hawthorn’s novels and falls in love. She travels back in time where they fall in love until she has to leave.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. Though I enjoyed the 2nd half, well like I said, i am just not sure what to think. I didn’t hate it. I will selectively read more from this author.
August 17, 2023
This is a story about the power of books and enchanted stories, a mother’s love and finding a safe place. Mia Jacob grew up in a strict cult in Massachusetts, where contact with the outside world is forbidden, punishments for breaking the rules are harsh and books are banned.
While she’s selling produce at the farmers market she sneaks off to the library and for Mia it’s her salvation. Here she meets the town’s librarian Sarah, who gives her a library card, it opens up a whole new world to Mia and a risky one.
Mia becomes obsessed by one book and it saves her, The Scarlett Letter by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne, it’s about a single woman who has a child in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony and she is forced to wear the letter “A” for adultery. The story parallels Ivy's, Mia’s mother, she was single and pregnant, ran away from home and lived in Massachusetts.
Mia discovers reading can transport you to another time, this is where the magical realism element to the narrative begins, is Mia the young women who falls in love with a character in her favorite book or does she go back in time, meets the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne who lived two hundred years ago and falls in love with him?
“A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.” This is the story of one woman’s dream and for a little while it came true.
I received a copy of The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman from Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. I must admit I’m not a big fan of magical realism or time travel stories and I may not have really grasped the meaning behind Ms. Hoffman's book.
What was interesting was reading about the friendship between Mia, and librarians Sarah Mott and her companion Constance Allen. A short story and the first novel I have read by Alice Hoffman, and don't let my review put you off reading her latest book yourself and three and a half stars from stars from me.
While she’s selling produce at the farmers market she sneaks off to the library and for Mia it’s her salvation. Here she meets the town’s librarian Sarah, who gives her a library card, it opens up a whole new world to Mia and a risky one.
Mia becomes obsessed by one book and it saves her, The Scarlett Letter by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne, it’s about a single woman who has a child in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony and she is forced to wear the letter “A” for adultery. The story parallels Ivy's, Mia’s mother, she was single and pregnant, ran away from home and lived in Massachusetts.
Mia discovers reading can transport you to another time, this is where the magical realism element to the narrative begins, is Mia the young women who falls in love with a character in her favorite book or does she go back in time, meets the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne who lived two hundred years ago and falls in love with him?
“A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.” This is the story of one woman’s dream and for a little while it came true.
I received a copy of The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman from Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. I must admit I’m not a big fan of magical realism or time travel stories and I may not have really grasped the meaning behind Ms. Hoffman's book.
What was interesting was reading about the friendship between Mia, and librarians Sarah Mott and her companion Constance Allen. A short story and the first novel I have read by Alice Hoffman, and don't let my review put you off reading her latest book yourself and three and a half stars from stars from me.
July 17, 2023
3.5 Stars
The book tells the tale of a college girl named Ivy who is born into privilege and loves to read. When she falls pregnant by her college boyfriend who won't take responsibility, telling her parents doesn't solve her problem either. Rather than be sent away somewhere to give up the baby, she runs away and finds a home in a cult-like community. Books are forbidden, but when daughter Mia is helping mother Ivy and the community sell fruit opposite the library, Ivy allows her to go there on the ruse of using their bathroom. A lot of us get the "reading bug" from our Moms, and I guess Ivy couldn't help herself despite all the brain-washing from the cult. Mia's life is forever transformed when she randomly picks a first edition copy of "A Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne from the library shelf.
I was very much enjoying the first two thirds of this book, thinking I was sailing to a 4-Star read when the story veered into a time travel situation at the end. I usually read up to three books at a time depending on my interest, but had a pleasant surprise when I quickly plowed through the first third of this book in short order, not wanting to read anything else. However, with the onset of the time travel aspect, rather than adding a wow factor to the tale it actually cheapened it for me, robbing it of authenticity. I also found myself a tad bored reading passages about nature and even Nathaniel Hawthorne himself.
Thank you to Atria Books / Simon & Schuster for providing an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.
June 10, 2023
After reading my first Alice Hoffman book earlier this year, I was hooked... although I first experienced her storytelling capabilities when I fell in love with the movie, Practical Magic. After reading the first two books in that series, I wanted to savor the characters and hold off on the final one, but I also needed to read more Hoffman... that's when I noticed The Invisible Hour appeared on NetGalley, and I was lucky enough to get a copy. Very different (yet remarkably similar) this book focuses on Ivy and her daughter, Mia, who grow up on a commune in Western Massachusetts. All the usual things that happen on communes occur, both bad and good, which prompts Mia to run away after an incident. She's taken in by a kind librarian and her girlfriend, and that's when the book takes a different turn. Mia transports back in time to be with her favorite author, Nathanial Hawthorne, as she felt like the stigma of the scarlet letter symbolized their life on the commune. That's when Hoffman teases readers by showing us that Mia inspired Hawthorne to write the book, and the book is what saved Mia from staying on the commune and being abused.
Loved the concept; less magical than other books, as it was just the concept of transporting through time rather than spells and potions. I think I prefer the spells and potions, but adoring Hawthorne's books made me also feel connected to this one. Slightly confusing at times, the plot zigzagged through history to connect several characters and relationships. Ultimately, I view this less as a plot-based contemporary/historical novel and more as a character-based literary novel. Life lessons are taught. Imagery is shared to push readers to think about how and why things happen. Are coincidences always coincidences, or has someone like Fate been pulling strings? A good way to experience Hoffman, but I wouldn't start with this book as your intro. Looking forward to sample more in the future.
Loved the concept; less magical than other books, as it was just the concept of transporting through time rather than spells and potions. I think I prefer the spells and potions, but adoring Hawthorne's books made me also feel connected to this one. Slightly confusing at times, the plot zigzagged through history to connect several characters and relationships. Ultimately, I view this less as a plot-based contemporary/historical novel and more as a character-based literary novel. Life lessons are taught. Imagery is shared to push readers to think about how and why things happen. Are coincidences always coincidences, or has someone like Fate been pulling strings? A good way to experience Hoffman, but I wouldn't start with this book as your intro. Looking forward to sample more in the future.
May 16, 2023
4.25 stars Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon and Schuster for the free copy for review. Publishes August 15, 2023.
With her fairy tale magic Hoffman has found yet another winner. Suspending your belief for a little time travel in this story will make it even more enjoyable.
A young girl born into in a cult, breaks free, wanting to enjoy both the world and books - which are banned in her setting. However, trouble follows her, even into the past, as her love for her favorite author is realized. Told in three parts, Hoffman gives us the present, the past and the possible - as only a good author can do.
There is not a lot left to be said about Alice Hoffman. Once you pick up one of her novels, you are hooked. She mixes truth, magical realism, fantasy and the supernatural all to the betterment of women. Complex relationships are her specialty. And she has again hit the mark with this novel.
With her fairy tale magic Hoffman has found yet another winner. Suspending your belief for a little time travel in this story will make it even more enjoyable.
A young girl born into in a cult, breaks free, wanting to enjoy both the world and books - which are banned in her setting. However, trouble follows her, even into the past, as her love for her favorite author is realized. Told in three parts, Hoffman gives us the present, the past and the possible - as only a good author can do.
There is not a lot left to be said about Alice Hoffman. Once you pick up one of her novels, you are hooked. She mixes truth, magical realism, fantasy and the supernatural all to the betterment of women. Complex relationships are her specialty. And she has again hit the mark with this novel.
September 8, 2023
Loved the entire first half of the book and then everything went down hill. The entire genre changed and it was a bizarre concept.
September 2, 2023
What a stunning beautiful thought provoking book! Alice Hoffman is my favorite go to author and she writes beautifully. This one is written more like a dream. One has to not ask very many logical questions, you sort of have to float through it, and wait for it to tie and weave together.
Alice Hoffman knows about a number of things that powerfully show up in her book. She knows about writers, curses, true and those we give the power to. She knows about the power of books and words. She knows about women, those who are trapped in time, and the confines of time, and those who can create possibilities. And she knows about the immense power of mothers and their children, particularly mothers and daughters.
This one was different than the others. I like that Alice Hoffman writes in a range of genres and for a range of authors and always tries new things. Some readers get upset when a writer changes their formula or style. Others get upset when your books become formulaic. Alice seems to find a way simply to write and let a new kind of story flow and emerge, each different and yet authentically hers. This one is different, and yet it feels seamlessly a part of her cannon. Spiritual, and powerful, and heart rendering, and quietly magical all at once. Bravo, once again. I can't wait to see what comes next. Still keeping my eyes open for you at the Waban Starbucks. All of your coffee is on me.
Alice Hoffman knows about a number of things that powerfully show up in her book. She knows about writers, curses, true and those we give the power to. She knows about the power of books and words. She knows about women, those who are trapped in time, and the confines of time, and those who can create possibilities. And she knows about the immense power of mothers and their children, particularly mothers and daughters.
This one was different than the others. I like that Alice Hoffman writes in a range of genres and for a range of authors and always tries new things. Some readers get upset when a writer changes their formula or style. Others get upset when your books become formulaic. Alice seems to find a way simply to write and let a new kind of story flow and emerge, each different and yet authentically hers. This one is different, and yet it feels seamlessly a part of her cannon. Spiritual, and powerful, and heart rendering, and quietly magical all at once. Bravo, once again. I can't wait to see what comes next. Still keeping my eyes open for you at the Waban Starbucks. All of your coffee is on me.
August 27, 2023
I had heard so many great things about Alice Hoffman’s works, but didn’t get the chance to read anything by her until now. Hoffman’s newest book,
The Invisible Hour
, is a beautifully written story that covers so much ground theme-wise. It is about a mother’s undying love for her daughter, about the freedom of choice and defying the restrictions that society places on women, about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, found families, and what I loved most of all: the enduring power of books and the myriad ways they can affect those who read them. I’m sure many an avid reader will be able to recall an example of when the right book came into their lives at exactly the right time that resulted in a profound change or impact in some way. In the case of the main protagonist in this story, Mia Jacob, the book is
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne — a book that not only (literally) saves her life, but also goes beyond that in its ability to provide profound clarity and meaning as the book accompanies her through her journey of self-discovery.
Hoffman weaves in time travel and magical realism to great effect here. The first part of the story is set in an undefined “here and now” in Boston, Massachusetts, where Ivy Jacob, a young girl from a wealthy family, finds herself pregnant and alone after her boyfriend abandons her and her parents threaten to send her away as well as put the baby up for adoption. Ivy runs away and ends up on a farm in rural Massachusetts, which turns out to be an oppressive cult called the Community, run by a charismatic but dangerous man named Joel Davis. Ivy marries Joel and gives birth to her daughter, Mia. The Community has strict rules and people who reside there are often subject to harsh punishments for the slightest infraction — punishments that usually involve public humiliation of some sort, such as having their hair forcefully cut or having a letter branded on their bodies. When Mia commits the cardinal sin of reading books in secret (books are considered evil and are banned in the Community), she finds herself in an untenable situation where she must take matters into her own hands. The second part of the story is set in 1837, in Salem, Massachusetts, and focuses on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s life in the years prior to him writing the novel that would make home famous. In part three of the story is where both worlds collide in ways that are interesting and unexpected, yet follow a trajectory that is careful about not altering history.
This was a book that I couldn’t help being immersed in the entire time I was reading it, even though stories with time travel and magical realism aren’t usually my jam. I think much of this had to do with Hoffman’s exquisite writing and brilliant storytelling, which wove the historical and fantastical elements together in a compelling fashion (though I have to say that I was a bit ambivalent about the ending). When I finished the book, my first thought was to marvel at how Hoffman pulled this story off in a way that felt both magical and historically believable, while also incorporating timely commentary on societal issues. Of course, this was also a wonderful tribute to books and reading.
What a great first experience with Hoffman’s works! This definitely got me interested in reading her other books at some point.
Oh, also, for those who decide to pick this one up, there’s a moving, gorgeously written Author’s Letter at the beginning of the book that is absolutely not to be missed.
Received ARC from Atria Books via Edelweiss
Hoffman weaves in time travel and magical realism to great effect here. The first part of the story is set in an undefined “here and now” in Boston, Massachusetts, where Ivy Jacob, a young girl from a wealthy family, finds herself pregnant and alone after her boyfriend abandons her and her parents threaten to send her away as well as put the baby up for adoption. Ivy runs away and ends up on a farm in rural Massachusetts, which turns out to be an oppressive cult called the Community, run by a charismatic but dangerous man named Joel Davis. Ivy marries Joel and gives birth to her daughter, Mia. The Community has strict rules and people who reside there are often subject to harsh punishments for the slightest infraction — punishments that usually involve public humiliation of some sort, such as having their hair forcefully cut or having a letter branded on their bodies. When Mia commits the cardinal sin of reading books in secret (books are considered evil and are banned in the Community), she finds herself in an untenable situation where she must take matters into her own hands. The second part of the story is set in 1837, in Salem, Massachusetts, and focuses on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s life in the years prior to him writing the novel that would make home famous. In part three of the story is where both worlds collide in ways that are interesting and unexpected, yet follow a trajectory that is careful about not altering history.
This was a book that I couldn’t help being immersed in the entire time I was reading it, even though stories with time travel and magical realism aren’t usually my jam. I think much of this had to do with Hoffman’s exquisite writing and brilliant storytelling, which wove the historical and fantastical elements together in a compelling fashion (though I have to say that I was a bit ambivalent about the ending). When I finished the book, my first thought was to marvel at how Hoffman pulled this story off in a way that felt both magical and historically believable, while also incorporating timely commentary on societal issues. Of course, this was also a wonderful tribute to books and reading.
What a great first experience with Hoffman’s works! This definitely got me interested in reading her other books at some point.
Oh, also, for those who decide to pick this one up, there’s a moving, gorgeously written Author’s Letter at the beginning of the book that is absolutely not to be missed.
Received ARC from Atria Books via Edelweiss
October 2, 2023
this book was BEAUTIFUL. 4-4.5 stars, debating final rating. it is the perfect new fall book to add to your fall TBR—the setting and vibes are sooo atmospheric and fall coded 🍂🍁🧡🎃
it gave me A HISTORY OF WILD PLACES vibes and i loved that. a lot of reviews call out how Part 1 and Part 2 are totally different and i agree—Part 1 was much more my speed but i liked how the author weaved the 2 together. the love story was adorable 🥹🥹🥹
this book won’t be for everyone but i really enjoyed it and highly recommend. a few more things to expect:
🧡 cult vibes
🍂 fall setting, enchanted forest, etc
🧡 a strong love story
🍂 so many quotes about books and magical libraries
🧡 Scarlet Letter references… brush up on your high school literature lol!
🍂 magical realism and time travel
thank you to Atria for the gifted copy! i looooove this author’s work!! (same author of PRACTICAL MAGIC series!)
it gave me A HISTORY OF WILD PLACES vibes and i loved that. a lot of reviews call out how Part 1 and Part 2 are totally different and i agree—Part 1 was much more my speed but i liked how the author weaved the 2 together. the love story was adorable 🥹🥹🥹
this book won’t be for everyone but i really enjoyed it and highly recommend. a few more things to expect:
🧡 cult vibes
🍂 fall setting, enchanted forest, etc
🧡 a strong love story
🍂 so many quotes about books and magical libraries
🧡 Scarlet Letter references… brush up on your high school literature lol!
🍂 magical realism and time travel
thank you to Atria for the gifted copy! i looooove this author’s work!! (same author of PRACTICAL MAGIC series!)
August 26, 2023
disappointing
I’m not sure whether this book was supposed to be a novel, a biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne, or science fiction, but , as a fan of Alice Hoffman, I found it very disappointing.
I tried to get involved with the characters, but they are very one dimensional, and the author hops from one to the other so I felt very little connection to them.
Then we jump to one of the character’s favorite authors, Hawthorne, and the writing becomes non-fiction. If I were truly interested in him, I would have chosen a biography, but I chose a work of fiction.
I’m going to stop here, just where I stopped reading the book. It is rare for me not to finish a book, but I realized that I had no desire to pick it up and wade through the tedious descriptions and prose.
Sorry
I’m not sure whether this book was supposed to be a novel, a biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne, or science fiction, but , as a fan of Alice Hoffman, I found it very disappointing.
I tried to get involved with the characters, but they are very one dimensional, and the author hops from one to the other so I felt very little connection to them.
Then we jump to one of the character’s favorite authors, Hawthorne, and the writing becomes non-fiction. If I were truly interested in him, I would have chosen a biography, but I chose a work of fiction.
I’m going to stop here, just where I stopped reading the book. It is rare for me not to finish a book, but I realized that I had no desire to pick it up and wade through the tedious descriptions and prose.
Sorry
September 24, 2023
Alice Hoffman is best known for her notable works of fantasy literature, mostly centered around witches. Witchy elements are included in Hoffman’s latest, The Invisible Hour, but it almost feels as if the novel lacks the elements it needs. With The Invisible Hour, Hoffman takes a different approach. The novel follows Mia, whose mother is Ivy. Ivy grew up with an unloveable childhood. Her parents were even planning to get rid of her. This is all until Ivy hitches a bus ride to a small community in the middle of western Massachusetts. This modern-day community is described as a cult, and it’s blatantly obvious what this community stands for is far from what Ivy actually needs in her life. But, despite this, Ivy joins the cult as a pregnant, single mother and will spend the rest of her life there. She has a daughter. Fifteen-year-old Mia doesn’t enjoy her life in this community. She’s not allowed to read books, paint art, or even wear the clothes she chooses. Mia becomes obsessed with The Scarlet Letter after finding an edition mystery dedicated to her. This book begins her obsession with literature, a thing she’s not allowed to have and love in this community. So, she ends up hiding her book under barrels of hay.
Hoffman’s latest is surely a loveable new feature, but the second part of Hoffman’s novel went downhill for me. I enjoyed the little book easter eggs thrown in since the novel takes a lot from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic works of literature. The twist, which appeared towards the second half of the book, felt extremely incohesive and unneeded. This twist ended up ruining the whole novel for me, which was disappointing. Yes, the second half was still enjoyable, but it honestly felt like a completely different book. It’s almost as if Hoffman was trying to make this novel fit too many genres.
Hoffman creates another enjoyable novel, but the novel’s main twist is rather incohesive and unneeded.
Hoffman’s latest is surely a loveable new feature, but the second part of Hoffman’s novel went downhill for me. I enjoyed the little book easter eggs thrown in since the novel takes a lot from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic works of literature. The twist, which appeared towards the second half of the book, felt extremely incohesive and unneeded. This twist ended up ruining the whole novel for me, which was disappointing. Yes, the second half was still enjoyable, but it honestly felt like a completely different book. It’s almost as if Hoffman was trying to make this novel fit too many genres.
Hoffman creates another enjoyable novel, but the novel’s main twist is rather incohesive and unneeded.
September 30, 2023
My question on this one....what happened to the remaining part of the book? Hoffman fan, read many of her books. This one started out so good, a tad bit of a suspense as what would happen. Then it took an odd magical realism turn. I'm a big fan of magical realism but it just seemed...odd. I thought OK, lets get back to the main story line and it did....and then I honestly don't what happened and the book ended. It's like it wasn't finished and was published. I could have heard more and really wanted to hear how it wrapped up but it just ended quickly. The audio narrator was good. I'm just confused on this one. Buddy read with Dana and we both felt the same way. I'll still reach for Hoffman any book she writes.
November 5, 2023
Mia finds herself in an oppressive cult described as a community. Among many strict rules, reading is forbidden, but after a few stealth trips to the local library, books vastly open the world to Mia.
When Mia experiences great loss, it pushes her to explore beyond the confines of the community. The Scarlet Letter resonates deeply with her. She can’t believe a story written so long before her existence captures her feelings so well.
The Invisible Hour follows Mia as she learns the power of words, pursues her freedom, and experiences love, in multiple forms. The story is told in parts, with shifting POVs. While I preferred the early parts of the book and was more interested in those aspects of the story, I still really enjoyed it overall. I can understand why the sharp shifts in storyline may not work for everyone, and it’s best to accept that in true Hoffman form, there’s some magical realism at play. As an avid reader, I really liked the theme about the power of books and I was rooting for Mia.
When Mia experiences great loss, it pushes her to explore beyond the confines of the community. The Scarlet Letter resonates deeply with her. She can’t believe a story written so long before her existence captures her feelings so well.
The Invisible Hour follows Mia as she learns the power of words, pursues her freedom, and experiences love, in multiple forms. The story is told in parts, with shifting POVs. While I preferred the early parts of the book and was more interested in those aspects of the story, I still really enjoyed it overall. I can understand why the sharp shifts in storyline may not work for everyone, and it’s best to accept that in true Hoffman form, there’s some magical realism at play. As an avid reader, I really liked the theme about the power of books and I was rooting for Mia.
December 18, 2023
This was a strange novel, a mishmash of timelines, and characters connected in time by female disempowerment throughout different historical periods.
Nathaniel Hawthorne plays a big role, which I found irritating, as he's put on a pedestal for having written The Scarlett Letter.
The second part of the novel is weird and makes no sense, even though it seeps with magical realism and time travel, I still expect it to be believable in the context of the previous parts of the novel.
It's as if Hoffman had all these stories that she strenuously decided to connect.
Ultimately, I found this syrupy, too lovey-dovey and flowery. Luckily, it was quite short.
Nathaniel Hawthorne plays a big role, which I found irritating, as he's put on a pedestal for having written The Scarlett Letter.
The second part of the novel is weird and makes no sense, even though it seeps with magical realism and time travel, I still expect it to be believable in the context of the previous parts of the novel.
It's as if Hoffman had all these stories that she strenuously decided to connect.
Ultimately, I found this syrupy, too lovey-dovey and flowery. Luckily, it was quite short.
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