The Seventh Handmaiden by Judith Pransky

The Seventh Handmaiden by Judith Pransky

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 came to be 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.

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.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781784385897
ISBN 10	1784385891
Title	The Seventh Handmaiden
Author	Judith Pransky
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Greenhill Books
Year published	2020-11-19
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.