John Irving's latest novel, Queen Esther, fails to live up to the author's own towering achievements with The Cider House Rules.
Irving, whose string of successes in the 1970s and 1980s was marked by thought-provoking explorations of social issues like feminism, abortion, and belonging, has found himself stuck in a rut. His latest effort, Queen Esther, is a meandering tale that neglects its central character's Jewish heritage and instead follows the story of Jimmy Winslow, Esther's son.
While Irving's earlier works often tackled complex subjects with wit and empathy, Queen Esther resorts to his familiar but now tiresome tropes: wrestling, Vienna, and writers' angst. The result is a narrative that feels shallow and disjointed, with underdeveloped secondary characters and set pieces that lack the impact of their predecessors.
One of Irving's hallmarks – his tendency to foreshadow plot developments and then deliver them in long, dramatic scenes – falls flat here. A major character loses an arm, only to have it come back 30 pages from now, leaving readers scratching their heads. Esther herself appears late in the novel, only to resolve a few threads before everything wraps up neatly.
This is no small disappointment for an author who has captivated audiences with works like The Cider House Rules, which remains a masterpiece of storytelling and empathy even four decades after its release. That novel's nuanced exploration of abortion, belonging, and identity set the bar high for Irving's subsequent efforts, and Queen Esther fails to meet it.
If you're looking for a John Irving experience that will leave you in awe, revisit The Cider House Rules instead. It may be twice as long as Queen Esther, but its impact is 12 times greater.
Irving, whose string of successes in the 1970s and 1980s was marked by thought-provoking explorations of social issues like feminism, abortion, and belonging, has found himself stuck in a rut. His latest effort, Queen Esther, is a meandering tale that neglects its central character's Jewish heritage and instead follows the story of Jimmy Winslow, Esther's son.
While Irving's earlier works often tackled complex subjects with wit and empathy, Queen Esther resorts to his familiar but now tiresome tropes: wrestling, Vienna, and writers' angst. The result is a narrative that feels shallow and disjointed, with underdeveloped secondary characters and set pieces that lack the impact of their predecessors.
One of Irving's hallmarks – his tendency to foreshadow plot developments and then deliver them in long, dramatic scenes – falls flat here. A major character loses an arm, only to have it come back 30 pages from now, leaving readers scratching their heads. Esther herself appears late in the novel, only to resolve a few threads before everything wraps up neatly.
This is no small disappointment for an author who has captivated audiences with works like The Cider House Rules, which remains a masterpiece of storytelling and empathy even four decades after its release. That novel's nuanced exploration of abortion, belonging, and identity set the bar high for Irving's subsequent efforts, and Queen Esther fails to meet it.
If you're looking for a John Irving experience that will leave you in awe, revisit The Cider House Rules instead. It may be twice as long as Queen Esther, but its impact is 12 times greater.
This new novel just doesn't cut it from me. I mean, what happened to the depth and substance that made his other books so amazing? Irving's gotta step up his game, fam. 
he was all about tackling tough issues and writing amazing stories but now it feels like he's just rehashing old tropes 
wrestling, vienna, and writer's angst are so played out 
it's like john irving is just rehashing the same old tropes and not really putting in the effort to create something new and meaningful. i mean, what happened to that deep dive into feminism and identity that we saw in his earlier works? queen esther just feels like a lazy cash-grab 
and don't even get me started on how underdeveloped the secondary characters are... it's like they're just there to advance the plot or something. and can we talk about how predictable this whole 'wrestling' thing is? 
anyway, if you want to experience true john irving magic, go re-read The Cider House Rules - trust me, it's still a game-changer 
! He's like, the ultimate storyteller, and now he's stuck in a rut, just like his main character Jimmy Winslow 
(just kidding, Jimmy)! Seriously though, Queen Esther is like that one aunt who shows up late to the party and then just wraps everything up with a bow... but not as nice as it sounds 
john irving is like my all time fave author and i was super hyped for this new book but it just didn't deliver 
he's got this amazing track record of writing thought-provoking stories with complex characters and plot twists, and queen esther feels like a total letdown 
the story is meandering and shallow, and don't even get me started on how they handled esther's jewish heritage 
what really gets me though is that it feels like irving is phoning it in and relying on his familiar tropes instead of pushing himself to try something new 
. But I think it's unfair to say he's stuck in a rut or that his newer work is just a rehashing of old ideas. I've read Queen Esther and while it may not be as groundbreaking as some of his other stuff, I still enjoyed it enough 
. Maybe the reviewer just wasn't expecting a different kind of story from Irving? I mean, he's an author who can tackle super complex topics with ease, but maybe Queen Esther is more of a character-driven novel and that's what made me like it 
what a bummer
I'm soooo disappointed with Queen Esther!!! 
I mean, I've loved all John Irving's books before, like The Cider House Rules is literally my fave novel ever! 
But this one? It just doesn't hold a candle to his masterpieces. The story feels so meandering and shallow... I was expecting something super thought-provoking from him, but Queen Esther just kinda meh's at that. 
The Cider House Rules is still my go-to John Irving novel, hands down. Have you read it? 
. It's like he lost his way a bit with Queen Esther – all those familiar tropes that we love, but in this case, just feel stale 
. It's no small feat to create something that lasting, and I'm disappointed that Queen Esther didn't live up to that standard 
.
The narrative relies too heavily on tired tropes like wrestling and Vienna, which have been done better elsewhere in his oeuvre. 
The foreshadowing moments, which used to be so skillfully woven into the narrative, feel forced and contrived here. 
Overall, Queen Esther feels like a disappointment from an author who has consistently pushed the boundaries of storytelling and empathy.