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Book of Esther
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
13 posts | 5 read | 1 reading | 10 to read
What if an empire of Jewish warriors that really existed in the Middle Ages had never fallen and was the only thing standing between Hitler and his conquest of Russia? Eastern Europe, August 1942. The Khazar kaganate, an isolated nation of Turkic warrior Jews, lies between the Pontus Euxinus (the Black Sea) and the Khazar Sea (the Caspian). It also happens to lie between a belligerent nation to the west that the Khazars call Germania and a city the rest of the world calls Stalingrad. After years of Jewish refugees streaming across the border from Europa, fleeing the war, Germania launches its siege of Khazaria. Only Esther, the daughter of the nation s chief policy adviser, sees the ominous implications of Germania's disregard for Jewish lives. Only she realizes that this isn t just another war but an existential threat. After witnessing the enemy warplanes first foray into sovereign Khazar territory, Esther knows she must fight for her country. But as the elder daughter in a traditional home, her urgent question is "how." Before daybreak one fateful morning, she embarks on a perilous journey across the open steppe. She seeks a fabled village of Kabbalists who may hold the key to her destiny: their rumored ability to change her into a man so that she may convince her entire nation to join in the fight for its very existence against an enemy like none Khazaria has ever faced before."The Book of Esther" is a profound saga of war, technology, mysticism, power, and faith. This novel simultaneously a steampunk Joan of Arc and a genre-bending tale of a counterfactual Jewish state by a writer who invents worlds out of Calvino or Borges ("The New Yorker") is a stunning achievement. Reminiscent of Michael Chabon s "The Yiddish Policemen s Union" and Philip Roth s "The Plot Against America," "The Book of Esther" reaffirms Barton s place as one of her generation s most gifted storytellers."
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
blurb
Yossarian
Yossarian
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
post image

The Board outside my local Indy Bookstore today. The Book of Esther is the most recent book where I was only half through for book club, but I have since finished it.

With which book did you have to fake it through Book Club?

melissajayne Never lied about not reading a book club book. 7y
AmyG I skimmed Manhattan Beach. That‘s how I fake it. I read enough to stay in the conversation. We have one person we think lies about reading the books. She always misses a major fact or two about the books....and laughs because she “forgot”. 7y
Amie My book club is pretty forgiving and there's usually at least one member who hasn't read the book each month, so I don't have to lie if I didn't read the book. If I didn't read the book, it's because I hated it and didn't want to finish it and I'm quite willing to share that opinion with my book club 😀 7y
See All 6 Comments
Purrfectpages I've never faked it with my book club. lol We've never been a serious bunch anyhow. 7y
Lova This looks like a book challenge I may actually me able to finish! Except I haven‘t ever been part of a book club. :( I need to remedy that. 7y
drokka The only book club I've ever been in was the short-lived one at work, and as the moderator I read them all. 7y
128 likes6 comments
blurb
SofiPasternack
SofiPasternack
The Book of Esther: A Novel | Emily Barton
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WAAAUUUGGHHHHH I WASN‘T EXPECTING TO CRY

2 likes
quote
SofiPasternack
SofiPasternack
The Book of Esther: A Novel | Emily Barton
post image

“The golem did as he was told. Esther knew he didn‘t have to.” Omg my hearrrrrt the golems better get a happy ending I stg.

4 likes
blurb
Yossarian
Yossarian
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
post image

Dropped the kid off for the bus to marching band finals at 6:30. Now I‘m trying to wake myself up on a stupidly early hour for a Saturday.

ValerieAndBooks You and me both! 😴 But MB season is almost over, although I will kind of miss the extra reading time on Saturday mornings 😊. 7y
KimM How is this book? It's on my TBR 7y
Yossarian @kimm it‘s very good. Yet hovering a notch or two below “great.” We‘ll have to see how it ends. 7y
63 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Yossarian
Yossarian
The Book of Esther: A Novel | Emily Barton
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As much as I‘m enjoying this Book, I wish she wouldn‘t use “Holy Shekhinah” like 1960s Robin saying “Holy Shit, Batman!”

60 likes
blurb
Yossarian
Yossarian
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
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Today is Purim, a holiday that is celebrated by reading the biblical Book of Esther, commemorating the time that the Jewish people were saved from destruction by a Giant Banana at a kiddie carnival.

Or something like that. It's written in Hebrew so there's some guesswork involved.

SuperPunkNinja 🍌❤❤❤ 8y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Hahaha!! You crack me up!! Happy Purim! Ok, wait, shalom is probably more appropriate! Banana Shalom🍌☮️ 8y
Cinfhen Purim sameach 💖🎉💖 8y
BookishFeminist Happy Purim! 🍎🍯 8y
Purple610 Absolutely love this post 🍌 Happy Purim!! 8y
113 likes5 comments
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HotTeaGoodBooks
HotTeaGoodBooks
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
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Between gifts from a friend, a book club book arriving, my shopping, and my daughter's shopping ~ we had a good weekend where books are concerned. @LauraLeah

14 likes
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LauraLeah
LauraLeah
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
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Check out the stack of books I received in June. Have you read any of them? #lovebooks

MrBook I haven't yet, but they all pique my interest! 8y
LauraLeah Thanks for commenting-show me your stack! 8y
DebinHawaii Looks like a great stack. I have only read 'A House For Happy Mothers' (which I liked) for a book tour. Need to add my review of it to Litzy.) 8y
12 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Vlad
Vlad
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
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(Image credit: https://flic.kr/p/7Us8zk )
Just started this-- a vastly different 20th century, where the titular character lives in the Empire of the Khazars-- dieselpunk & mechanical horses, & a Europe at war in 1942. I was sold on it by a blurb from John Crowley (who never blurbs!).

Vlad And as I searched for a cool image, I came across this history of the mechanical horse! (Not so far-fetched.) http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/09/a-brief-history-of-mechani... 9y
4 likes1 comment
review
CatLadyBibliophile
CatLadyBibliophile
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
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Panpan

I took some time during lunch to read and...I still don't get it. I have tried and tried. The cover looks cool, the writing is solid, I just don't get the story. Maybe this is a sign to stick to my tried and true book comfort zones.

6 likes1 stack add
blurb
Heather_Allen
Heather_Allen
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
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This book sounds crazy! Steampunk, alternative history, and military thriller???

2 likes1 stack add
review
AnnieSmith
AnnieSmith
Book of Esther | Emily Barton
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Pickpick

An incredible alternate history based on the premise that the medieval Jewish kingdom of Khazaria survived to the twentieth century's the kingdom new faces a Nazi invasion and it's up to Esther and her ragtag army of golems & Uyghurs to face them. NetGalley ARC.

3 likes1 stack add