Movie: One Night with the King

 My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Life

Primary actors: Tiffany Dupont, Omar Shariff, Luke Gross

Length: Two hours

Based on: It’s not based on anything except the Biblical account of Esther…but I believe that the director, Tommy Tenney, later wrote a book based on the movie titled Hadassah: One Night with the King. 

Time period: Bible times

Year it came out: 2006 (and the book came out in ’05…meaning either could have been based on the other?)

My overall opinion: I really enjoyed this interesting movie! While I don’t think it was entirely accurate the Biblical story (which it should have been), it was a good re-telling/dramatization and I enjoyed it. I especially became excited when I discovered two doubles…one being John Rhys-Davies (aka Gimli in Lord of the Rings) as Mordechai, and the other John Noble (aka Denethor in LOTR) as a wicked Prince. The Denethor guy freaked me out for a while…he was SO familiar, and I was quite sure it was LOTR, but I couldn’t place it…IMDB is an awesome help. :)

So. Overall? Good movie. Good story. Worth watching. Oh, and it’s clean. I would whole-heartedly recommend it! 

Esther

Author: Ellen Gunderson Traylor

Genre: Life

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 206

Time period: Bible times

My overall opinion: I enjoyed it! Another interesting retelling. The ending…well, it was nice from a human perspective, but I highly doubt it’s historically accurate. Other than that – a good book.

Cover Focus: Jewel of Persia

Jewel of Persia by Roseanna M. White

 

Book blurb from goodreads.com : “How can she love the king of kings without forsaking her Lord of lords? Kasia grew up in a poor Jewish home with more siblings than luxuries. But when a chance encounter forces her to the palace of Xerxes, she becomes a concubine to the richest man in the world. She alone, of all Xerxes' wives, loves the man beneath the crown. She alone, of all his wives, holds the heart of the king of kings. Traveling with Xerxes through Europe as he mounts a war against Greece, Kasia knows enemies surround her, but they’re not the Spartans or Athenians. The threat lies with those close to the king who hate her people. She determines to put her trust in Jehovah even if it costs her her marriage. Years of prayers are answered when Kasia's childhood friend arrives at the palace after the war, but even as she determines to see Esther crowned in place of the bloodthirsty former queen, she knows the true battle is far from over. How far will her enemies go to see her undone? Combining the biblical account of Esther with Herodotus's Histories, Jewel of Persia is the story of a love that nearly destroys an empire . . . and the friendship that saves a nation.”

Read my review: I’ve read several fictionalized versions of Esther’s story, and this one is my favorite, hands down. http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2011/06/jewel-of-persia.html

Why I like this cover: It’s so interesting! The background looks Babylonian to me. The door is so ornamented and it looks like a ton of work went into it! The title is beautiful and perfectly Perisan. But the best part of the cover is the girl, Kasia. Her dark hair and deep red dress are both wonderful, and so is the shawl that she holds casually over her arms. She’s not beaming at you, but almost has a smile. Make sure you note the bracelet on her arm…it plays an important part in the story!

I highly recommend this book, and not just because of the cover. An excellent read!

Cover Focus: A Reluctant Queen

A Reluctant Queen by Virginia Wolf 

Book blurb from goodreads.com : “An inspired re-imagining of the tale of Esther, a young Jewish woman thrust from a life of obscurity into a life of power, wealth, intrigue . . . and tender love.

See the story of Esther in an entirely new way-with all the political intrigue and tension you remember, but told as a passionate and tender love story between a young man and woman. Misunderstood by many, King Xerxes was a powerful but lonely man. Esther's beauty caught the eye of the young king, but it was her spirit that captured his heart.

Imagine anew the story of Esther, one of our faith's great heroines, destined to play a key role in the history of Christianity.”

Read my review: Didn't like it much. But here's my review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2011/08/reluctant-queen.html

Why I like this cover: Even though the book wasn’t a favorite of mine, the cover is definitely very pretty. Her expression…I don’t know what to say about it! She hasn’t got very dark brown eyes, but a lot of eye makeup kind of emphasizes that, I think. She’s got big earrings on too. Esther, I should say, since that’s her name. J That orange veil is perfect with her eyes and makeup! Amazing. It looks like her dress is just brown, or maybe olive green. I think that the background looks quite Persian. That building, and the walk-way… Come to think of it, the sky’s kind of a strange color, isn’t it? You don’t see yellow skies just all the time. But it goes so amazingly with the orange veil that I completely forgive the lack-of-plausability. ;)

A Reluctant Queen

Author: Joan Wolf

Genre: Romance, life

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Historical/biblical fiction

Number of pages: 378

Time period: Bible times

Main characters: Esther, Mordecai, Ahasuerus

My overall opinion: I love the cover. :) Unfortunately, the story itself wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be. As you probably noticed, it's the love story of the Biblical character Esther. I was unhappy with the things Ms. Wolf changed from the actual story. For example, instead of having Mordecai overhear two guards plotting to assassinate Ahasuerus, she had a higher up soldier bribing two guards, who came to Mordecai asking for his help to thwart the plan. There were maybe 7 or 8 instances of this througout the book. I also felt like a few things went into too much detail, but not so much that I can't recommend the book. In fact, I'll be giving away a copy tomorrow! Make sure you check back. :)

Overall, if you want a great Esther story, check out Jewel of Persia by Roseanna M. White. This was a fun one-time read, but not a book I'll be reading again.

Jewel of Persia

Author: Roseanna M. White

Genre: Life (but it's hard to say!)

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5

Type: Historical fiction

Number of pages: 346 (small type, long pages --- hooray!)

Time period: Bible times (around 480 b.c.)

Main characters: Kasia, Xerxes I, Esther, Mordecai

Passage from book: The river called to Kasia before she saw it, the voice of its sweet waters promising a moment of unbridled sensation. Kasia cast a glance over her shoulder at her young friend. She ought not to go. Abba forbade it -- rarely enough to keep her away, but today she was not alone. Still, Esther was not opposed to adventure, once one overcame her initial reservation.

My overall opinion: I loved this book. It's the story of Esther, but Esther is not the main character. Sound intriguing? It is. :) I should mention that this book, well, you know Xerxes had a big harem. A lot of wives and concubines. So there is some mention of his sleeping with various people. There was no description and overall I can't think of a way in which it could have been better handled. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical/biblical fiction! This book was amazing and I enjoyed it a ton. Definitely a new favorite!

 

Check out my need to read post on Jewel of Persia! http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2013/01/need-to-read-15-jewel-of-persia.html