A review by sharyl5
Queen Esther by John Irving

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

When opening a John Irving book, I expect to meet lovable, eccentric characters living unconventional lives. The main plots in Irving's books are usually interwoven with colorful side plots as well, stories that vary in realisticness. Add to that a good message about social tolerance and some historical background, and it all comes together in his splendid novels. 

John Irving's latest novel, Queen Esther, ticks all of those boxes, but this time, I found the plot a little too scattered, and did not get attached to any one character the way I usually do. One part of the story is about an orphan named Esther, but the most intriguing part of her life happens off stage. This novel spends more time following the life of the young man Esther gives birth to and then gives to her sister to raise, Jimmy. He does live in interesting times, and yet I didn't find his story to be compelling.

 The author imparts quite a bit of history in novel, which is mostly very topical, but in my opinion, it slowed down the pace of the book too much. The history of Israel is important, but the other histories could have been skipped, especially the space given to circumcision, which wondered too far into the weeds and away from the story. 

 Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable experience and am grateful for the chance to read this. Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. 


Note: digital copy