The Gilded Chamber

Rebecca Kohn's The Gilded Chamber is the story of Queen Esther. This novel takes what little is known of Esther, combined with research of the time period, to create a plausible story of her life.

This is the story of an orphaned Jewish girl who goes to live with her cousin, Mordechai in the capital of Susa. Mordechai had changed his name to Marduka to fit in. He no longer followed Jewish law, but he also did not bow to the idols surrounding his new life. The change for Esther, from her parents kosher home, to her bothers seemingly traif life, was a shock.

But not as much of a shock as when she was kidnapped to become part of the king's harem. Esther is show to be both brave, smart and naive. The story follows her from her introduction to life in the harem through her rise to becoming Queen Esther.

This is a compelling story. Did it really happen this way? No one knows, but Esther did save the Jews of Babylonia from the evil Haman. So, maybe...

Kohn, Rebecca. (2005). The Gilded Chamber: A Novel of Queen Esther. New York: Penguin.