Staff Pick - Hester: the Missing Years of the Scarlet Letter: a Novel by Paula Reed

September 18, 2010

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s somber story of Hester Prynne and her love, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, continues with the death of her husband who refused to recognize her and the fatherless daughter, Pearl. The mother and daughter board ship returning to Oliver Cromwell’s Puritanical England where society’s hypocrisy is seen through Hester’s eyes.  Events roll one after another as Hester is forced to serve Cromwell using her direct gaze to sift traitors out. I am relieved we do not live under such judgmental standards.  The historical descriptions, intrigue, and story flow for a good told story.

Let Hester: The Missing Years of the Scarlet Letter, a Novel be your next great read.

Jackie H.
Buckner Branch