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Genre: Biblical Fiction
Rating: ♥♥♥♥ four out of five hearts= good
About:
We all know the story- a young Jewish girl is called to the palace for a sort of Biblical-era beauty contest, and what happens next is the stuff of legend. But in an era known for its intrigue and mayhem, what else was going on behind the scenes?
Combining history and some creative license with the story found in the Bible, Jill Eileen Smith explores the palaces of Persia and, with a fresh new look, visits the story of Esther that we know so well.
My Review:
I've always loved the Biblical account of Esther. Everything- from the moments of indecision, to Esther's acts of bravery and the triumph in the end- made me admire Esther and wish to be like her. That's one of the reasons I was so excited to read this in-depth look at her story, although I was a little nervous, since some authors recreating Biblical stories tend to veer off the original story's track.
Esther, Xerxes, Mordecai- the relationships they created with each other were true to the Bible (with some inventing, of course) and compelling. They became human, with hopes and fears and dreams, and even though you've read the story before, you really want to keep reading so that everything turns out all right for them (even though, if you've read the Bible, you know how it all ends!).
Quite a few different viewpoints are covered right off the bat, which stole my attention from the story and seemed a little unnecessary. I was really wanting Esther to be the focus (it's her story, right?) but that didn't happen as soon as I thought it would. Though after awhile, I began to appreciate everyone's points of view and how they contributed to the story.
Even though the author does invent a few things along the way (mainly just personality types and that sort of thing) the story is true to the Bible, and also the historical accounts that she dug up. In fact, I noticed there was several times she word-for-word quoted the Bible (which was really satisfying and helped me to follow along as I read the Biblical account as an accompaniment).
I loved seeing the combination of history and Bible collide in this novel- it reminded me of how God is in control of everything: our past, present, and, yes, even our future. Definitely something we need to be reminded of when, like now, the world seems to be going into chaos.
I loved seeing the combination of history and Bible collide in this novel- it reminded me of how God is in control of everything: our past, present, and, yes, even our future. Definitely something we need to be reminded of when, like now, the world seems to be going into chaos.
I voluntarily received this book from the publisher in order to write an honest review. All opinions are truly my own.
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