There's nothing better than hearing that John Irving has written another book. I've been reading his novels for nearly forty years and have fallen in love with the way he paints a story onto a page. One of my all-time favorites of Irving's is Cider House Rules, so when I read that this was a sort of sequel to that book, I was over the moon.

All of the same themes as Cider House Rules are in Queen Esther - the issues of religion, abortion, and racism (in this case, anti-Semitism). The story takes us through the life of Jimmie Winslow, whose birth mother is Esther Nacht. Esther plays a rather small role in the whole of the book, but her influence is present throughout the story.

Fans of Cider House Rules will love revisiting characters such as Dr. Larch, and nurses Angela and Edna. There are even some nudge, nudge, wink, wink moments from the author as he lists the titles of Jimmie's books. The Doctor's Rules made me smile.

This may be one for only die-hard fans of Irving like myself, but I could not put this book down. I was so happy to be caught up in a story filled with the author's bizarre sense of humor and his incomparable way of telling a story.

I hesitate to write this. John Irving is one of our most revered writers. However, I found this book to be unreadable and threw in the towel when I was 40% finished. I couldn’t stand reading pages of digression that did not even remotely serve the story. The book description was compelling but up until this point, this is not Esther’s story. She is off in Europe somewhere.

Instead, we are trapped in a New Hampshire town with a stiffly written family. There was no complexity to them and if I had to read ‘right you are’ by Tommy one more time, I would have screamed!

All of the narrative seemed robotic. The opinions of the townspeople to this family was an unnecessary Greek chorus as were the many pages on relations who arrived on Mayflower, discussing Great Expectations or the Brontes, wrestling, circumcision. None of this pushed the story forward.

Perhaps with editing this could be as remarkable a story as Mr. Irving has written in the past. Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and honestly review this advanced reading copy.

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 Jimmy, the young man Esther gives birth to and then gives to her sister to raise. 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 this 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.

As a huge fan of Irving, I was thrilled to have early access to the galley (thank you to NetGalley and the publisher). The character development was impressive, as always, and the look into the definition of family, relationships, survival, and identity. However, while the reader is returned to the town and orphanage from Cider House Rules, there are too many story lines to follow, too much focus on political hot topics, such as abortion, circumcision, and Israeli/Palestinian conflict, etc. The arc of the story would have been fine without such digressions. I found myself bogged down by the sidebars and distractions and found it challenging to stick with the novel.

I was excited and grateful for the opportunity to read a novel written by such a great author as John Irving and I thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Regrettably, I found this very difficult to get in to. I made it to chapter three and as much as I wanted to, I just could not connect. I wanted to love it as much as I thought I would and think at some point it might have grabbed me but I just can't seem to get there. I thought maybe if I put it down for a couple of days and go back to it then I would be more inclined to finish it but unfortunately that's not the case.

I know that Mr. Irving has tremendous talent and I've enjoyed his previous work, this will not stop me from being a fan of his and I would say, although this was not the book for me it does not mean it won't be one for you.

This was my 10th John Irving book. Like the previous nine, it's full of creative rambling. The characters spiderweb from subject to subject at any time and place. Part of their charm is their stream-of-consciousness dialog.

That said, "Queen Esther" is more disjointed than other Irving books I've read and enjoyed. It seemed long and ponderous.

Three stars is the best I can do.

John Irving is a wonderful story teller. So, I was really looking forward to reading this book. For me, the book fell flat and after 3 chapters unfortunately, I gave up.
Thank you #NetGalley, #Simon&Schuster, #JohnIrving and #QueenEsther for the ebook for my honest review.

So disappointing! I've been a huge Irving fan since Garp hit the shelves (and in which the author mentions my family). But "Queen Esther", in my opinion, was nothing but a (very) thinly veiled autobiography, and a soapbox from which the author assails the reader with his views on politics, religion, abortion, anti-semitism, and sexuality, among others. It was more of a diatribe than a story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange of an honest review. I've never read John Irving before, so came to this book with no expectations. But I found the narrative plodding, the characters a bit annoying, and gave up halfway through. The cover art enchanted me, and I hoped the story would be more about a young Jewish orphan and the small-town community she finds herself in, but there was none of that. Esther is introduced to us at age four, then jumps to near adulthood. Some witty repartee (some quite funny) but long sections of uninteresting exposition left me impatient to get to the story. Maybe this one is for Irving fans, but unfortunately not for me.

I don't know what to say about this one. It's beautifully written of course and I really loved some of the characters but there is too much this book is trying to say about so many different topics that it feel flat for me.

Esther Nacht is a Viennese Jew brought to a small New Hampshire town to nanny the youngest daughter of Thomas and Constance Winslow. Esther is adopted by the Winslows and becomes the birth mother of this same daughter, Honor Winslow's son James.
James, or Jimmy as he is generally known, is a complex character: he loves wrestling like his biological father, and old English novels like his grandfather Winslow. Jimmy also agonized over his Jewish background, and how he fits into the New Hampshire area, and later in Vienna, Austria with his college contemporaries. Irving's concentration on sex, penises and other scatological elements tends to detract from the messages in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book. 3.5 ⭐️ (rounded up because Irving is one of my favorite authors of all time)

I was excited and delighted when I heard John Irving had a new novel coming out and I was thrilled to be selected to read a review copy. Irving is one of my all-time favorite authors and I have read all his books. Fans of Irving will feel the lovely familiarity of many common themes of his books - wrestling, a New England boys’ boarding school, a diminutive English teacher, a sprawling family history, a visit to Vienna, a main character who is a writer, the Vietnam War, and the integration of LGBTQ characters without much fanfare. And, of course, this book builds upon The Cider House Rules (Irving’s “abortion” novel). Reading Irving is like catching up with an old friend.

Queen Esther did feel like it dragged a bit in places and missed some of the Irving sparkle. Too much was familiar and not much was new. I doubt this is a symptom of Irving’s age or how prolific he has been. Indeed, the novel published before this one, The Last Chairlift, included all the familiar characteristics of Irving’s previous novels and the plot felt fresh, new, and exciting. This book felt a bit like Irving wanted to write a book that addresses antisemitism and shoehorned a novel, including already beloved characters, around his message.

You do not need to have read The Cider House Rules to understand Queen Esther. It is not a sequel.

If you are a John Irving fan, I would recommend this book. Not every book is a favorite and Queen Esther is worth the read. If you are new to Irving, I would start with his older books (A Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, The Hotel New Hampshire). If you have read some of his older works and want a newer novel, I would recommend “In One Body” and “The Last Chairlift.” I, myself, am a completionist and Queen Esther is far from my least favorite of Irving’s novels. It is a solid B and when so many other books of his are A’s…

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book. It's been YEARS since I've read an Irving novel and unfortunately this was my least favorite. In Irving's tradition, this novel is long and contains a lot of strange, irrelevant storylines. Ironically, the strange sections were the BEST part and the only sections that held my interest and kept me going. I loved and appreciated the ending as well.

John Irving writes instant contemporary classics, and this book is no different. He had proven himself time and time again, and I think it's time I read through his catalog in whole!

I received a copy of the book,"Queen Esther" by John Irving from NetGalley. I had my hopes up for this book when I read that Esther had been at the orphanage from Cider House Rules. I had hoped some of the book would be about her stay there. It turned out Esther is not in the book very much. She had been "adopted' by a well to do family when she was 15 with then intention of being a nanny to their about to be born daughter Honor. the part of Esther goes very quickly she leaves the home after raising Honor. Most of the book is surrounded by Jimmy, the baby Esther gives birth to and hands him to the now grown Honor to raise. it focuses on Jimmy growing up with is very protective mom Honor.
Jimmy is an okay character he grows up in a well to do home. wants to become a writer thanks to a grandfather who taught him to love books especially Charles Dickens. Jim's mother does everything she can to protect him from being drafted in the Vietnam war. the book follows his years in Europe. the book mentions Esther here and there but not too much is written about Esther until the very end. many characters are not likeable. my favorite character was "Hard Rain" the dog. wished I could have liked this book better.

If you are a fan of John Irving’s Cider House Rules his
latest book, Queen Esther, is a must read. If you are not familiar with Cider House Rules, Queen Esther is still a must read….it stands alone as a brilliant story of historical and literary fiction. It also is laced with familiarity from Irving’s previous works of art, most notably Cider House. A lot can happen in one lifetime, and Esther’s life is a grand example of this. Her journey is one of triumph, courage and perseverance. Her story should not be missed.

I love everything by John Irving, but tthis one just did not hit the spot. I can't really write a review, because I only read 2 chapters before I gave up. I could not follow or find interest in the story.

I am not sure why this book exists.

Although it takes place in the same universe as "The Cider House Rules," it's not really a sequel. The orphanage at St. Cloud's that provides much of the setting of TCHR is part of our titular character's origin story, but we quickly move on.

Those familiar with Irving's work will find the same touchstones: New England prep schools, wrestling, single mothers, nurses, writers, etc. What Irving does, he does well, and this novel is no exception. What I find confusing is why he attempts to untangle the question of what it means to be Jewish, Zionism, Israeli history, etc. It's not part of his usual bag of goods, and it's such a complicated subject that often seems out of place here. The novel is a hodgepodge of ideas. We spent multiple chapters analyzing Dickens, "The Great Expectations" in particular. We discuss the merits of circumcision at length. It makes for a choppy narrative until James Winslow, our protagonist, studies abroad in Vienna for the year.

The chapters in Vienna are where the novel comes alive. Until then, it feels aimless. Esther Nacht is such a mythical character that most of the time we hear her thoughts transcribed by others and not straight from the source. Almost her entire story is narrated by others, which is obviously by design, but it puts the reader at a distance. I wonder when Irving began this work, or when he first came up with the idea, for naming your novel after a character who is an IDF soldier says a lot in 2025. I'm not sure he's the person to tell this part of the story.

"The Cider House Rules" was about how those in power (often, men) make laws that govern others (namely, women) who have no say in the matter. This narrative, with the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, is just as timely today, so it would have made sense to return to that theme. Instead we have a story whose aim seems unclear.

John Irving is one of the great talents. I fell in love with Owen Meany and had expected a similar moving exploration. Although multiple plots felt tedious to follow, the writing and humor kept the story alive. Not my favorite Irving book, but does that even matter? He's a brilliant storyteller and I'll always be a fan. 3.75 rounded up.

I don't know what to say about this one. It's beautifully written of course and I really loved some of the characters but their is too much this book is trying to say about so many different topics that it feel flat for me. I wish this book could have a do over.