Itemize Regarding Books The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy #1)
| Title | : | The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy #1) |
| Author | : | Indu Sundaresan |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 380 pages |
| Published | : | February 18th 2003 by Washington Square Press (first published January 29th 2002) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. India. Romance |
Indu Sundaresan
Paperback | Pages: 380 pages Rating: 4.04 | 12817 Users | 1418 Reviews
Interpretation Concering Books The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy #1)
An enchanting seventeenth-century epic of grand passion and adventure, this debut novel tells the captivating story of one of India's most legendary and controversial empresses -- a woman whose brilliance and determination trumped myriad obstacles, and whose love shaped the course of the Mughal empire. She came into the world in the year 1577, to the howling accompaniment of a ferocious winter storm. As the daughter of starving refugees fleeing violent persecution in Persia, her fateful birth in a roadside tent sparked a miraculous reversal of family fortune, culminating in her father's introduction to the court of Emperor Akbar. She is called Mehrunnisa, the Sun of Women. This is her story. Growing up on the fringes of Emperor Akbar's opulent palace grounds, Mehrunnisa blossoms into a sapphire-eyed child blessed with a precocious intelligence, luminous beauty, and a powerful ambition far surpassing the bounds of her family's station. Mehrunnisa first encounters young Prince Salim on his wedding day. In that instant, even as a royal gala swirls around her in celebration of the future emperor's first marriage, Mehrunnisa foresees the path of her own destiny. One day, she decides with uncompromising surety, she too will become Salim's wife. She is all of eight years old -- and wholly unaware of the great price she and her family will pay for this dream. Skillfully blending the textures of historical reality with the rich and sensuous imaginings of a timeless fairy tale, The Twentieth Wife sweeps readers up in the emotional pageant of Salim and Mehrunnisa's embattled love. First-time novelist Indu Sundaresan charts her heroine's enthralling journey across the years, from an ill-fated first marriage through motherhood and into a dangerous maze of power struggles and political machinations. Through it all, Mehrunnisa and Salim long with fiery intensity for the true, redemptive love they've never known -- and their mutual quest ultimately takes them, and the vast empire that hangs in the balance, to places they never dreamed possible. Shot through with wonder and suspense, The Twentieth Wife is at once a fascinating portrait of one woman's convention-defying life behind the veil and a transporting saga of the astonishing potency of love.
Identify Books In Favor Of The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy #1)
| Original Title: | The Twentieth Wife |
| ISBN: | 0743428188 (ISBN13: 9780743428187) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Taj Mahal Trilogy #1 |
| Setting: | India |
| Literary Awards: | Washington State Book Award (2003) |
Rating Regarding Books The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy #1)
Ratings: 4.04 From 12817 Users | 1418 ReviewsAssess Regarding Books The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy #1)
Empress Nur Jahan was the twentieth and favorite wife of Mogul Emperor Jahangir. Born into an aristocratic Persian family who had immigrated to India, her birth name was Mehrunnisa. She was a remarkable beauty, with blue eyes and pale skin, who fell in love with Jahangir as a young girl serving Empress Ruqayya Sultan Begam (chief wife of Jahangirs father, Emperor Akbar) in the Imperial harem. Then a prince, Jahangir was likewise enamored with her, but at seventeen she was married off to aTook me awhile to get into this book but now ready for the 2nd in the trilogy. Enjoyed candid conversation with the author and insight concerning historical research versus re-creating India 400 years ago.
This book is lush in its description of mughal landscapes; from the colourful court life, to the intrigue ridden harems, the attires and festivities, the wars and betrayals, everything is painted in deft strokes and brought to life quite beautifully by Indu Sundaresan. Something remains to be desired from the character building, especially that of Jahangir but the plot kept me hooked through this excruciatingly long journey of courtship. So 4 stars.
It took over a week for me to figure out why I was having such a tough time with The Twentieth Wife, a story of a pair of star-crossed lovers in imperial Mughal India in the 16th century. The protagonist Mehrunnisa is everything a feminist would want: intelligent, head-strong, gorgeous, and independent. However, I'm half-way through the book and it seems to me that the author has marginalized her just as much as the culture she lives in does. Her only act of bravery has been to smile through her
3.5An excellent book for a debut!Canvas is set perfectly by picking Mehrunnisa as the main protagonist. Good research on etching out traits of characters while they were not in the limelight in real world.Narrated nicely, however I did not like it as much as I would have wanted to. At most it was a non boring predicatble tale flowing along as a comfort read. For historical fiction, was expecting it to have more punches in the form of dialogues (or monologues).Best parts:- Relationship between
This is the beginning of the story of a Persian family who was immigrating to an unknown country due to the loss of position due to a ruler change in Persia. The mother of the family was about to give birth. The father had no money for milk or food for his family. With great unhappiness, the father took the baby and left her under a nearby tree, to hopefully be adopted. The baby came back to the father due to the generosity of a leader of a caravan, bound for India. He offered to present the
So I knew absolutely nothing about Mehrunnisa before reading this book. I didnt even know that her niece was the woman the Taj Mahal was built for. Thanks to this book, I know want to know more about Mehrunnisa. If one is looking at this book objectively, there isnt much action in many ways it is a slow burn romance with the heroine marrying the wrong man. I would have almost liked more intrigue in the harem. Yet, all the characters are well drawn and the conflicting forces of duty vs. family
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