A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther [Paperback]

Joan Wolf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 14, 2011

You've read it as a biblical tale of courage. Experience it anew as a heart-stirring love story.

She was a simple girl faced with an impossible choice. He was a magnificent king with a lonely heart.

Their love was the divine surprise that changed the course of history.

The beloved story of Esther springs to fresh life in this inspired novel that vibrates with mystery, intrigue, and romance.

"Joan Wolf never fails to deliver the best!" —Nora Roberts

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Historical fiction writer Wolf (The Road to Avalon) has turned the biblical Book of Esther, read in synagogues on the merrymaking festival of Purim, into a novel. She maintains most of the story's primary elements but rearranges them, invents a bit, and changes several attributes of the characters. The hero, Mordecai, appears as Esther's uncle rather than her cousin, as he was in the original biblical tale. More importantly, she reimagines King Ahasuerus, who was originally based on the historical Xerxes, son of Darius and grandson of Cyrus the Great, and makes him the fictional praiseworthy character. The real Xerxes was actually arbitrary and brutal. In Wolf's novel, he plays a minor role as Ahasuerus's brother. Some things don't change. The villain, Haman, who is booed and jeered when his name is mentioned in synagogue readings, is just as nasty a person in the novel as he is in the biblical story. In both, he receives his just desserts. Wolf has succeeded in tidying up the biblical account, reconstructing its people and events while preserving its essential elements and producing an attractive love story. Readers can decide for themselves which version they prefer. (June)

Review

Wolf's latest gives readers a wonderful glimpse into the life of Queen Esther. Readers will enjoy getting to know her as a woman beset with political ambition and family rivalries. While this novel doesn't completely follow the biblical story, readers will still enjoy this Cinderella tale come to life. (**** Rating) -- Romantic Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 14, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595548769
• ISBN-13: 978-1595548764
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joan Wolf is a USA TODAY bestselling American writer, whose acclaimed Regency romances have earned her national recognition as a master of the genre. Her many historical and contemporary romances, some of which have been chosen as Literary Guild selections, have been highly praised by reviewers and authors alike.

Joan was born in 1951 and she grew up in the Bronx, New York. A former English teacher, she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Mercy College and Master in English and Comparative Literature at Hunter College. An avid rider and horse owner, Joan lives in Connecticut with her husband Joe and two grown children, Jay and Pam.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars False from start to finish July 16, 2012

By Keren

Format:Paperback

Not worth reading: In the beginning, the author called Mordecai "Esther's uncle" instead of cousin. She claimed that Xerxes and Ahasuerus (his Hebrew name) in the Bible were two different kings and that there was no evidence of Ahasueruss ever existing. She made Esther out to be orphaned daughter of a Jewish woman and a non-Jewish soldier. Esther was given a rather shallow personality and Mordecai along with the local Rabbis talked her into entering the the contest to be queen in order to solve a political problem. The author created the scenerio that if a girl was not chosen she would be sent back home to her family and throughout completely dismantled the grave situation in which Esther found her self...error after error of known fact ad nauseum until the end when Hamaan instead of being an Amalekite bent on the destruction of the Jewish people was portrayed as a sad figure who really loved and cared about the king and only tried to kill Mordecai because he was jealous of the king's affections. The Jewish people were not portrayed respectfully in my estimation.

This book does to the Biblical story of Esther what Washington Irving's story did to the true history of Columbus. Irving slandered the past and led us to believe people in the time of Columbus were ignorant thinkink the world was flat and that everyone was scared to sail off the edge of the planet. That was totally false, yet it is often taught that way in our schools. Ancient maps all the way back to Egypt showed a round earth. it was only the size of the circumference of the earth that was being questioned and the fear was that it was larger than Columbus thought (true) and therefore they would run out of provisions (they did). True history is too often forgotten when fictional accounts are substituted.

Historical fiction is all fine and good, but known facts should not be deliberately distorted. There is no problem in adding color and conversation to fill out a previously written story. But, the original author's story should not be completely misrepresented. In addition, if the author is a Christian which is implied by the small group study questions at the end, she should be more circumspect about significantly changing information written in the Bible.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book July 5, 2011

By Lantz Howard

Format:Paperback

(Review by Jessica) - A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther was a very enjoyable read. It was not my first pick, but it was much more intriguing than I thought it would be. I'm not a huge fan of reading things that I already know how they end. I've read the story of Esther in the Bible countless number of times, and so in some ways I thought that I'd be rather bored with this read. However, that was not the case. The author, Joan Wolf, writes this book as a Christian Romance which in turn breathed some new life into the familiar story.

I really enjoyed the main character, Esther. The author did a great job of really allowing the reader to connect to her. I love how the author paints a more detailed picture of how this young girl might have felt to be placed in a "contest" to win the king's heart, & how she might have reacted to the process. It was so fun to watch Esther fall in love with the king even though she didn't think she would. The story really allowed you to imagine that this could have really all taken place as a true love story & not just a "contest." In the beginning of the book it says that Esther is a 15 year old girl, but I had an extremely hard time believing that as I read.... she seemed much older and way to mature for a girl of that age.

I really loved the character of King Ahasuerus. He was came across as a great and powerful king, but one who was compassionate and full of understanding. It was also interesting to see how the villain, Haman, was presented. I like that as a reader you understood his actions & that he was portrayed in a way that allowed one to truly fathom why he did what he did.

I really appreciated the author's research into the region & time period. It was evident that sufficient research had been done to bring about a sense of authenticity. It really allowed me to envision the story in a more simplistic way that helped me to actually understand each character and their actions more.

Reading the Bible story of Esther I always had questions of how women then might have felt about harem's and concubines & I think the author did a great job of showing some raw emotions & how a woman might have truly felt. I think she also did a good job of explaining how these harem women might have come about to the king, & how a man might not have "used" these women.

I wish that the ending had been a bit more climatic. It seemed that the king was a bit to forgiving considering his actions of throwing the previous queen, Vashti, out. I think had there been a bit more tension between Esther and the king after he found out she was a Jew, then it would have added that tad bit more excitement to the end that I think was lacking. Although, it was a very sweet ending, & I'm not complaining about it.

Although this book is based on the Biblical story of Esther one must still realize that this is a work of fiction and that it is not entirely accurate nor might it completely align with the Biblical account or truth of the story. The author did a great job painting a believable story though, but plainly there are obvious points that are not in the original Bible story. However, the author did a great job of allowing one to think.... "something like this might have happened" behind the scenes of the true story of Esther.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Romance novels. I would rate the book a 4 out of 5.

Book received from Booksneeze.com

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Reluctant Queen October 11, 2011

By TotallyBookedSolid

Format:Paperback

(received this book through Netgalley)
A Reluctant Queen is a retelling of the story of Esther, a woman who gave up her life to marry a stranger in order to save her people, in the end she losses her heart as well. This story was beautiful , through this retelling you get to see Esther as a human woman not just a Queen. The way Joan Wolf wrote this allows you to see into the heart of Esther, as she begins falling for the stranger that is her husband. You truly get to see the struggles she must have faced . This book had a little bit of everything , politics, war , betrayal ,faith and love . This book was one of the most beautiful romances I have read in a long time . highly recommended.