What moves the heart of a king?

Wallis Simpson. Guinevere. Diana. Kate Middleton. For some reason, royal romance is particularly enthralling to many of us. Though I must admit that I didn’t watch the most recent royal wedding, I have enjoyed playing princess in my imagination a time or two. One of my favorite royal stories brings to mind this verse . . .

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever He wishes.” ~Proverbs 21:1~

These words remind me of Esther, a Jewish girl whose beauty God used to capture the attention–and maybe the heart–of a Persian king. Instead of marrying and raising a family, she was forced into the ranks of the harem and then promoted to become a queen. From this key position, God used her to influence royal policy and save His chosen people. I love reading versions of her story!

In A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther, Joan Wolf uses Esther’s life as a foundation but changes the details to focus on Esther’s relationship with Ahasuerus, the Great King of the Persians. As I read this version, I missed some of the historical aspects that make Esther’s story significant to our spiritual heritage. However, the love story is beautiful. For me, watching the noble hero woo his pure-of-heart bride always brings to mind God’s pursuit of His bride, the church.

Julie Andrews as royal wannabe Cinderella

Joan Wolf portrays Ahasuerus as a good and just man of conscience, who only follows royal ways because it helps him rule his country.

Roman Holiday: My favorite movie about a reluctant royal

Because of his growing love for Esther, he makes changes in the way things are done in his court. In reality, I doubt many pagan kings would’ve so quickly spurned the harem and settled into quiet family life with their true love, but it worked for me! I also enjoyed the secondary characters—the eunuchs, slaves, and harem women who befriended and supported Esther. We know her life made a difference in matters of state, so why not imagine how she might have affected the individuals around her?

The change I found most difficult to get past concerned the character of Mordecai. The book presents Mordecai as someone who uses Esther to fulfill his own purposes and instigates a competition with Haman, holding a personal grudge against him. Yet the Bible presents Haman as a mortal enemy of God’s chosen people and Mordecai as a devout man who visited Esther everyday, held fast to the Torah, and refused to bow before anyone but Yahweh. In spite of that change, A Reluctant Queen is a story I’ll save to read again. Would you like to read this novel for yourself? Follow this link to purchase a copy at Amazon.com. Not familiar with the basics of Esther’s story? You can read it here.

Having already been familiar with Joan Wolf’s historical fiction, I was delighted to see her join the ranks of the inspirational writers and to learn that her second Christian novel will focus on Rahab! Here’s what I learned from reading an interview with Joan . . .

You’ve had a successful career writing for the ABA (American Booksellers Association), why start writing for the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) now? A few years ago I had an extraordinary experience where God touched my life. This encounter stirred my interest in writing about other people who had experienced the presence of God in their lives and the CBA seemed to be the best place for me to do that.

What is it about the historical account of Esther that led you to write a romance story about her? When I was a girl Esther fascinated me.  It seemed wonderful that God had chosen a woman to be the person who would save His people.  And, since I am a romantic soul, I also thought that there must have been a great love between her and the king for him to have done as she asked.

Why did you move away from the traditional interpretation of King Ahasuerus’ conduct?

Julie Andrews as Guinevere, one of the first troubled royals

I always thought that Ahasuerus must have loved Esther deeply because he listened to her and revoked the edict that Haman had sent out.  A king who not only allows his wife to break into his religious feast without punishment, but also comes to have dinner with her the following day, must care for her very much indeed.  And such a man must be a much nicer person than the king traditionally portrayed by Xerses/ Ahasuerus.

About Joan: Joan Wolf was born in New York City but has lived most of her adult life with her husband in Connecticut, where she raised two children and countless numbers of assorted animals. Joan is the author of numerous historical novels including The Road to Avalon, which Publishers Weekly lauded as “historical fiction at its finest.” For more about Joan and her other books, please visit her website here.