
Visitation
Susan Bernofsky and Jenny Erpenbeck
Book
By the side of a lake in Brandenburg, a young architect builds the house of his dreams - a...

On the Wings of Faith
Book
Rabbi Eli Fishman began writing about his experiences in the Shoah over sixty years ago, soon after...
The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe
Judith M. Bennett and Ruth Mazo Karras
Book
The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe provides a comprehensive overview of the...

MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Hadassah, Queen Esther of Persia in Books
Nov 4, 2019
She dreams of marrying Shamir, a tall, handsome, studious young man who is the rabbis son. Her heart beats faster when she hears the sound of his deep voice as he reads the Torah. And she hopes that he will visit Mordecai soon to present a betrothal request. Then, an upheaval in King Xerxess palace changes everything. Queen Vashti has been banished and an edict goes out for all qualified young virgins throughout the empire to be taken to the palace as he searches for a new queen. Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Hadassah will be taken. To hide her identity as a Jew, he tells her to go by the name of Esther. Since he works as a record-keeper at the kings gates, he can keep tabs on how she is doing. Hadassah: Queen Esther of Persia imagines what life was like for the woman who saved her peopleand perhaps found love in the process.
The author has done an amazing amount of research for this book. She has brought new life to the Biblical book of Esther. This informative and entertaining novel will touch the hearts of many readers.
I enjoyed this novel greatly, as it did open my eyes to the customs and the history that was custom during that time. The author gives the reader an interesting and accurate look into the book of Esther, from the Jewish viewpoint. It brings the reader into the life of a young Jewish girl in the reign of King Xerxes. I truly enjoyed this book, that teaches us about Gods providence, prayer and trust in God.
This is a read that I highly recommend.

Pride and Persecution: Jan Steen's Old Testament Scenes
Robert Wenley, Nina Cahill and Rosalie Van Gulick
Book
The Leiden-born artist Jan Steen (1626-1679) is widely admired as one of the most engaging and...

The Orpheus Clock: The Search for My Family's Art Treasures Stolen by the Nazis
Book
The passionate, gripping true story of one man's single-minded quest to reclaim what the Nazis stole...

Lost and Found in Johannesburg: A Memoir
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As a boy growing up in 1970s Johannesburg Mark Gevisser would play 'Dispatcher', a game that...

Never Anyone But You
Book
A small city in western France, the early 1900s. Suzanne, a shy 17-year-old with a rare talent for...

Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began (Maus, #2)
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Acclaimed as a quiet triumph and a brutally moving work of art, the first volume of Art Spieglman's...

Postcolonising the Medieval Image
Eva Frojmovic and Catherine E. Karkov
Book
Postcolonial theories have transformed literary, historical and cultural studies over the past three...