Customer Reviews

Hadassah: One Night with the King

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The memorable story of Esther in the Bible is now retold through the eyes of Esther. As Hadassah Kesselman prepares for her wedding day, she finds the experience steeped in mystery. Her story is set aside as Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen delve into what is perhaps one of the most ancient fantasies. As women dream of marrying powerful men, men dream of the beautiful woman who worships them in body, mind and spirit. This fantasy is brilliantly woven into the story of Esther and makes for a compelling read.

Hadassah Kesselman is required to read the story of Esther before her wedding day and soon learns of Esther's horrifying childhood experiences and mysterious awakenings into womanhood. Tommy Tenney's comforting writing style seems to mask the horror in a way that allows the reader to comprehend each situation without becoming overwhelmed by tragedy itself. He has a talent for capturing moments in time with exquisite attention to detail. The scent of myrrh lingers on the pages as an exciting drama unfolds in moments of sexual tension, suspense and intrigue.

Esther's story is truly brought to life in this retelling filled with political conspiracies, wars, longings of the heart and brutal action. In her search for G-d, she also finds her place in the world and begins to understand her true destiny. Must she sacrifice herself to the King of Persia and fall prey to Haman's evil intentions?

Even if you remember the biblical details, an entire new world of captivating adventure and romance awaits in Hadassah's journey to One Night With the King. I intended to read this book in two nights, but ended up reading all night.

~The Rebecca Review

Hadassah: One Night with the King instantly grabs your attention. The story opens with Hadassah following her father through an apparent maze to take part in a family ritual.

She doesn't grasp the significance of the ritual right away. That is, until she realizes that a part of the tradition is reading a private letter written by Esther, a famous queen of the Bible and for whom she is named (Hadassah translated means "Esther"). The remainder of the story details the contents of the letter that Esther wrote to a young woman to communicate the importance of her forthcoming marriage.

Esther's story begins with her becoming an orphan after her family is killed because of their religious affiliation. Her cousin, Mordecai, takes care of her and they flee to Persia.

He instructs her in Hebrew history and tradition but tells her to conceal her Jewish roots to avoid succumbing to the same fate as her family. Mordecai obtains a position with the King of Persia and Hadassah is able to obtain a glimpse of the environment of royalty, both good and bad.

When all virgins are summoned to replace the queen, Hadassah spends a year preparing for the day she would meet the king. Within that time she obeys all the instructions she is given and when requested by God, vows to free her people. She is successful but the path to success tests her devotion.

When the story returns to modern day, the present day Hadassah finishes the story and embraces the message conveyed in Esther's letter.

In Hadassah: One Night with the King, Tommy Tenney presents a great piece of historical fiction. You can't help but to become enthralled in the predicament Esther is tasked to overcome and inspired by her devotion to God and her people.

Tenney's story has all the elements of a drama; it contains romance, adventure, suspense, and irony. When you finish reading the story you will want to read the biblical version of the story from which it is influenced.

This novel puts a refreshing spin on the story of Esther while remaining true to the Biblical facts. I especially appreciated how Tenney emphasized that King Saul's refusal to totally wipe out the Amalekites resulted in the near annihilation of the Jews centuries later. Disobedience does have consequences! Tenney's description of ancient Persia's lifestyle and customs brought the story alive to me. It's obvious the writer did his research.

The book would have benefited from more diligent editing. For instance, Esther would not have used the word "platonic," because Plato wasn't even born until 427 B.C.; the Persians definitely would not have served potatoes, since they weren't introduced to the Eastern Hemisphere until the Spaniards discovered the Incas eating them. The overuse of hyperbole sometimes made me cringe too. Otherwise, I highly recommend it.

Dozens of beautiful would-be royal hopefuls...one year...one night...one King. The catch: You have to impress the royal robes off the king in just one night...and if you're in the gilt shoes of Hadassah of Susa, you must hide that you're Jewish, because certain ancient tribes hate you and have slaughtered most of your family. Part tender love story (though a small part), part beautiful religious awakening, part palace thriller, and thoroughly a woman's heroic odyssey.

HADASSAH is a stunning retelling of one of the best-loved accounts in the Bible, the story of Esther, that will have the reader entranced from beginning to end. Opening with a modern-day introduction, the story then spins back in time to the days when the Kingdom of Persia was at its greatest height. It was during these days that a young Jewish girl was destined to go forth and overcome her own adversity to save the lives of her people, in simple obedience to God without thought for her own life.
Readers will come away seeing relationships with God and family with a fresh perspective, be compelled to re-read Scripture in a new light, and have a greater sense of purpose and destiny in their own lives. Such an inspiring novel deserves to become a beloved classic. For those who loved Francine Rivers' REDEEMING LOVE and her Lineage of Grace series, and those who enjoy Gilbert Morris' Lions of Judah series, this novel is a must read. ~~Ellie Schroder, owner of The Christian Fiction Site

"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" --- Esther 4:14b

While researching for his book, Finding Favor With The King, bestselling author Tommy Tenney became fascinated with the material. Tenney's fascination resulted in writing Hadassah: One Night With the King, a fictional but biblical sound novel based on the book of Esther. Readers will find a fresh and exciting spin on the familiar story by the writing team of Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen.

The story begins in present day Israel where a young woman, Hadassah, named after her "great" grandmother of centuries before, is being presented with a very special wedding gift. As a family tradition, an ancient heirloom was to be revealed to a bride during her wedding week. This secretly hidden heirloom was a letter written by Queen Esther (Haddassah).

Some of the sketchy areas in the bible, Tenney has taken creative license to fill in such details as how Mordecai becomes Esther's legal guardian. Weaved into the story are history lessons on the hatred spewed on the Jews by the Amakelites, the crude manner in which young men were made eunuchs and women concubines, and the sense of power behind the kingship of King Xerxes. Readers will be thrilled to read this rich history in between being enchanted by Esther humble approach to her "one" night with King Xerxes. Love indeed is a powerful force as Queen Esther risks her life to save her people.

--- reviewed by Tyora Moody for Christian Bookshelf

Let me be the one to say, if you purchase this book you will be so please. Tommy Tenney did an excellent job writing this novel. I couldn't put it down. I read it in 2 days. I would have been done soon but I still had to take care of my responsiblites. I love the story of Esther and the novel made me love it the more. I was so grateful that the novel and the movie followed the bible. The movie was done almost to perfection. I saw the movie twice. I saw it for the second time when I was almost finished with the novel. That alllowed me to see all the little details that I missed the first time. I believe it is an excellent novel.

St. Paul wrote in the letter to the Romans regarding the Jews, ch.11, v. 28, "...as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarch." The Jehovah God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, time and time again, never fails to show his faithfulness to the covenant people whom He foreknew. I have not read the book, but the movie is beautiful. What is particularly memorable to me was when Mordecai read from Isaiah 40:31 to a Jewish gathering to rally them to plead to God for deliverance from Haman, and of course, Esther's resolution to go to the king Ahasuerus and plead for the cause of her people despite her own life being at stake, "If I perish, I perish." And there was a reference to the coming of the LORD Y'shua HaMashiach as all Old Testament books do, when, (I think it was Haman) accused the Jews of plotting to overthrow the Persian kingdom because they believe there is a King coming to rule over all kings. Give thanks to YAHWEH for He is good; his love endureth forever, Amen! One Night with the King is a clean, meaningful, educational, God-exalting movie for the whole family, a rarity indeed in our days.

This movie provides an excellent overview of the Book of Esther, and does so with only minor extraneous distortions. The scenes are excellent. There is the one-eyed eunuch, and there are the columns of horses, the swordfights, and the apartness of royalty. The look on the face of Haman, as his self-flattering plan backfires and he is forced to publicly extol Mordecai, is priceless. There is a humorous scene of a queen-candidate repeatedly falling off her horse. (This recounts the awkwardness of Cinderella's older sisters as they vainly tried to impress the prince). The apartness of royalty prevents a commoner from even seeing the king or approaching the king without the king's invitation. This helps the Christian appreciate the Lord's teaching about gentiles wanting to lord it over others, while the man esteemed of God instead is a servant of all. It also helps Americans appreciate the fact that their society is based on the premise that "all men are created equal".

There is a minimum of overt violence in the film, and there is an absence of bloody scenes. Haman is shown smiting Mordecai with his staff for refusing to bow down to him. One of the king's guards is shown stabbing a conspirator planning to poison the king, but only the downward stroke of the knife is presented. The gallows are shown, but Haman is not shown being hanged.

Some of the extra-biblical scenes are as follows: The maidens intended as candidates for the queen (to replace Queen Vashti) are portrayed as being kidnapped by the king's agents. Is this how it was actually done, or was such candidacy more an act of volunteering? While a candidate for the position of Queen, Esther is portrayed as reading the Biblical account of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah to the King. Finally, Esther is shown wearing a jewel that reflects light in the pattern of a series of Stars of David. (In actuality, the Star of David is of relatively recent vintage).

All in all, this is an excellent film!

This is an amazing book. I thought it got a little slow in the beginning but I pushed through and I'm so glad I did. It makes the characters come alive. After reading this book I went back to Esther in the Bible and you can see how the events could have actually happened. Another thing I found amazing is it didn't change my view of the Bible Esther at all it actually enhanced it. Excellent read.