Hester: The Missing Years Of The Scarlet Letter by Paula Reed Review

Hardcover: 320 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Press (February 16, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312583923
ISBN-13: 978-0312583927


From Publishers Weekly Amazon.com



"In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne hints that after Hester Prynne's husband and lover die, Hester and her daughter, Pearl, travel abroad. In her inventive if implausible debut, Reed takes this suggestion and runs wild with it, beginning with Pearl's inheritance of a small fortune. Eager to start anew, Hester uses the money to travel to England with Pearl and to find a suitable marital match. Upon arrival, Hester reunites with a childhood friend whose husband is an ally of Oliver Cromwell, and when Cromwell learns of Hester's magical ability to see other people's sins, he recruits her to help ferret out those plotting against him. She acquiesces, only to become deeply embroiled in political intrigue that threatens to destroy the new life she's created. A few romantic trysts spice up the story and result in some un-Puritan-like scenarios, though it's hard to imagine Hester using a word like cock or describing postcoital shudders of pleasure. Pearl has been similarly revised, though Reed frequently puts words into the precocious girl's mouth that are stilted and wise beyond her years. Nevertheless, in revisiting this classic, Reed has created an entertaining and unlikely sequel."
About The Author:
PAULA REED teaches The Scarlet Letter to her high school English students every year, and each year finds something more to love about Hawthorne's novel. She lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado with her husband and two children.

My Thoughts:
I won this book from LibraryThing in December and it took a few months to get it and it was worth the wait. If you remember reading or seeing the movie's based on The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn you probably know the story of Hester Prynne, accused of being an adulterer and condemned to wear a scarlet letter A upon her breast. What Paula Reed did with this story is imagine what happened after the years Hester spent in Puritan New England.She takes a fictional classic and turns it into a very readable story of what if...? 
Hester's daughter Pearl inherits a modest amount of money and it is enough to go to England to start a new life and possibly a husband for Pearl. Mother and daughter end up living with Colonel Wright and his family. Hester and Pearl become an important part of the Wright family.
 Hester has discovered, upon wearing the red letter A every day after being accused of being an adulterer, that she has the ability to see into a persons mind and know whether or not they have sinned or have become traitors. This is a time in England when there is no king upon the throne. There is a Protector to the throne and it is Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell learns of Hester's ability and "hires" her into determining whether there are traitors to him and his government. There are a lot of people who want Charles II to be the King and if they are found to be traitors they are hung and quartered as was the form of punishment in the 1700's. This story has a lot of English history, political undertones, some romance and maybe just a touch of witchcraft. At one point in the story Hester and her daughter have to flee England and go to Holland to avoid being labeled a traitor herself. A very interesting time in history where any man or women can be accused of treason with just a word or an act. Oliver Cromwell was not a very well liked person especially with the Irish Catholics. I liked the story because sometimes when I read a book and the ending just isn't satisfying and leaves you hanging as to what happens to the character, this book gives the reader an idea on what could have happened to Hester. I enjoyed this book, a good historical fiction story...

I received this book from LibraryThing as a review copy. I was not monetarily compensated for my review.