John Irving's latest novel, 'Queen Esther', falls flat despite its promising premise of returning to the world of his 1985 classic 'The Cider House Rules'. While fans may have been hopeful for a return to the same level of quality that made 'The Cider House Rules' one of Irving's standout works, they will be left disappointed.
Instead of delving deeper into Esther's story and exploring her experiences as a Jewish orphan in St Cloud's, Irving takes a meandering route through multiple plotlines. The introduction of new characters, including Jimmy and his tutor Annelies Eissler, fails to resonate with the same level of empathy and understanding that defined characters in Irving's earlier works.
Irving's writing style remains unchanged, with long, rambling passages and an over-reliance on foreshadowing and plot twists. However, this approach can be overwhelming and detracts from what could have been a compelling narrative about Esther's life in Palestine. The introduction of themes such as Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is handled clumsily, with Irving seemingly opting to sidestep the issue rather than tackle it head-on.
Ultimately, 'Queen Esther' feels like an exercise in verbosity, padding out the pages with tangential stories and subplots that serve little purpose. Fans of Irving's earlier works will be left feeling underwhelmed by this disappointing effort from a writer who once gave them so much joy. Instead, readers are advised to revisit 'The Cider House Rules', which remains one of Irving's finest novels and a testament to his skill as a storyteller.
In short, 'Queen Esther' is a missed opportunity for John Irving to explore new themes and ideas, instead resorting to familiar tropes and tired plot devices. While it may be tempting to give this novel a chance, readers would do well to skip over it in favor of one of Irving's better works.
Instead of delving deeper into Esther's story and exploring her experiences as a Jewish orphan in St Cloud's, Irving takes a meandering route through multiple plotlines. The introduction of new characters, including Jimmy and his tutor Annelies Eissler, fails to resonate with the same level of empathy and understanding that defined characters in Irving's earlier works.
Irving's writing style remains unchanged, with long, rambling passages and an over-reliance on foreshadowing and plot twists. However, this approach can be overwhelming and detracts from what could have been a compelling narrative about Esther's life in Palestine. The introduction of themes such as Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is handled clumsily, with Irving seemingly opting to sidestep the issue rather than tackle it head-on.
Ultimately, 'Queen Esther' feels like an exercise in verbosity, padding out the pages with tangential stories and subplots that serve little purpose. Fans of Irving's earlier works will be left feeling underwhelmed by this disappointing effort from a writer who once gave them so much joy. Instead, readers are advised to revisit 'The Cider House Rules', which remains one of Irving's finest novels and a testament to his skill as a storyteller.
In short, 'Queen Esther' is a missed opportunity for John Irving to explore new themes and ideas, instead resorting to familiar tropes and tired plot devices. While it may be tempting to give this novel a chance, readers would do well to skip over it in favor of one of Irving's better works.
I'm telling you, something fishy went down with this new John Irving book... 'Queen Esther' just doesn't add up 
. The plot is all over the place and it feels like he's just going through the motions 
. Where's the depth? Where's the substance? It's like he's trying to distract us from something else 
. I mean, come on, a book about a Jewish orphan in Palestine and he can't even tackle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict head-on? That's not storytelling, that's just dodging the real issue 
. Mark my words, this is just another case of the powers that be controlling what we read and think 
. Re-read 'The Cider House Rules' instead, trust me on this one 
.
and the fact that fans of his earlier work will be left underwhelmed says it all, im good w/ revisiting 'the cider house rules' instead 
he had so much potential with 'queen esther', but instead it just feels like more of the same old stuff - long passages that drag on and subplots that serve no purpose. it's like he took all the interesting ideas from his earlier works and mashed them together into a big ol' mess 
meanwhile, 'the cider house rules' is still one of my faves 
if you're gonna write something new, don't be afraid to take risks and try new things 
. And don't even get me started on the characters - I couldn't care less about Jimmy and his tutor 
. The writing is still super long and rambling, which is kinda cool for a few pages but after that it's just overwhelming 
. Just re-read 'The Cider House Rules' instead, trust me 
i mean we were all hyped for 'queen esther' and stuff but honestly its just too much info dump 
he's still got that old style goin on but it feels like he's tryin to cram in too many plot twists and characters 
" and honestly yeah skip this one and go read the original 
I know some people might love it, and that's cool, but for me, it just feels like more of the same old style that made his other books, you know, kinda hit-or-miss... I don't know, man, my mind is all over the place about this one. 
. I mean, we get it, not every book can live up to 'The Cider House Rules', but still. It feels like he relied too heavily on familiar tropes and plot devices instead of taking some risks. If you're looking for something from Irving, skip this one and revisit the classics - they still hold up today 
. The writing is still as verbose and meandering as ever, and instead of delving deeper into Esther's story, we get all these tangential subplots that serve no purpose 
. I'm still waiting for him to revisit the magic of "The Cider House Rules" 
it's just not the same here... sadly 
. Seriously though, 'Queen Esther' feels like an exercise in verbosity, almost as long-winded as my jokes at a dinner party 
.
. The premise was so promising, but instead of delving deeper into Esther's story, he takes this meandering route through multiple plotlines 
. It's like he's trying to cram too much into the book and forget about character development altogether. The writing style is still his signature rambling style, but it feels so overwhelming now 
. If you're an IRving fan, just stick with 'The Cider House Rules' trust me, it's a better read 
. It feels like he's more interested in showing off his vocabulary than actually telling a good story. Next thing you know, he'll be writing some fancy novel about a futuristic utopia or something 
. And don't even get me started on the writing style, it's still long and rambling like his older books 
He has this amazing ability to spin these incredible stories that just transport you to another world. But here's the thing - I get it, he couldn't quite replicate the magic of 'The Cider House Rules' 
. It's like trying to recapture lightning in a bottle, right? 
It's like he was trying to tiptoe around the whole thing instead of just going for it 
.
. If you're a fan of his earlier work, I'd say stick with 'The Cider House Rules' instead - trust me on this one