Star of Persia - by Jill Eileen Smith (Paperback)
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4.5 out of 5 stars with 2 reviews
100% would recommend
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5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
14 March, 2020
Excellent biblical fiction
Jill Eileen Smith is one of my favorite biblical fiction authors and I have loved every one of her books that I have read so far. Star of Persia is no exception. Rich in details of the time period, infused with historical accounts of Xerxes and his reign, supported by Biblical accounts from the book of Esther, and beautifully layered with fictional events, Star of Persia offers a unique look at what may have occurred behind the scenes as Esther gathered her courage to help her people.
The story is told in several third-person points of view, mostly from Hadassah/Esther, Mordecai, Xerxes, and Haman. Surprisingly, Vashti has a voice at the beginning of the story and Amestris, Xerxes' other wife who is the mother of Darius and Artaxerxes, also has a voice. I've read other biblical fiction where Vashti is the mother of Xerxes' heirs but, apparently, historical accounts conflict on this matter. Xerxes' thoughts throughout the book made him more personal and down-to-earth, someone whom Esther probably knew and loved well. Portraying the biblical events through the eyes of multiple people helped the plot to bloom in full color.
If you enjoy biblical fiction, you will absolutely love this book. Jill Eileen Smith has a gift for bringing the Bible to life.
I received a copy of the book from Revell/Baker Publishing Group via Interviews & Reviews and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
4 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
11 March, 2020
Biblical Fiction
Star of Persia by Jill Eileen Smith is a stand-alone Biblical story. Ms. Smith tells the Biblical story of Esther from the scriptural view with bits of history thrown in. The story had plenty of palace intrigue and followed pretty closely to the Biblical account. I’m not sure I agree with the way Xerxes was portrayed, but it made for a very interesting read. I really enjoyed reading this version of the story. The love between Esther and Xerxes is something that a lot of authors leave out of the story of Esther because they are writing from the Biblical account. So to have that woven into this story was a very nice touch.
I received this book LibraryThing for my honest review.