Queen Esther

By John Irving

Book Overview

After forty years, John Irving returns to the world of his bestselling classic novel and Academy Award-winning film, The Cider House Rules, revisiting the orphanage in St. Cloud's, Maine, where Dr. Wilbur Larch takes in Esther--a Viennese-born Jew whose life is shaped by anti-Semitism.

Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board the ship to Portland, Maine; her mother is murdered by anti-Semites in Portland. Dr. Larch knows it won't be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther; in fact, he won't find any family who'll adopt her.

When Esther is fourteen, soon to be a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meets the Winslows, a philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans. The Winslows aren't Jewish, but they despise anti-Semitism. Esther's gratitude for the Winslows is unending; even as she retraces her roots back to Vienna, she never stops loving and protecting the Winslows. In the final chapter, set in Jerusalem in 1981, Esther Nacht is seventy-six.

John Irving's sixteenth novel is a testament to his enduring ability to weave complex characters and intricate narratives that challenge and captivate. Queen Esther is not just a story of survival but a profound exploration of identity, belonging, and the enduring impact of history on our personal lives showcasing why Irving remains one of the world's most beloved, provocative, and entertaining authors--a storyteller of our time and for all time.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1501189441
• ISBN13: 9781501189449
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.7" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Don't Waste Your Time

was expecting a good historical novel about an orphan named Esther, after Queen Esther from the Bible. I thought maybe Irving's crudeness in the use of our beautifully descriptive language would have changed by now. I was giving him grace, so I thought. There were so many good ways he could have taken this story. It really was one of the worst books I have read. If I could have given it zero stars, I would have. I forced myself to complete the book, to see if there was anything redeeming in it. On page 392, the story mentions the Hebrew language having no words for profane dialog. Irving should have tried that. His writing is vulgar. Don't waste your time like I did.

Not interested in subject matter.

I finished reading the whole book and was not moved by it. The subject matter I didn't like and there really wasn't a good reason for its story. No good feeling personally at the end and very weak conclusion.