Esther: Royal Beauty by Angela Elwell HuntMy rating: 4 of 5 stars(4.5 stars.)
Genres: Biblical Fiction; Christian Historical Fiction
Pages: 352
An ambitious tyrant threatens genocide against the Jews in ancient Persia, so an inexperienced beautiful young queen must take a stand for her people.
When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown. But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews--young and old, powerful and helpless. Purposely violating an ancient Persian law, she risks her life in order to save her people...and bind her husband's heart.
Esther marks bestselling author Angela Hunt's return to biblical fiction. In each novel she explores an example of a Hebrew Old Testament tob woman: a woman whose physical beauty influences those around her--and can change the course of history.
When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown. But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews--young and old, powerful and helpless. Purposely violating an ancient Persian law, she risks her life in order to save her people...and bind her husband's heart.
Esther marks bestselling author Angela Hunt's return to biblical fiction. In each novel she explores an example of a Hebrew Old Testament tob woman: a woman whose physical beauty influences those around her--and can change the course of history.
My review:
I don't think I've read a single biblical retelling--other than this one--besides Tosca Lee's Havah. That was years ago, and I loved it. So why didn't I try another one?
Maybe I was unsure of the genre. I mean, it's really a hit or miss. The Bible is full of accounts that tell of real historic events. What if the author falsely twists these events to better suit her own story? I didn't quite like that idea. But in this case I don't think I had anything to be afraid of.
What I didn't realize was the strong feelings such a retelling could induce in me. I already knew the characters--I've read the book of Esther--but through Ms. Hunt's fictional account I grew attached. Possibilities opened themselves up to me that I had never considered before. The thing is, many of us tend to romanticize stories like Esther. I have to remind myself that the life of a queen, especially in Esther's case, is no fairy-tale. I had never considered that perhaps she never wanted to become queen. (What young girl wouldn't?) Or that she might have had to fight for her king's affections. (He likely had hundreds of concubines). Or even that....her faith wavered.
I always pictured Esther as...well...kind of perfect. Beautiful, strong, sure of herself and steadfast in her faith. But in Royal Beauty I at first found her portrayed as a doubter. A dreamer. Not someone fit to be queen. It made me a bit uneasy. Ms. Hunt wasn't just going to let the king come in and sweep her off her feet, was she?
Fortunately, no. What she did was leave room for character development. And I watched Hadassah, the girl, transform into Esther: the queen who would be used to save her people. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The point is that neither the story or characters were romanticized. They were portrayed in a way that felt realistic--especially the king. Oh, the king. Where do I start with him?
I'll admit, I didn't like him too much. He did some things I would never be quick to forgive. But I did feel some compassion for his sorry character. Mainly because I learned of his actions through the eyes of someone who loved him. Not Esther, but Harbonah. His faithful eunuch.
Harbonah is our second point of view. It switches between him and Hadassah, and while I was usually more anxious for Hadassah's POV, I also enjoyed the viewpoint of the eunuch(who is mentioned by name in the book of Esther). There is one thing that bothered me, though, when I got to his chapters. He often summed up important events within a paragraph or two, when I would have liked to have been shown what was happening.
That aside, I loved the historical detail and writing style the author employed. Though I had a few problems with the story, I enjoyed it too much and flew through it too fast to give it less than 4.5 stars. I guess I just like having a fresh perspective on the book of Esther. I have more compassion and respect for her, now that I know what COULD have happened in more detail. There are some things I just never thought about her having to endure. All that, and I kept running to my bible to check on the accuracy of the story(two thumbs up as far as I'm concerned). It was just a fun experience. That's the thing about biblical retellings. They make you want to dig deeper into the actual book, and explore characters you maybe never thought much of before. I think I've found a genre I love!
Recommended to lovers of Biblical Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, or just a well crafted story.
Content: Mentions of concubines. Sleeping with the king was a requirement if you wanted him to choose you as queen. Everything happens behind closed doors.
Author site / Amazon link
This sounds like a wonderful work of biblical fiction! Esther is one of my favorite Bible stories, and I've always been intrigued by Habonah. I'm also a huge fan of good character development, and it sounds like Angela Hunt did that well in this book. I'll be adding this to my (massive) to-read list!
ReplyDeleteIt's one of my favorites too! I've always loved the part where Mordecai tells her that perhaps she's come into the kingdom for such a time as this. Her response: If I perish, I perish. It was so cool seeing that play out in the book.
DeleteI can not even believe that I have never read a Biblical retelling, but Esther: Royal Beauty sounds like a great one to start with. I agree that it can be easy to romanticize Bible stories because they are more detached than a whole novel, so it would be neat to see a more in-depth look at the story. I love stories with characters like Esther that grow and change throughout. I really hope I get to read this one.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll like it! I also recommend Havah. I read it a few years ago, but I remember it having really beautiful prose.
DeleteGreat review! I've had my eye on this novel for a little while, simply because Esther is my favorite Biblical tale. Ooo, you just made me wanna read it NOW.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reviewing!
You should! I just love the book of Esther, but this book really changed my perspective!
DeleteThis book could be a chapter of Prince of Persia and no one would know.Seems interesting though! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure whether I've read this book or not (I read one that was at least similar when I was in junior high.), but your review makes me want to look at it again either way. Like you, I'm a bit hesitant when it comes to biblical story retellings. It just seems too easy to change the story for the sake of drama. Those that are done correctly, however, can be very thought-provoking.
ReplyDeleteThis one was recently published, so I'm guessing you haven't read it yet. This one was definitely thought-provoking, and as far as I know, there's nothing in it that contradicts the Bible. I hope you enjoy it if you happen to pick it up!
DeleteOoh, sounds interesting. I actually don't read much Biblical fiction either, but I just saw this one at my library, so I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteAlexa
thessalexa.blogspot.com
You should. I'm definitely going to be reading more of the genre.
Delete