“Esther: The Peasant Girl Who Saved a Nation” is an intriguing take on the biblical story of a Jewish woman named Esther who became a queen in the Persian empire. Esther is known for being instrumental in saving her people from the attempted genocide of an ambitious man with malicious and cruel intentions against the Jews, plotting their annihilation.

The book is broken down into thirteen chapters, each focusing on a certain person or event and elaborating on how this unfolds. Author Eleanor Liggens recounts Esther’s incredible story in this historical novel, writing it in words that are easy for readers to understand. Liggens skillfully depicts the story with descriptive narrative, painting a vivid picture of the characters and their surroundings. The author also writes with modernized dialogue, which could appeal to a wider range of readers who might be curious about Esther and her story.

I am vaguely familiar with the biblical story and the book of Esther. Readers, in my humble opinion, should have an open mind should they decide to pick up this book and temper their expectations because it’s a historical novel, so there may be deviations compared with the biblical text. That said, I did find this historical novel to be an engaging read. There is romance, suspense, manipulation, conspiracy, drama, and suspense, which could appeal to various types of readers. This novel also prompted me to further look into Esther and the story itself and to read more about it in different contexts, out of sheer curiosity. It’s an interesting and easy read!