A Reluctant Queen

Good story - very good narrator

It's a lovestory. It's based on a story from the Bible, but I'd only heard a very short description of the source material previously. I think this book can stand on it's own as a semi-historical lovestory.

I liked the main female character more than the main male character. I actually liked the bad guy more than the main male character for almost half the book.

You do have to keep in mind that the main female character is deeply religious. She constantly worries about how her new life conflicts with her religious beliefs. It can get a bit irritating, but her religion is a big part of the plot.

You also need to remember that this is a historical novel. Women were not seen as equals. Rich and powerful men were expected to have large harems. Don't expect modern views or gender equality.

I liked the book. I really liked the voice of the narrator,

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8 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Beautiful Historical Romance!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I rarely write reviews on books because they are not exceptional. In my opinion, this book was exceptional.
As with any book, there are slow parts but overall it is a great read. The narrator is very good.
It really brings to life the biblical character of Esther. It is not entirely historically accurate but that is why it is fiction.
I've been listening for a few years and only one other book has made me cry.
The Reluctant Queen gets my vote for historical romance without being overly sappy.

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Enjoyable, but not historically accurate

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes. I enjoyed it, but the disclaimers presented at the end of the book should have been offered at the beginning.

What aspect of Brooke Sanford’s performance would you have changed?

I think she did fine.

Could you see A Reluctant Queen being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Was imagining it the entire time.

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Teenager voices!

I liked the story but the narrator made the characters sound like whiny 21st century teenagers. It was very distracting at times.

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2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

The Worst Book I have ever had on audible

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The only thing I can think of is that this must be for 13 year old girls. The prattle that goes on in dialogue is mind numbing. "Oh my God I can't believe he did that". and on and on. I suffered through the first 10 minute and then thought, I couldn't stand it when my daughters were that age, I certainly don't want to relive it. And then there is the problem of the dreadful history. Do not do not download this. Dreadful

What could Joan Wolf have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Better dialogue

Would you be willing to try another one of Brooke Sanford’s performances?

No she's dreadful.

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2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

I wanted to like this book but it was boring

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I believe in the story and wanted to like the book. My wife and I listen to it on a trip to Mississippi but two thirds of the way through it she finally asked if we could listen to something else. I had felt the same way but didn't want to say anything. I can't place my finger on it but it was boring.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The culture of the times

What three words best describe Brooke Sanford’s performance?

uninspiring.

Did A Reluctant Queen inspire you to do anything?

no

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Esther the reluctant queen.

Well written novel about a Biblical character and her role in the chosen people of God.

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great book, lousy reader

The reader grates on the ear by mispronouncing words and having poor changes of voice for characters. Sometimes she switches voices in mid character. She makes the strong heroine sound like a pathetic sort with her voice. I never realized how much a reader could ruin enjoyment of an otherwise great story.

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A Reluctant Queen

Megh!
Just NOT all correct.

And yes, at the end of the book
The author gave her “ authors right to MESD up a book” “to make the story believable “ ummm?
There was/ Is a place ( the Bible) she could have done some fact checking!
It’s fine to add people from the palace , or neighbors.
But changing the TRUE facts. Ugh!

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Written Like A Hollywood Script...

I looked for a story about Esther specifically because today Purim is being celebrated around the world, and in my small corner of it. I listened of course to the Megillah and even the added chapters in other materials. I listened to the author's note at the end as well. That said....this story was written like a Hollywood script. Whatever the original author of the story had to say, no matter how big it is on the best seller list, somehow, the original just isn't good enough. This book is so politically correct and Scripturally incorrect ...SMH, it's not even close to funny. Truly the story could have been so much Better.

Mordechai's dream shows that the author did some research. Yet she chose to make IsraEl's lineage matriarchal rather than patriarchal. It's as if the actual bloodline of Esther/Hadassah's father, which directly came from King Saul's line and his disobedience regarding the Amalekites, and is the source of the reason why Haman did what he did, simply isn't important to this story. If she wanted to emphasize the benefits of the "seed of the woman (Gen3:15), I have Zero objection to that, but creating an entirely different lineage for Esther started everything out on the wrong foot. The author clearly understood the Edomite connection, so why scrimp on that of the house of BenYaHmin that was Esther and Mordechai's heritage? There are shades of ecumenism, political fudging of facts to fit the current day correctness and outright dismissal of the concept of honor vs shame in these ancient days. Genocide is not unique, even in this day and age.

Her decision to make Esther pregnant and the king grieve over the loss of his friend are workable. Esther's treatment of her servants, the harem and the eunuch guard were creative and reasonable ideas. The king's alcoholism could have been dealt with by Esther teaching him more healthful habits. The concept of water being added to wine to ease the strength of it's effects have been known for centuries. Everyone has weaknesses. It doesn't stop them from being loved. The issue of "trust and friendship" that the author created were indeed plausible. Why couldn't the king have simply been too drunk to make a good decision because he was worrying about the upcoming battle on the road? It's well known that once a decision was made and recorded, it couldn't be changed.

The most damaging decision made was to cut the time from the genocidal decree to it's fulfillment in less than a week and the allusion to the king creating Purim. This completely robs Mordechai of his connection in the story as a "type" of Messiah...not to mention the complete unbelievability of a message reaching India and Ethiopia within 48 hours, much less being acted upon. Esther is robbed of the 3 days and nights of her time before YHWH and the support system of her people. The time set up in Scripture allowed the people to know exactly "who" were bigots and who were opportunistic enough to participate in their destruction. It also provided time for true friends to be made clear. This would have provided time for forgiveness and redemption since Scripture says that many became Jews and that Mordechai's magnanimous behavior brought people together that would not have happened without that.

The narrator's delivery actually caused me to re-add a star. I guess I'm glad I listened to the story because it made me think.

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