Esther: A Story of Courage

by Trudy J. Morgan-Cole

Book Overview

Trapped in the sensual swirl of an alien culture, her poise, beauty, and skill with the four-stringed oud caught the eye of Hegai. As she rose through the harem ranks, her true identity carefully... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0828017603
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Review and Herald Publishing
• Length: 394 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.1" x 1.2" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic!

This is a fantastic read! The story is so gripping, it makes it hard to put it down! I'm an avid reader, and I can be pretty critical of the books I read....this one has certainly earned a place at the top of my list of favorites. I can only hope that this author continues writings in this genre!

One of the best books I've ever read.

I absolutely love the way this author writes. Once I was drawn into the story I was engrossed throughout the entire book. I loved thinking, "This story could have happened something like this." I also really like to read about how author's have done research and which parts of historical fiction are true and which are made up. The end of this book has a nice note by the author describing just that sort of thing. I have to say I will be looking for more books by Trudy Morgan-Cole.

Great Read!

Wonderful book of historical fiction. The author did a great amount of research both biblically and in secular history. The book provides a great account for what life must have been like for Esther and the women in the Persian herem. The story is exciting and I had a hard time putting the book down. After reading the book I have a better understanding of Esther and can understand what she must have gone through when she approached the king with her request to save the Jews.In the beginning of the book, the author lists the cast of characters and mentions whether the character is from the Bible, secular history or entirely fiction. It was very helpful to refer to as I was reading the book to understand which characters were which.

Well-Researched and Entertaining

Morgan-Cole's book goes beyond the cliche, and beyond the Biblical narrative. She answers questions I have wondered about. What was life like in an Asian harem? Did Esther really want to be there? She is celebrated every year as a heroine. But who was she? An interesting plot, butressed with historical research and a female perspective, that leads you to admire Morgan-Cole's Esther, and the many women of her era who's names we never learn.

The kind of book that keeps you reading untill 2 a.m.!

This is historical fiction at it's best. Meticulously researched and accurate where possible while at the same time totally captivating. It's the story of a young Hebrew girl living in Persia c. 480 B.C.E. after her people had been exiled from Jerusalem. King Xerxes sends his men to find beautiful women for his harem and Esther is taken by force from her family. As the story of royal harem life and firey politics unwinds Esther finds herself more deeply involved in the King's life than she ever dreamed. Her strength and courage as she saves her people from annihilation give the reader cause for contemplation and make you fall in love with her. Esther herself is enchanting but the whole cast of characters is skillfully developed. Before you know it you are floating along in the story and living in the 5th century B.C.E. The descriptions and history mesh perfectly with the fictional elements to create a spellbinding story of intrigue, mystery, murder, and romance.The best part of the book for the true historical fiction fan is the part where Trudy Morgan-Cole details how she researched the book. She explains which parts are true, which parts are probably true, and which parts are pure fiction. She touches on the difficulties of researching historical figures from over 2000 years ago and explains her reasoning in using the 'version' of history she chose.It's truly a splendid book that will delight the reader all the way through!