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Esther & Ahasuarus
Joan Wolf's first foray into Christian Fiction is the retelling of the story of Esther in The Reluctant Queen. Enjoy her perspective on Esther and Ahasuarus.
Over to you, Joan:~
Brief Physical Description
Esther
Esther has long black hair and brilliant dark eyes. She is extremely beautiful, with a sweetness to the curve of her cheekbones that is especially lovely. Her smile can light up a room.
The picture on the book’s cover is a wonderful resemblance. An actress - I would think of someone like Kiera Knightly.
Ahasuerus
Light brown hair, light gray eyes. Drop dead gorgeous - the facial bones of a young Johnny Depp.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Esther’s great strength is her ability to see beyond the façade of people into their hearts. She understands Ahasuerus as no one else does, and this is what draws him to her. She also has a great sense of duty. Esther’s greatest conflict occurs when her duty to God and to her people seems to clash with her love for her husband.
Ahasuerus is an excellent king - fair, just and interested in improving the lot of the poorer people in the kingdom. His weakness is that he learned early to distrust most people and he prizes loyalty to the point where it almost destroys his kingdom.
Inspiration for the character
My inspiration was, of course, the book of Esther in the Old Testament. I have adored her story ever since I was a girl. In those days, when girls were banned from doing so many things, it seemed wonderful to me that God would have chosen a woman to be the person to save his people from annihilation and that she would have had the determination and courage to make a stand for what she knew was right.
Background to the story
The Persian Empire around the year 488 BC. I very much wanted to place this story in its historical context, a background that I think enriches the character of Esther and makes her more accessible.
Esther has long black hair and brilliant dark eyes. She is extremely beautiful, with a sweetness to the curve of her cheekbones that is especially lovely. Her smile can light up a room.
The picture on the book’s cover is a wonderful resemblance. An actress - I would think of someone like Kiera Knightly.
AhasuerusLight brown hair, light gray eyes. Drop dead gorgeous - the facial bones of a young Johnny Depp.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Esther’s great strength is her ability to see beyond the façade of people into their hearts. She understands Ahasuerus as no one else does, and this is what draws him to her. She also has a great sense of duty. Esther’s greatest conflict occurs when her duty to God and to her people seems to clash with her love for her husband.
Ahasuerus is an excellent king - fair, just and interested in improving the lot of the poorer people in the kingdom. His weakness is that he learned early to distrust most people and he prizes loyalty to the point where it almost destroys his kingdom.
Inspiration for the character
My inspiration was, of course, the book of Esther in the Old Testament. I have adored her story ever since I was a girl. In those days, when girls were banned from doing so many things, it seemed wonderful to me that God would have chosen a woman to be the person to save his people from annihilation and that she would have had the determination and courage to make a stand for what she knew was right.
Background to the story
The Persian Empire around the year 488 BC. I very much wanted to place this story in its historical context, a background that I think enriches the character of Esther and makes her more accessible.
Thanks Joan for sharing about Esther & Ahasuarus :)
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1 comments:
Hmmm, wow this just gives me a whole new perspective on this book now...:)
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