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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I've always been intrigued by the biblical story of Queen Esther, so it was really neat to see it brought to life in this novelization. The story in the Bible is pretty short, so the author necessarily had to take license in order to pad it out in novel format, but everything added seemed consistent with what we are told in the original text. I was really impressed with how Hunt managed to make the story feel like it was set in BC Susa, and yet told with modern language that somehow didn't feel anachronistic.
That said, the story dragged a little in the middle. Again, I can't really fault her for this, since we're told nothing about Esther's life between the time that she marries the king and the time when she has to plead with him for the lives of her people. She could hardly invent a new dramatic plot line to fill in the holes.
But overall, it was an interesting and entertaining read, and I even felt like I learned a little bit about the time period.
That said, the story dragged a little in the middle. Again, I can't really fault her for this, since we're told nothing about Esther's life between the time that she marries the king and the time when she has to plead with him for the lives of her people. She could hardly invent a new dramatic plot line to fill in the holes.
But overall, it was an interesting and entertaining read, and I even felt like I learned a little bit about the time period.
Good
I thought this book was very good. The Bible doesn't go into Esther's full history, so we don't know much of her life before, her marriage. I like the fictional twist of this story puts on her life.
I thought this book was very good. The Bible doesn't go into Esther's full history, so we don't know much of her life before, her marriage. I like the fictional twist of this story puts on her life.
I haven’t been able to get into it like that. I want to so I’ll finish later on. I’m 11 mins in.
I loved this book! I also love when people re-write bible stories creatively (since that's all the bible is in the first place). Very captivating writing; I binged this book pretty quickly.
challenging
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book! 5/5 stars! It was a dual POV between Esther ( Hadassah ) and Harbonah, one of the king's most trusted advisors. It's a fictional account of a real person from the Bible. Reading Angela Hunt's books really make me stop and think about what it would have been like to be these people. This book started when Esther was young all the way through until after she saved her people. Absolutely recommend! I will be reading the rest of the series.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In Esther: Royal Beauty, Angela Hunt uses two main characters Hadassah, a young Jewish girl who becomes Queen Esther, and Harbonah, Eunuch and chief slave to King Xerxes, to show differing lifestyles under the same crown. I loved seeing Hadassah’s glorified dreams of what royal or noble life is like while during Harbonah’s sections we got to see the cold reality. And because it was told in first person, we really got into their heads which made for a richer story.
But I must admit to being disappointed with this story overall. I had expected so much more history to this book. I knew next to nothing about Esther going in and while I got to see her childhood and how she became queen, I felt there wasn’t enough meat there. Hadassah was raised a Jewish girl in Susa but dreamed of greater things like palaces, finery, and traveling so she was never the devout follower of Adonai like the cousins who raised her, Mordecai and Miriam. But upon arrival in the palace and her subsequent marriage, she is pretty much isolated from everyone so she doesn’t get to experience Persian life either. She seems to wall herself off.
I was surprised to find out that the girls brought to the palace to vie for the position of queen were cleaned up and tutored in a great many things for an entire year before they were to be presented to the king. This would have been fascinating to see in much greater detail! It would have been a great opportunity to learn more of their culture and religion and life in the harem. But alas it was not to be.
Hadassah finally becomes Queen Esther in Chapter 26 and then we have an abrupt five year time jump in Chapter 35. At last, by Chapter 37 (2.5 hours left of a 10 hours 11 minutes audiobook), the story gets interesting and starts picking up speed with the introduction of Haman, who quickly installs himself as the king’s closest confidante and chief vizier. In Chapter 40, we get Haman’s proclamation for the death of every Jew. There was a total of 49 chapters plus an epilogue which detailed a brief history of what happened to Esther, Xerxes, Harbonah, and Susa itself.
Basically, it seemed that the best part of the book was the well-known part of Esther’s life that can be found in the Bible. I’m sad to come away with lackluster feelings on this book. Again, I would have been a lot happier if I could have learned more about Persia and the Jewish community in Susa and how they might differ from those in Jerusalem and elsewhere. I kept being told that under Xerxes all walks of life had relative freedom when it came to their beliefs and customs, but I wanted to see it. I hope the next two books in the Dangerous Beauty series are better.
This book follows the biblical story of Esther. It felt very true to the culture. It points out the difficulties of being a beautiful woman in the Persian empire.
I really enjoyed the book. I love the style of Angela’s writing. I like that a lot of the chapters are shorter.
I liked the characters. The king is erratic and has a lot of power and the ability to kill people at will. That brought home to me the dangers that Esther faced. It showed how she had to take her courage into her own hands and pray and ask God for help to go and speak to the king when the Jewish nation was in danger of being eradicated.
The story felt very realistic and not a romanticised version. I had the idea that the book of Esther was like a reality TV competition to be the queen. Instead, living in the royal court was a dangerous place. Esther had to deal with the power struggles that were going on there.
I really enjoyed the book. I love the style of Angela’s writing. I like that a lot of the chapters are shorter.
I liked the characters. The king is erratic and has a lot of power and the ability to kill people at will. That brought home to me the dangers that Esther faced. It showed how she had to take her courage into her own hands and pray and ask God for help to go and speak to the king when the Jewish nation was in danger of being eradicated.
The story felt very realistic and not a romanticised version. I had the idea that the book of Esther was like a reality TV competition to be the queen. Instead, living in the royal court was a dangerous place. Esther had to deal with the power struggles that were going on there.
I'm a little disappointed by this one. It felt like the author had a really thrilling biblical story to reimagine/rewrite, but it came out flat.
That being said, my only issues with the book were plot related. The writing was beautiful and the characters were well developed. It really transported me to the time and place!
That being said, my only issues with the book were plot related. The writing was beautiful and the characters were well developed. It really transported me to the time and place!