The Seventh Handmaiden
Author: Judith Pransky
Highlights
A compelling, beautifully written and thoroughly researched historical novel for 11 to 15-year-olds, an inventive reinterpretation of the story of Queen Esther.
A female-led story, which explores issues of identity, community, freedom, friendship and the power of literacy. Vividly imagined, it offers a rare glimpse into the Jewish diaspora in Ancient Persia and the Persian Empire.
Darya does not remember how she came to be a slave or who she was before she was bought by an army captain for his motherless daughter in the ancient Persian city of Susa. Protected and nurtured by the housekeeper and her daughter, Darya has as good a life as a slave can have, even acquiring the rare skill of reading and writing, which she learns alongside her young mistress. When the captain dies and the household is broken up, this skill proves to be her lifeline. She becomes the seventh handmaiden to the mysterious Esther, who is being housed at the Royal Palace while in contention to be King Xerxes’ new Queen.
However, life in Ancient Persia is precarious for women and outsiders, wherever they are in the hierarchy. When the king appoints a new prime minister called Haman, Darya and Esther are drawn into his murderous conflict with the Judean community and Mordechai, their leader, who lives just outside the palace gates.
In a world of discord and uprising, Darya seeks to fix the world around her and protect her friends, while also trying to unravel the mysteries surrounding who she is and how she became a slave. As she grows from childhood to womanhood she grapples with her own identity, her aspirations and desires and begins to understand the true meaning of both slavery and freedom.
About the Author
Judith Pransky is a writer, editor and teacher who taught English and History in middle school classrooms for 20 years. She has edited guides to Philadelphia and published two books for children, Mister Lister and Mister Lister Strikes Again.
NEW BOOK RELEASE RRP: £9.99 ISBN: 9781784385897 256 PAGES · PAPERBACKPUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 2020 GREEN BEAN BOOKS