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Esther may live in a harsh world where women are viewed mainly as property, but she still dreams of a life with a man she loves — someone who will genuinely love her in return and share her passion for learning and reading. She wants so much more than the marriage her parents have arranged for her — so much more than the duty to bear children and be owned body and soul. But these are dark times for Jerusalem, and isn’t it Esther’s duty as a daughter?
With each passing day, turmoil grows between the rebels and the Romans. Jerusalem barely resembles the beloved city of Esther’s memories. Soon the streets are turned into a bloody battleground. If Esther hopes to survive, she’ll have to let go of her own desires and brave famine, siege, and slavery to protect what matters most — her family.
The more I consider Rebel Daughter, the more I find it hard to put my thoughts into words. I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. I enjoyed it, but I also didn’t. Why am I so conflicted about it?
First of all, Lori Banov Kaufmann paints a vivid portrait of everything. As her debut, Rebel Daughter is gorgeously written, historically fascinating, and heavily detailed, making it atmospheric and emotionally intimate. Readers may feel they are walking through the ancient streets of Jerusalem alongside Esther and witnessing firsthand the struggles women faced at that point in history. As a result, the reader is also faced with quite a negative view of men in general, as well as a dark hopeless tone that persists throughout the story.
As much as I loved the detail, it also became tedious. Halfway through the book I found myself rooting around for the plot, wondering when something was finally going to happen. I liked the love interest and found myself waiting for him to turn up, but in reality, he played a very small part in the story and made an appearance only a handful of times. Esther also came across to me as a very passive character for most of the story. Even when I closed the book I was left with a sense that nothing much happened … even though a lot kind of did.
Rebel Daughter isn’t a bad book by any means. It is actually really good after the first half. It’s well-written and vivid and I relished its abundance of history. The author even includes notes about the gravestone that inspired the story, and I was fascinated by the many events and people rooted in truth. However, as I mentioned already, the book too often conveys a hopeless tone, and at times, I found it difficult to wade through. There are, in fact, very few happy moments for Esther, which makes the story feel raw and gritty and left me aching for a much lighter read.
Overall, this story is not for the faint of heart, but it’s a must-read for history buffs.
Rated: Moderate. There are two instances of strong profanity and four uses of moderate language. While there’s nothing explicit, sexual content plays a large role in much of the story. In one scene, a marriage is consummated (it’s more emotionally descriptive than anything). Esther is caught half-undressed. While the man gives her privacy to change, it’s clear he saw more than she bargained for when a nude portrait of her is later found in public. As slaves, characters are stripped naked on the auction block. A character undresses and offers her body to a man. The immorality of Rome is mentioned through attempted rape of a child and the tales of two boys being raped by men. Body parts are mentioned or hinted at several times and other sexual comments are made throughout the book by lewd soldiers or lecherous men. Keeping true to historical events, violence also is surprisingly high at times, including a stoning, riots, siege, and a massacre and featuring bloody and sometimes graphic details. Animal sacrifices occur. A woman experiences a bloody stillbirth.
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