{"product_id":"queen-esther-john-irving","title":"Queen Esther - John Irving","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAfter forty years, John Irving returns to the world of his bestselling classic novel and Academy Award–winning film, \u003ci\u003eThe Cider House Rules\u003c\/i\u003e, 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEsther 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\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e any\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e family who’ll adopt her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJohn Irving’s sixteenth novel is a testament to his enduring ability to weave complex characters and intricate narratives that challenge and captivate. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eQueen Esther\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJohn Irving was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942. His first novel, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSetting Free the Bears,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was published in 1968 when he was twenty-six. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years and coached wrestling until he was forty-seven. In 1992 he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIrving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times, winning in 1980 for\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e The World According to Garp.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e In 2000, he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2013, he won a Lambda Literary Award for In One Person. Internationally renowned, his books have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Prayer for Owen Meany\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is his bestselling novel, in every language.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA dual citizen of the United States and Canada, John Irving lives in Toronto. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Last Chairlift\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is his fifteenth novel.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScribner 2025, paperback\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Collins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44144563912773,"sku":"300252","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9997\/3445\/files\/queen-esther-john-irving-queenesther-3682453.jpg?v=1765239127","url":"https:\/\/shop.sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au\/products\/queen-esther-john-irving","provider":"Sydney Jewish Museum Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}