I was so excited to read this. I am a JI superfan since my late teens, so it is hard not to have hopes up very, very high for anything new. Having said that, this was hard to get through. There is so much familiar about this book (school in NEast, adoption, history, religion, etc), but it was just a lot! I loved that characters from the past were brought back, and the continuum of connection across his books was something that made me want to read on and on and on. It was hard to follow, and the period was soooooo long that I had to keep reading back a few pages to make sure I had all of the characters straight in my head.

It felt like more work in parts than it should be, and I think the reason I got to the end was because it IS John Irving, and I wanted to go get there.

Perhaps I expected too much of this book because of the author, or maybe I just didn’t get it. I felt the writing was a bit static.and that the title character was more of an afterthought throughout the book than the main character I thought she’d be. It took me so long to read it because I wasn’t going to give up on it, but I wasn’t really that into the story. I really wanted to like this, but it just didn’t do it for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

This was a really well done return to the Cider House Rules world, it had that element that I enjoyed from the original book and still have that charm that I was hoping for from John Irving's writing. It was engaging and how the story was told for Esther, I was invested in what was happening to Esther in this and seeing where the story unfolds. John Irving does a great job in writing this and leaving me wanting to read more.

I am SUCH a John Irving fan and had high hopes that this one was going to capture what I love about him, but nope. It needs an editor in the worst way. Just pages of nonsense. I don't know what this book is even about as I only got 68 pages in before giving up. Maybe next time, John Irving!

"Queen Esther" by John Irving explores themes of courage, identity, and faith. The story delves into the journey of a young woman who must navigate the complexities of her heritage and the expectations placed upon her. Through her struggles and triumphs, the book examines the impact of personal sacrifice and resilience in the face of adversity. Faith plays a crucial role in Esther's journey, guiding her through moments of doubt and uncertainty. It provides her with the strength to confront the challenges she faces and to make difficult decisions that align with her values. Her unwavering belief not only shapes her actions but also inspires those around her, reinforcing the power of faith in overcoming adversity. Esther is expected to uphold the traditions and values of her community, which often conflicts with her personal desires and aspirations. She must balance her role as a dutiful daughter with her own need for independence and self-discovery. These expectations create tension as she strives to honor her heritage while forging her own path. Esther often finds herself torn between fulfilling her family's expectations and pursuing her own dreams. This internal conflict leads her to question whether she can truly honor her heritage while still being true to herself. As she navigates this complex dynamic, Esther must make difficult choices that test her loyalty and push her to redefine what tradition and independence mean to her.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Queen Esther.
I blew it though. I started it, understood where Irving was going (I think), but then put it aside and it expired!

From the 70-odd pages I read, I could tell this was classic John Irving. It had that “feel”.

And with the themes of antisemitism that we’re about to be introduced, this will be (unfortunately) a timely book for any to read.
I look forward to getting it and finishing it once it is published.

Didn’t live up to the author’s own high standards, I anxiously jumped into this book, and kept waiting for it to “get good”, but I’m still waiting. The booked had too much “fill” and not an interesting enough story. Hopefully, this is a one off.

Sadly, this book did not live up to the John Irving hype. I have enjoyed many of his other books - the tongue in cheek humor, the characters, but this one is not in the same category. I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like about it, the lack of dialogue, the slow plot, the unlikable characters of the multiple story lines, but I could not get into this book.. The premise of the book sounds so interesting and goes along well with the title of Queen Esther, but this isn't really the story that is told. It focuses for much of the book on a staid couple in New Hampshire and their boring family. The lack of character development and dialogue were real problem for me. I slogged through this book as I got an e-arc from Simone and Schuster, and I kept hoping for John Irving's wit and voice to shine through, but it never did. I thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the e-arc in exchange for this honest review. My two-star rating is generous.

I really looked forward to reading this book because I loved Irving’s Owen Meany. I enjoyed much of the book but I just couldn’t connect the importance of the title to the tale of Jimmy Winslow. I would have liked to have known more about Esther because when she’s first introduced she captivated me. I understand her going off to hunt Nazis and living in Israel but diverting the story to Jimmy left me wanting. I think the theme of anti-semitism is important but I think there were just too many things going on in this book. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advance copy.

With Queen Esther, Irving returns to St. Cloud’s orphanage from The Cider House Rules to tell the story of Esther Nacht and her journey from early 20th-century Vienna to Jerusalem in 1981 .
Irving is a master at exploring the emotional depth of his characters, and readers will find familiar themes like identity and belonging from Irving's other works. However, like his other novels, this one could have been shortened by at least 150 pages. I found myself losing interest and wishing he'd just move forward with the plot.

This is DNF for me. My thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of John Irving’s latest novel. I was very excited to read this book. I am about 1/2 way into it and I still don’t know what it is about or how Queen Esther is relevant. I am not drawn to book and find it easy to get distracted. I think it is time for me to move on.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an electronic ARC of this novel. John Irving is my favorite author, so I eagerly anticipated this wonderful novel and will certainly purchase it upon publication.
Engaging storytelling, highly entertaining, and timely without beating you over the head . Vintage Irving- all the themes are present: searching for connection and identity, strong women around a few central male characters, importance of finding a father, (attempted) sexual assault, wrestling, writers struggling with writing/finding their own voice, epic saga, fantastic set pieces, filled with love, hope and humility! (However, no bears in this one !). Just a great entertaining book that delves into Jewish identity, mirroring the never ending Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Also stresses womens’ choice in having a child or not (still relevant today, unfortunately), One quibble- it appears this will be marketed as a St. Cloud/Dr. Larch background story, but this is peripheral…as is the enigmatic title character until the very end (“a Nacht will always be a Nacht” but remains rather undefined here, like a starless night). A more accurate title would be The Dickens Man but who cares! A new Irving novel is always reason to rejoice, and I was not disappointed!

John Irving is such a well regarded author and has written some of my favorite books. I don't believe this book hit the mark for me. I am curious as to what inspired Irving to tackle this subject matter since much is about Jewish history from WW2 until the late 1900s. I felt it was too much a history book and too little a novel with characters that I cared about. It was hard to really get to know the characters other than on a surface level. I did complete it because I was hoping I would feel it redeemed itself at the end, but I don't believe it did.

I'd love to know what prompted Irving to write this book. Did he suddenly discover some long lost Jewish ancestry? Why the preoccupation with what it means to be the best Jew one can be (albeit completely secular)? Unfortunately, he conflates rabid Zionism with "good" Judaism. In aligning Esther's timeline with the history of Israel, Irving does too much telling, rather than showing. We don't see the evolution of Israel through Esther as she is always "vague" about her actions. It's not clear why this needs to be the backdrop for a story about parenthood and love expressed as fear (familiar themes for Irving). While engaging in parts, this was not a great read.

Toward the end of this novel, the protagonist wonders why Esther was such a secret. Yes, that's it--the problem with this book. A tiny bit of Esther's story bookends the narrative, and she lingers lightly over it all. Esther is the most interesting character, and she's unavailable, even at the close, which ever so slightly warms a chilly book.

For Irving fans, there's wrestling, a coming of age story, love and sexual longings, the angst of writing and publishing. What has that to do with Esther? Really not a thing that I can tell, though she's kept at such a distance that I'm not sure.

The book is mismarketed as centered on Esther. If you are interested in the Irving themes, really interested, you might like this one. Otherwise, there's much discourse (and I mean discourse, not novelistic writing) about antisemitism, the Holocaust, Israel, and what I think is meant to be the Jewish soul. But a soulful book this is not, at least not for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the Advance Reader Copy.

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.