After forty years John Irving returns to the world of his bestselling classic novel and
Academy Award–winning film The Cider House Rules revisiting the orphanage in St. Cloud’s
Maine where Dr. Wilbur Larch takes in Esther—a Viennese-born Jew whose life is shaped by
anti-Semitism. Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board the ship to
Portland Maine her mother is murdered by anti-Semites in Portland. Dr. Larch knows it won’t
be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther in fact he won’t find any family who’ll adopt
her. When Esther is fourteen soon to be a ward of the state Dr. Larch meets the Winslows a
philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans.
The Winslows aren’t Jewish but they despise anti-Semitism. Esther’s gratitude for the Winslows
is unending even as she retraces her roots back to Vienna she never stops loving and
protecting the Winslows. In the final chapter set in Jerusalem in 1981 Esther Nacht is
seventy-six. John Irving’s sixteenth novel is a testament to his enduring ability to weave
complex characters and intricate narratives that challenge and captivate. Queen Esther is not
just a story of survival but a profound exploration of identity belonging and the enduring
impact of history on our personal lives showcasing why Irving remains one of the world’s most
beloved provocative and entertaining authors—a storyteller of our time and for all time.
