History can shape a life, but love defines it.
Born in Vienna in 1905, Esther Nacht survives tragedy before she can speak. Her father dies on the voyage to Maine. Her mother is murdered soon after. Taken in by Dr. Wilbur Larch at the St. Cloud’s orphanage, Esther grows up among the lost and the unwanted, her Jewish heritage marking her as both survivor and outsider.
At fourteen, she finds an unlikely home with the Winslows, a New England family who despise hatred as fiercely as they cherish her. Through war, loss, and the search for belonging, Esther’s devotion to them never falters.
In Queen Esther, John Irving returns to the world of The Cider House Rules with a sweeping, deeply humane novel about identity, faith, and endurance.
