Hester: a bewitching tale of desire and ambition

Edinburgh, early 1800s: Isobel, a seamstress, and her husband Edward set sail for New England, in flight from his opium addiction and mounting debts. But, arriving in Salem, Isobel soon finds herself penniless and alone. When she meets the young Nathaniel Hawthorne, the two are instantly drawn to each other: he is haunted by his ancestors, who sent innocent women to the gallows - while she is an unusually gifted needleworker, troubled by her own strange talents. Nathaniel and Isobel grow closer and closer. Together, they are dark storyteller and muse; enchanter and enchanted. But which is which? ***PRAISE FOR HESTER*** 'A masterpiece that should be required reading alongside Hawthorne's classic tale of adultery. Enthralling, ambitious and a total knockout' Fiona Davis, bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue 'Full of lush and colourful prose, Hester proves that a woman will do whatever she must to prosper, even when she is left with nothing but courage - and a few secrets of her own' Sarah Penner, bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary