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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

How Does Hadassah Compare to the Real Story of Esther?

by Chautona Havig · 9 Comments

Hadassah--otherwise known as Queen Esther. What do we really know about her and the culture she lived in and how did that affect this retelling? via @chautonahavig

Am I the only one who associates certain things with places? Dunkin Donuts with Arizona, orange juice with Noel, Missouri, a mustard/gold sweater with Landers. Don’t ask. Some associations should be relegated to desert sands and wind… like that sweater.

I do it with Bible stories, too. Moses and the burning bush—Grandma’s Baptist church in Phoenix. Joseph’s many-colored coat? Uncle Gene’s farm in Marlow, Oklahoma. I can go through almost every story in any Bible Storybook and tell you where I first learned it.

Except Esther. All I can say is that when I took Old Testament Survey in High School, I already knew it. Don’t ask how. Can’t tell you.

It never was a favorite. Aside from the achingly beautiful and heroic words, “And if I perish, I perish,” it never did much for me. Spend a year on beauty treatments so I can be dropped into some dumb king’s harem? I don’t think so. Seriously, I’d have been the one looking for things to make me look as awful as possible so I could be sent home or killed. Either would have been preferable in my eyes.

Yeah, I was that kid.

Still, you couldn’t have those beautiful words, “If I perish, I perish” without Esther going along and being wise and all those good, godly traits that I clearly didn’t have. So, I give her props for that.

How Does Hadassah Compare to the Real Story of Esther?

Note: links are affiliate links and likely provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Additionally, I requested and was provided a free review copy. Opinions were not influenced by this.

How Does Hadassah Compare to the Real Story of Esther?

When we think of Esther and her story, we think of her being forced to marry a king, and by doing so, she’s in a position to save her people.

So, I was surprised to discover that the book is more of a fictional memoir for “Hadassah” than it appeared in the synopsis. It begins at a very young age (under eight for sure) and ends with her burial. In the middle years, we’re given the story we know best but it’s not the primary story. I’ve seen this in another of the author’s books, so it might be something to note in the future.

Being fiction, I can’t complain so much about how she portrayed each person. Nothing the author did was in stark opposition to how the Bible portrays the individuals, but the only characters who interested me at all were Mordecai and Xerxes’ mother.

Esther was more of a Persian version of Elsie Dinsmore than a heroic queen who saved her people, and Xerxes felt like a Ken doll stand-in.

That wasn’t it, though.

The sensuality combined with historical and customary info-dumping became really difficult to read when I didn’t really care about the characters. Add to that a plot that I know well and yet didn’t engage me, and I was left unsatisfied and disappointed.

This was the second book I’ve read (or attempted to read) by this author, and I think it’ll be my last for a while. Unfortunately, mostly clean writing and editing (I got an ARC so there’s a good chance the few typos and errors that jumped out at me have been corrected) don’t make up for a book that just didn’t deliver.

Still, there are strengths to Hadassah.

People who love Biblical fiction and/or the story of Esther should probably read the “Look Inside” portion of the book on Amazon and see if they think they’d enjoy it. It might just be me. Furthermore, while the book was really sensual in places (for obvious reasons, of course), it was clean and in that regard, I believe historically and culturally accurate.

While I’m not sorry I requested and received a free review copy of the book, I am sorry I can’t sing its praises. I hope it’s just me.

I have enjoyed other Biblical fiction, though, so…

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Comments

  1. Dianna says

    July 18, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    I definitely connect things with places. My sister-in-law says that every time she goes to any church ( a couple of times per year ) the preacher always talks about the prodigal son. It’s kind of a funny joke now.

    Reply
  2. Joy @ Real World Bible Study says

    July 17, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    I am always a little afraid I’m going to be disappointed with “biblical fiction.” So far, I’ve only read one book in this genre that I just absolutely loved.

    Reply
  3. Aryn The Libraryan ? says

    July 17, 2019 at 5:49 am

    And yet, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s not a perfect story, but I found Esther relatable and real. But then, I own almost the entire Elsie Dinsmore series (whom I admire even if it wasn’t necessarily believable).

    Xerxes wasn’t necessarily as nasty as he could have been, but he was as capricious as expected. And that was sufficient.

    I enjoyed Mordecai, Xerxes’ mother and thought Haman was well done also.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      July 17, 2019 at 7:24 am

      I own all the Elsies and Mildreds as well. But where people often see Elsie as “perfect,” I considered her a rather manipulative thing who threw temper tantrums with tears disguised as “penitence.” Ahem.

      That’s my objection to this Esther. She seems contrived as perfect, but we don’t see who she really is under it… it just never went deep enough to really see her.

      And I thought Haman was weak. LOL. I really felt like Mr. Lunt from Veggie Tales made a more imposing and terrifying Haman. *gulp*

      But then, Biblical fiction isn’t my favorite. I keep trying, though. I’m convinced that I can and will learn to love it if I find the right author. I did love Connilyn Cossette.

      Reply
  4. Amelia says

    July 16, 2019 at 12:18 pm

    Thanks for the review!

    Reply
  5. Lila Diller says

    July 16, 2019 at 5:55 am

    Just to let you know, it wasn’t just you. I also was very disappointed in Hadassah, as I said in my review on the Creating Romance blog. It’s too bad, so much potential.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Who Was Hadassah? 6 Noble Characteristics Worth Sharing • Aryn the Libraryan says:
    July 19, 2019 at 1:32 pm

    […] Just the Write Escape, July 16 […]

    Reply
  2. Hadassah by Diane Wallis Tayler with a giveaway | bigreadersite's Blog says:
    July 18, 2019 at 10:14 am

    […] Just the Write Escape, July 16 […]

    Reply
  3. Hadassah – Library Lady's Kid Lit says:
    July 17, 2019 at 7:02 am

    […] Just the Write Escape, July 16 […]

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
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Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
byChautona Havig

 I fell in love with Nancy’s writing with The Shell Collector. Imagine my joy when I discovered she has a SEQUEL! Eeep! Listen in and discover which characters you’ll find in To Light the Way Forward and what’s coming next for one of America’s favorite authors!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

It’s been three years since Nancy and I had a chance to talk, and in that time, she’s been BUSY.  So in addition to falling in love with her character, Tug, and wanting to give him his own story, she’s written a small-town duet (and maybe we talked her into a third?) as well as a romcom duo!  Think we can talk her into a third of that series as well?  Because… SPOILER ALERT… we’re getting a third Shell Collector Series book, too! EEEP!

To Light the Way Forward by Nancy Naigle

A novel of overcoming deep loss, taking risks, and learning that life—and love—often surprises you when you least expect it, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Shell Collector. “Bringing to life characters you can’t help but fall in love with, Nancy Naigle goes straight to the heart with this story of tragedy turned to triumph. A poignant reminder to never give up hope.”—Sheila Roberts, author of The Best Life Book Club Feeling adrift after the loss of her husband, Rosemary sets out to visit an old friend on Whelk’s Island, undeterred by the threat of a hurricane. Before the storm hits, she finds herself at Tug’s Diner where she quickly connects with the owner, Tug. But the storm destroys the diner, compounding Tug’s grief from losing his love the previous year. The longer Rosemary stays, the more she sees Tug’s deep sadness and resolves to help him. Together with Tug and friends Amanda and Paul, they all pitch in to help the close-knit community recover and rebuild. As Amanda and Paul reconnect after losing touch during the storm, their plans to take things slow seem increasingly impractical. While Rosemary and Tug help the young couple navigate their relationship, they also find themselves building a friendship that begins to restore them both. But can that friendship convince them that love is possible for anyone who’s willing to take a risk—even those who never hoped they’d find it again?

Learn more about Nancy on her WEBSITEand follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

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