John Irving's 'Queen Esther' returns readers to setting of 'The Cider House Rules'
Simon & Schuster announced Thursday that Irving's 'Queen Esther' will be published Nov. 4. His novel will bring back Dr. Wilbur Larch from 'The Cider House Rules,' but otherwise features a new set of characters. According to Simon & Schuster, 'Queen Esther' will span much of the 20th century as it follows the life of Esther Nacht, a Viennese Jew born in 1905, abandoned at age 4 and taken in as a teen by a New England family.
Irving ends the story in Jerusalem, in 1981.
'The construction of this novel long predates the events of Oct. 7, and everything that's happened in Israel since those terrorist attacks and the hostage-taking," Irving said in a statement. 'With hindsight, it's easy to say that what I saw and heard in Israel in the early 1980s serves as a precursor to what has developed since that time, but this is what historical fiction is for.'
Irving, 82, is also known for such acclaimed works as 'The Hotel New Hampshire,' 'The World According to Garp' and 'A Prayer for Owen Meany.' He published 'The Cider House Rules' in 1985 and won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for the 1999 movie adaptation. Michael Caine, who played Dr. Larch, received an Oscar for best supporting actor.
'One of the deepest pleasures of reading John Irving comes from discovering the turns in his story along with his characters, so I will give away no plot details, other than to say this: In 'Queen Esther,' John Irving literally takes readers where he's never taken them before," Irving's editor, Simon and Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp, said in a statement.
"The fact that John is still breaking new artistic ground in his 80s and doing so with such audacious and impeccably crafted storytelling, is yet another reason why he is one of the world's greatest writers.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I was on crack at 14 and feral like a street dog - I should be dead'
Inspiring story of how mixed martial arts is transforming the lives of forgotten young men in Sunderland has been turned into a film tipped for Oscar success Violent teenage drug-taker Aaron was on a path of self-destruction heading towards prison or death until he received a shock to his system. Police were locking him up virtually every week and his loving parents, Danny and Elaine, had almost given up on the lost soul. But then he started going to fighter and community activist Steven France's Made 4 The Cage gym in Sunderland. Aaron is just one of many forgotten lads from a city ravaged by cuts and austerity whose lives have been turned around at the mixed martial arts gym. Aaron and Steven's stories of growth, discovery and redemption – along with those of Sam, Faiz and Lennon – feature in Poised, a powerful documentary being tipped for Oscar success. Aaron said: 'I was a bit feral. Honestly, I was like a street dog. If you got too close to us, said the wrong thing, straight away I was going at you.' He said the gym is 'the best therapy I've ever been to in my life'. Steven, 46, is battling the poverty and hopelessness, helping the next generation avoid the same traps that almost consumed him. He reached a junction in his own life 20 years ago when his father killed himself. He said: 'I had to say to myself, the writing's on the wall. The odds are not good. There's people around you who are going to prison for a long time. The way they were already coming to a dead end in their life at such a young age. We're thrown on the scrapheap. Your options are very slim, work at Nissan or a call centre. I'm grateful for those places but if you do have ambition it's hard.' Steven found solace in MMA and went on to become a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and an England coach in the sport. He said: 'It transformed my life and it's doing the same with these young lads. It's about me trying to get people from troubled, difficult backgrounds. Getting these kids, with some complex issues, to stick to what is the hardest sport. The main thing about MMA is discipline. You forget about everything because you haven't got time to think about anything else. It's that intense.' He added that the sport humbles people and is a powerful tool in the fight against violence. Aaron, 20, said: 'In 2020, I was at rock bottom. Drugs, fighting, getting locked up. I was taking MDMA [ecstasy]. At 14, I did crack cocaine. I lost loads of weight. It got to the point where my hair was falling out, I was that stressed. I was scratching at my face all the time. I thought I either make a change now or I'm going to live like this until I die. I thought the only way I'll get out of this is if I rob a bank and get millions and move abroad. Or just kill myself. I was either gonna end up in prison or dead.' When he was linked up with Steven through Sunderland's Positive Steps programme in April 2022, Aaron was told to be at the gym each morning at 5am. It was the shock to the system he needed. 'Every day I used to wake up and think, what on earth have I got myself into? I'm going there to get picked up, to get slammed back on the floor, to get picked back up, to get slammed back on the floor. It wasn't even physically draining, it was mentally draining. But over time you build a strong wall. 'It takes all your pain and all your past trauma away because all you're thinking about is fighting. Once you're at rock bottom there's only one way to go and that's up and this kind of sport will help you get there. Those who've got inner anger and just need a release, this is the best thing I've ever done that's helped me.' Aaron now works at events space The Point in Sunderland and wants to become cabin crew for Emirates. He is one of many lads who have been helped by Steven's programme. Sam, 25, spiralled into nefarious activities after losing his mum to kidney failure... until he found salvation in mixed martial arts. Steven said he was banished from Newcastle by his family and moved to Sunderland where his dad lived. 'Sam spent three months in his bedroom. His mental health was not good. And then he came across me and the rest is history,' Steven added. Sam and his brother now own a demolition firm which works across the country. Faiz, 20, left Iraq because of death threats and persecution. He walked from Minsk in Belarus to Calais and has had no contact with his family since. Steven said: 'Faiz talks about how hard it is to get to Britain as an asylum seeker. He was 14 and licking leaves to get water. Now he's got a full-time job, drives a BMW, got his own house. He doesn't do any martial arts now but it's fantastic he's part of society. He's a taxpayer.' Lennon was just 14 when he joined the gym to escape the streets. The film also highlights a 78% cut to the area's youth services in recent years, leaving people like Steven to plug the gaps. His project itself was nearly scrapped when funding was not available. He said: 'The money I get literally just keeps the project running. I feel like the North – and especially the North East – gets left behind. We're left up here to defend ourselves. We are the forgotten part of the world.' Steven hopes Poised will show the need for better investment in youth services. He said: 'Prevention's got to be better than cure.' Poised was celebrated at last month's Raindance Festival, where it was nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography. That means it now qualifies for British Independent Film Awards selection, which could take it all the way to the Oscars. 'I'm really trying to help other young people," said Steven. "There'll be other Stevens, other Sams, other Aarons. There'll be hundreds, if not thousands, of them across the country. Through me doing this film, we can try to make a difference.' He has certainly made a difference to Aaron's life. He said: 'I was watching the documentary and I seen my younger self and I just thought he didn't deserve it. I just wanted to give him a big hug through the screen. When I look back, I really did not think I was gonna make it past 16. I thought I'd have been dead or in prison. I think I would have if it wasn't for Steven. He showed me what I can do with my life.'
Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
Gwyneth Paltrow's ‘savage' new Astronomer spokesperson job after kiss cam drama
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Gwyneth Paltrow has been hired as Astronomer's 'temporary spokesperson' to answer the many questions received following her ex-husband Chris Martin's involvement in the company's kiss cam scandal. The Hollywood star, 52, and the software company alike were praised for the 'brilliant' move and having a 'savage' sense of humour in the wake of the world's unexpected scrutiny over two former employees. In case you've been living under a rock, Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron was caught in an embrace on a jumbotron at a Coldplay concert in Boston earlier this month with his HR chief Kristin Cabot before they both abruptly tried to hide. This led frontman Chris to joke: 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy!' Both have since quit their roles at the company after the clip went viral and sparked countless memes and jokes at their expense. But Astronomer has had the last laugh in hiring actress and Goop founder Gwyneth for a parody video in an expert crisis management move. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Shakespeare in Love star – who famously 'consciously uncoupled' from rock star Chris, 48, in 2014 – revealed in the surprise video on Friday night that she had been 'hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer'. 'Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones,' she explained, brightly, before the video cut to on-screen text typing out the question, 'OMG! What the actual f—'. The actress then leapt in to, um, definitely not answer that question, instead enthusing: 'Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apace Airflow.' She added: 'We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation.' 'As for the other questions we've received,' the Oscar-winner continued, before on-screen text again popped up to wite out, 'How is your social media team holding—'. The Sliding Doors actress again responded on an obviously unrelated note to advertise that yes, there was indeed still space at an upcoming conference Astronomer is holding in September. She then signed off the video on Astronomer's social pages by thanking people for their interest in Astronomer and adding: 'We will now be returning to what we do best.' 'You got Chris Martin's ex-wife???!!! Savage,' commented Molly O'Shea on X, while Dan Go praised the video as 'marketing jiu jitsu' and another fan laughingly called Gwyneth's hire 'diabolical'. 'Whenever [sic.] was behind this idea should be the first to enter heavens pearly gates,' commented @empressatlantis as @tednotlasso added: 'CMO should be new CEO.' 'I want to hate on it but I cannot. Masterclass,' added Josh Pate. 'The Entertainment from now until the end of time,' tweeted @nearcyan while Sam Kampner suggested: 'Just another proof [sic.] that there's no such thing as 'bad publicity'.' The kiss cam moment also resulted in a surge of interest in Coldplay's chart-topping music, with streaming up 25% on the band's tunes. According to data from Luminate sourced by Billboard, in the five days before the Boston concert on July 16, Coldplay had 28,700,000 streams. This soared up to 35,700,000 in the five days after the scandal. The clip was filmed by Grace Springer, 28, from New Jersey, who stood by her decision to share it online in the wake of the media frenzy, saying she had 'no idea' who the couple was and just thought she had 'caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it. She told The US Sun: 'A part of me feels bad for turning these people's live's upside down, but, play stupid games… win stupid prizes. 'I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Nicole Kidman could be next to flee Trump's US after applying for residency in Europe MORE: The Jonas Brothers reflect on creepy questions about their sex life aged 14 MORE: Denise Welch reveals why she's 'glad' to not be Taylor Swift's mother-in-law
Metro
10 hours ago
- Metro
I physically recoiled at acclaimed horror's most stomach-churning scene
Disturbing new film Bring Her Back contains one of the most intensely grotesque and terrifying scenes I've ever seen – one that made me physically recoil – but the movie is more than just harrowing thrills. This A24 supernatural horror has had UK fans patiently waiting nearly two months longer than our US and Australian counterparts to witness its grisliness, which reportedly left some fainting in cinemas. Not only are there several truly hideous scenes in the movie, built up to by its looming sense of foreboding, but it leaps straight in with grainy footage from a cult showing people being tortured and hanged. I've now warned you what kind of film it's going to be from the very beginning, but this second feature from Australian sibling filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me) goes beyond simply wince-inducing. It's also a poignant tale about the devastation of grief and boasts two-time Oscar-nominee Sally Hawkins as its stunningly effective secret weapon. Not that anyone would expect anything less than excellence from Hawkins at this stage, but she triumphs here as an exquisitely off-balance and creepy presence, elevating the distressing – if sometimes slightly thin – material. Bring Her Back opens with the trauma of step-siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) finding their father dead in the shower, which leads them to be placed in the care of eccentric former counsellor Laura (Hawkins). To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Laura is cheerful to an almost manic degree, welcoming the pair into her cluttered home up in the hills, where she's also fostering a young mute boy, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). Immediately smitten with Piper, who reminds her of her late daughter Cathy (Mischa Heywood) – who was blind and tragically drowned in the home's swimming pool – Laura is surprisingly brusque with the troubled Oliver as well as Andy, who she immediately begins to undermine with unnerving behaviour. This is all managed with icky cheeriness from Hawkins as Laura, who expertly masks her character's subtly nefarious motives with Laura's kooky disposition and professional experience handling displaced kids. But she's not the scariest presence in the film: that honour belongs to Phillips' deeply troubled Oliver, who eats flies, bangs on windows – and much worse. It's him at the centre of Bring Her Back's most stomach-churning scenes, including the worst, which may well have you gagging or at least groaning in disgust and fright as the audience in my screening did. I won't spoil the exact nature of what it entails (unless you want to know, then click here), but suffice it to say it's good old-fashioned body horror and a classic fear realised that many have nightmares about – and that's without the genuinely distressing cracking and splintering sound effects that accompany the blood onscreen. I'll never forget it. The movie's sound design by Emma Bortignon is particularly impressive, thunderous in parts and quietly foreboding in others, constantly ratcheting up the unease. It also pairs well with Cornel Wilczek's score – sometimes jangling and disorienting – to emphasise the audio overwhelm someone with compromised vision like Piper can experience. Director: Danny and Michael Philippou Writer: Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman Cast: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, Mischa Heywood Age rating: 18 Runtime: 1hr 44 Release date: July 26, 2025 Bring Her Back's performances all around are knock-out, from Hawkins and Phillips providing the fear factor to Barratt and newcomer Wong giving the film its heart. But although it pushes further into depraved places than I expected and enjoys a fair amount of impact from that alone, the beats of the story can be a little slow and overly simplified; this goes as far as the film's title itself. As can be the case with horror movies, the revelations end up paling a little in comparison with the thrills of the journey to get there. You can guess what's behind the locked door of the shed, and the basis of the film's set-up is a little rushed and unsubstantiated, which left me feeling slightly deflated. More Trending Despite this, Bring Her Back's rawness – in more ways than one – is something seared into my memory, thanks to its twisted and extreme horror and powerful performances. Bring Her Back is in UK cinemas from today. This article was first published on July 21. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Beetlejuice 3 director wonders if he's been 'replaced' after development update MORE: 9 deliciously bleak films and where to stream them after 'soul-crushing' new horror MORE: 'Spine-chilling' horror remake with near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating now streaming
