Lovely Retelling of the Story of Esther

The book is a retelling of the biblical account of Esther, a young Jewish girl who won the heart of the King of Persia. Esther is a beautiful young Jewish girl living a comfortable life with her uncle Mordecai. Her uncle is concerned that the new king's advisors will try to destroy the Jewish people, so when the King Ahasuerus searches the kingdom for a new queen, he encourages Esther to try to win the king's heart.

I found the story very enjoyable and easy to read. The author gives us good background on what it was like to live in Esther's time. She makes her characters come alive in the setting.

The author takes some liberties with the biblical account; for example, the king in the retelling is Ahasuerus rather than Xerxes. However, Ahasuerus is such a romantic figure the change is quite delightful. I recommend this book to all lovers of the Bible story. The time and place and the motivations of the characters come to life. I enjoyed the book.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze Program.