I have loved Irving's books for half of my lifetime so I was so excited to see him return to the world of The Cider House Rules. This book has way too many characters and too much history. I was so sad that I did not like it. So much could be removed from the book to make it better.

Great writer but I really could not get into this story. Thanks for the opportunity to read but it was just not for me. Good Luck with the boo.

John Irving tells a great story once again. In the early 1900’s a young girl is about to become a ward of the state. She never stops trying to find her roots. Well researched story and great characters.

I was given an ARC to give an honest review. These are my words and opinion

I thought his last book was officially his last book so having a new book is an amazing treat. As one of John Irving's biggest fans, by default I love this book, though it is not one of my favorite of his books, by far. I do LOVE that besides everything else that it is, it is also a walk down memory lane of all his other books. Some but not all revisited topics include:

wrestling*Vienna*glass eye*main character is a writer*teachers*prostitutes*older women with younger men*mothers interfering with sons sex life*mother is nurse*men of small stature*St. Clouds Orphanage*Dr. Larch*Nurse Edna*unwed mothers*dogs*war*adoptions*abortions* New Hampshire* and alas, NO BEARS???!!!!

It was a lot. And it was comforting and interesting, except when it wasn't.

Another wonderful, engaging, enjoyable story by John Irving.

Queen Esther tells the story of Esther Nacht, a Viennese-born Jewish orphan adopted by a non-Jewish, New England family. Esther's early life makes for a fascinating read, which includes an appearance by Dr; Wilbur Larch (younger here than in The Cider House Rules). His inclusion is a nice touch connecting an earlier work of the author. The theme of how anti-semitism affects people in different ways over the years was a fascinating but sadly true portrait of the human race. I learned a lot about Jewish culture, anti-semitism, and its effects on the Jewish people.

Esther's family is portrayed with Irving's usual quirkiness, humor and heart. A German Shepherd named Hard Rain was a joyful tool of comic relief.

Five stars! Highly recommended! Would definitely buy a physical copy upon its release and read it again (and publish more reviews). Would make for a great book club selection for Jewish and non-Jewish readers.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early read of this marvelous work!

I was so excited to see a new title from Irving! I was immediately drawn into this story, most likely because of his writing and the well-crafted characters. I also devour books about adoption and the many ways families are built. This story is a deep exploration of that topic. Settle in and enjoy just like I did! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

My rating reflects my love of John Irving's talent, not my love of this novel. For one, the title is misleading. I was hoping for a revisit to the orphanage and Dr. Larch in the beloved Cider House Rules. Instead, I got an education in diverse subjects such as anti-semitism, wrestling, the German language, New England private schools, conflicts in the middle east, the Viet Nam war, and German Shepherd dogs. And that's not all. This lengthy novel moves geographically and historically through time and the entire lives of its characters.

There is also Irving's trademark humor I associate with him, but I have to admit that the permutations of the plot gave me a headache. There was more than I wanted to learn about fertility, prostitution, belly dancing, motherhood of various kinds, co-sleeping with roommates and dogs, and the Winslow family's lives. However, if you have loved John Irving's work in the past, you may be tempted to read it for yourself.

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel arriving in November, 2025.

I’m afraid that John Irving has lost his touch in this lengthy and meandering novel. Someone needed to heavily edit this book and while I understand Irving’s standing this book did him no favors. There were a couple of sections that were somewhat interesting but overall the story was disjointed, the oddity of the characters may have worked well in the 70s but today the concept seemed outdated and while I know the author loves his wrestling days he should have left them behind in this book. A disappointment.

When I saw that John Irving had written a new book, I was beside myself. Between the hilarity and heartbreak in A Prayer for Owen Meany and the beautiful prose of The Cider House Rules, I knew this one was going to be wonderful.

It breaks my heart to say that I did not love this book. The first part of the book describes the nuclear family of Thomas and Constance Winslow, including their four "virtue" daughters, Faith, Hope, Prudence, and Honor. The family takes in a Jewish orphan, Esther, to care for the youngest daughter Honor. What follows is the story of Honor's son James (Jimmy), his unorthodox parentage, and his journey to figure out who he is and what he wants from life.

I don't know if it was the story, the characters, the multiple storylines, but I just couldn't get into it. Very few of the characters (and there were a lot of them) were likable. And not to give too much away, but Honor's way of ensuring that Jimmy was not drafted into the Vietnam war was a main plot point and bordered on the ridiculous. That's not to say it was all bad. I loved the references to Irving's other works, bringing back Dr. Larch and Nurse Edna from Cider House Rules and the references back to Owen Meany - "In James Winslow's first novel, the character of the beloved English teacher is a confirmed bachelor. In an all boys' school, there are some faculty wives and students who think such men must be nonpracticing homosexuals." I also loved the quixotic relationship between Jimmy, Jolanda, and Claude. The three of them together were delightful.

All in all, this will not be my favorite John Irving book. 3 ⭐s.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy. It's set to be published on November 4, 2025.

Many omnivorous readers list Irving's novels among their favorites, but <i>Queen Esther</i> needed to shear pages of overwriting and prune vast info-dumps to work as a compelling narrative.

A milk-toast couple with robots for children engage in painfully boring conversations as volumes of information pour from the page. Opening chapters describe possible lineage/connections to the Mayflower, the meaning behind Puritanical names, facts about a household’s past and present au pairs, and contain long passages concerning orphanages of New England. Esther considers circumcising her son so we are given five pages detailing the medical history of the procedure. Wordy passages have scant connection to later sections and it is all just too much.

The book might work as encyclopedia of Jewish history but not as historical fiction. It aims to highlight the importance of abortion rights, the danger of antisemitism, and the wisdom in great books, but the final product is closer to a lecture about what we should find important in the world today.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a review copy.

I finished reading “Queen Esther” a week ago — and being such a lifetime-John Irving fan- (the 14th book I’ve read) - gosh I’ve been nervous to write this review. I’ve chatted about this book with several of my good friends - and my husband (I have 10 long pages of notes — haha — sign me up for all the book club discussions)…. but I have not been sure of what to include ….and want not ….in this review.
Perhaps my friends are right — toss out the notes and share from my heart — adding thoughts which are true for me ….
So here goes…
Starting with the basics…..and more: ….[adding thoughts, feelings, points of view, poignant themes, meaningful resonance, concerns, and critiques] ….
….”Queen Esther”, Historical Fiction, 416 pages will be released November 4th, 2015. Major themes are antisemitism and Israel.
This is John Irving’s 16th novel. He’s 83 years old. I’m inspired the way he is so fully committed to his craft, and purpose today in his *80’s*….as he was as a young man.
His storytelling flare is as emotionally generous today as always. There is energy, ripples-of complexity, and his signature humor still tickles my funny bone….
yet
“Queen Esther” just might be his most ambitious novel to date. Personally I appreciated the Jewish history — (I’m Jewish. I also lived in Israel for a year….with family still there.
I’m not completely unfamiliar with the Jewish history aspects, but I was passionate reading what Irving wrote about it.

A lot is covered in this epic novel.
…..we have themes and experiences of family, Jews and non-Jews, survival, antisemitism, Israel, orphans, caretaking and parenting, friends, townspeople, political history in the United States and Europe, morality, identity, belonging, reflections on prejudices, travel, etc. It’s adventurous ….filled with unpredictable surprises….
giving us encounters with injustices, sexuality, feminism, wrestling, writing, writers, books, academic, fatherhood, motherhood, small men, lesbianism, modern society, bodily accidents, mystery, tattoo art, circumcision, innocence, corruption, reunions, secrets, athletes, …..etc. etc.
…..as well as the most basic universal themes: love, life, death and the essence of humanity.

….Irving returns to St. Cloud’s orphanage in Maine — where “The Cider House Rules” took place in 1985.
He brought back a younger Dr. Wilbur Larch — but all the other characters are new.
And no, it’s not necessary to have read “The Cider House Rules” before reading this book. (I would for personal engrossment), but “Queen Esther” stands strong on its own.

….NOTE…. John Irving constructed this novel long before the advance of October 7th.
Irving has been quoted saying: “With hindsight, it easy to say that what I saw and heard in Israel in the early 1980s serves as a precursor to what has developed since that time, but this is what historical fiction is for”.

….Esther Nacht, Jewish, was born in Vienna in 1905 and is abandoned at almost four years of age. Esther‘s father died on board the ship to Portland Maine. Her mother was murdered by anti-Semites in Portland.

….When Esther is fourteen, soon to be a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meet a philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans: James and Constance Winslow. The Winslows are not Jewish, but they despise antisemitism. In the final chapter, setting Jerusalem in 1981 Esther Nacht is seventy-six years old.

….We meet a lot of characters: Much too many to name — ( ha, as if this review isn’t already too long)
But we begin to get very cozy close with the characters — and the storytelling begins to get juicy around 10% in.

…. my one ‘criticism’ is I thought it took longer than it needed to take to create the set up during that first 10%. It’s information we need — so pay attention yet — and I did ….but I found it a little emotionally dry — however — the payoff came from paying attention. The rest of the book begins to fly by.
My suggestion is to read the beginning slow — (ground yourself)…it ‘will’ pay off.

….my one ‘concern’ ….given that it has been unsettling being Jewish in recent years… and especially since October 7th ….even with Jews at odds with each other in our own tribe, I just hope there isn’t any ugly anti-Semitic backlash. I received disturbing I ‘hate you Jews’ comment on my Facebook page not long ago — when I posted about Holocaust Remembrance Day. I deleted it, but it felt awful.

So …. being aligned with Irving’s preference…. besides avoiding spoilers , I’m also staying far away from content in this novel.

It’s a book written for everyone — for historical fiction fans - and for those who love great storytelling!
It’s a great read….
It wasn’t easy for me ….but I put my notes, quotes, details aside.
However, we are treated to many of the charming elements we have previously read from John Irving.
A terrific ending!

One small excerpt:
“Who knows, maybe our religion will teach the world and all the people in it about the goodness, and that’s the reason, the only reason, we have to suffer”.

John Irving will always be a favorite of mine. I am still in awe a bit after reading this one. I may come back and add more, I just need time to think. I absolutely dove into this and the world around me sis not exist until I finished. I have never *not liked* any of his books. This one fell really well with Cider House. Please John, write us a few more!

If you have read and enjoyed the authors previous books, you will enjoy this one. It is a typical Irving offering. The storyline involves the authors usual quirkiness and at times digressions. The storyline,additionally, keeps the reader interested and turning pages to continue the adventure. I am hoping this will not be the authors last novel because I am already looking forward to reading his next offering.

John Irving at his finest! Quirky characters, well developed characters and engaging plot! He never loses his touch!