Esther is the story of a woman in biblical times who stood up for her beliefs and went against the grain. I loved the book, it was exactly what I was looking for - being a strong independent female in the bible.

There is much to like about this book. It is a well-written novel with an interesting storyline and a pacing that keeps you turning the pages. Themes of love, both romantic and platonic, are woven throughout, but the book never sinks too far into stereotypical romance territory.

I like that the author presents Esther as a rather indifferent Jew who doesn't understand exactly who God is, much less why He allows certain things to happen. (I can really relate.) The slow unfolding of Esther's faith is quite beautifully done. Unfortunately, the author sometimes presents Esther as a rather bland personality whose faults are few and far between. There is plenty of intrigue and backstabbing in the story,yet Ester seems to be strangely above it all. Overall, King Xerxes with his fits of temper and periods of depression comes across as a far more interesting and believable character.

Despite a few flaws, this book is enjoyable. It is the first book of Biblical fiction I've read, and it gave me a new perspective an a familiar tale.

There is much to like about this book. It is a well-written novel with an interesting storyline and a pacing that keeps you turning the pages. Themes of love, both romantic and platonic, are woven throughout, but the book never sinks too far into stereotypical romance territory.

I like that the author presents Esther as a rather indifferent Jew who doesn't understand exactly who God is, much less why He allows certain things to happen. (I can really relate.) The slow unfolding of Esther's faith is quite beautifully done. Unfortunately, the author sometimes presents Esther as a rather bland personality whose faults are few and far between. There is plenty of intrigue and backstabbing in the story,yet Ester seems to be strangely above it all. Overall, King Xerxes with his fits of temper and periods of depression comes across as a far more interesting and believable character.

Despite a few flaws, this book is enjoyable. It is the first book of Biblical fiction I've read, and it gave me a new perspective an a familiar tale.

This is the first book of Biblical fiction I've read. Not only was it enjoyable, it also gave me a new point of view on a familiar tale. I grew up hearing the sanitized version of Esther, so it was eye-opening (and refreshing) to read the more sensual aspects of the story.

There is much to like about this book. Mechanically, this is a well written novel with a pacing that keeps your turning the pages. The storyline is interesting and ambitious, covering the majority of Esther's life. Themes of love, both romantic and platonic, are woven throughout, yet the book never sinks too far into sterotypical romance.

I like that the author presents Esther as an indifferent Jew who doesn't understand exactly who God is, much less why He allows certain things to happen. (I can really relate.) Unfortunately, she also tends to present Esther as a rather bland personality whose faults are few and far between. And while there is plenty of intrigue and backstabbing in the story, Esther seems to be strangely above it all. King Xerxes comes across as a far more interesting and believable character.

I do wish the author had provided more historical background in the endnotes. Since I know practically nothing about the history of the period, I would have liked a clearer description of exactly which story events were based on fact.

Despite a few flaws, this book has earned a place on my shelf--an honor reserved only for books I would read again.

The author has done some research and tried to make this novel as historically accurate as possible. She gives historical background, timelines, and a cast of characters with information about them. Some aspects and several characters had to be fictionalized. There is nothing saccharine about this rendition and there is no overt religious message. Esther does however, become interested in her heritage and in G-d after her people are saved. The author stays true to my original view of Esther as a brave clever young woman who finds herself in circumstances beyond her control. She uses her wits, diplomacy, and probably her faith in G-d, to make the best out of the situation.

This book is a bit long but worth it. The author includes numerous plots and intrigues of the harem that Esther must skillfully avert. Esther must deal with long hours of loneliness and choose her friends very carefully. There is also a friendship that would have been a romance between Esther and a loyal eunch, not Haggai.

I have not read the Tommy Tenney's One Night with the King, but I have seen Tenney on late night TV several times promoting his book. According to Tenney, Esther's primary concern was her relationship with Jesus, even though this story took place several centuries before the Common Era. I also found it disturbing, if not outright blasphemous, that Tenney uses the King meaning G-d and King Ahashuerus interchangeably. First of all; no human is on par with G-d, moreover we know from the Biblical account of the story of Esther that King Ahashuerus was something of a drunken boor. G-d is not specifically mentioned in the original Bible story, yet Tenney reiterated this bizarre play on words repeatedly throughout the program. He kept saying "Esther didn't fall in love with the palace; she fell in love with the King." Again, I'm really not sure what he's talking about. In the Biblical account romantic love is never mentioned. Tenney also allotted a significant amount of the program to the part about Esther and the numerous other girls of the king's harem receiving mandatory year long beauty treatments. He went into a graphic description of body odor and perfumes and even played with a perfume atomizer to the point that I found it prurient. I would consider his book suspect.

At any rate, read the original Biblical story before embarking on any fiction or commentaries.

I was VERY VERY disappointed in this book. I can not recommend it to anyone. The history was unbelievable and the sexuality was upsetting for a book from this publishing house. I can recommend another book on this subject "Hadassah: One Night with the King" by Tommy Tenney to anyone interested in this great biblical story.

I usually don't buy historical fiction. After reading the description of the book, I HAD to buy it. I'm glad I did. I just couldn't put it down! Trudy Morgan-Cole did a wonderful job bringing the story of Esther to life. I am looking forward to reading more by her.

A very poor written book, not worth of reading.
I did not like this book at all; reading this book was like reading a sexy romantic book. This was not a historic book; the Persian history indicated in this book was not researched thoroughly.
To a point it was very insulting to both Zoroastrians and Iranian.
Someone with not enough knowledge on both religion and Iranian/Persian history reading this will only conclude that the religion was just about sex and Persians were portrayed as barbaric sick mad people.
The truth is that Zorast is considered as a prophet. He believed in one God which was called "Ahuramazda". The religion is based on love, goodness to others and to nature and recognizes only one God.
King Cyrus the Great was first to introduce "First Charter of Human Rights" to the world. And according to Jewish books and scripts, he is considered as the savior of Jews in Babylon.
Persians were holding a very rich civilization and were one of the superpower of that time.
The book was very poorly researched on historical background and seems it was written based on what the author heard.
I do not suggest this book to anyone unless they like to read a sexy romantic book.

This book was definitly the type you can't put down. Once you start reading, you can't stop. It brings you into ancient Persia and teaches you about the different rituals, cultures and religions in the most entertaining shape historical fiction can take.

The only problem I had was that the supporting characters seemed to lack any life of their own or purpose other than to serve as contrasts or compliments of Esther.

Other than that, if you like historical fiction, biblical fiction, or any book with an emphasis on religion, I recommend this.