|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
by Indu Sundaresan
|
by Indu Sundaresan
|
by John Shors
|
by John Speed
|
by Thrity Umrigar
|
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Sundaresan picks up the story of Mehrunnisa, the remarkable heroine from her debut novel, Twenty Wives, as the so-called "Light of the World" consolidates her power as wife of Emperor Jahangir of the Mughal Empire in 17th-century India, only to see her dominion destroyed by her own aggressive tendencies. The early chapters find Mehrunnisa confronting two rivals, who happen to be old friends of her husband, and eliminating them in a brief series of power struggles. She also talks Jahangir into letting her appear at the jharoka ceremony, in which the emperor presents himself to his subjects, an unprecedented achievement for a woman. Her problems start when Jahangir falls seriously ill and the battle for succession to the throne begins, a struggle that comes to a head when Mehrunnisa fails to marry off her daughter, Ladli, to one of the primary contenders, Prince Khurram. The battle for succession escalates, but even as Mehrunnisa maneuvers to keep power, her downfall is sealed by a pivotal incident in which she accidentally kills a palace intruder. The novel's scope and ambition are impressive, as are the numerous period details and descriptions of the various cultural ceremonies that distinguish court life in royal India. But Sundaresan delves into too many palace intrigues in this overplotted affair, which seems especially cluttered in the first half, and her florid, busy writing style produces some uneven, tedious stretches. The book's setting brings to life an underexplored period in fiction, however, and readers who enjoyed the first volume will find similar pleasures tracking the fate of one of history's most intriguing women.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Weaving another rich historical tapestry, Sundaresan offers a sequel to her first novel, The Twentieth Wife (2002), and it is based on the ascent of the exotic Mehrunnisa to the status of wife in the court of seventeenth-century emperor Jahangir of India. Smitten with the intellectually stimulating Mehrunnisa, the emperor is granting her liberties unheard of in the Mughal empire, and the officials are bristling with concern over the newest wife's influence. Mehrunnisa is shrewd enough to know that she must exert her will from behind the veil and allow her wishes to float like gentle waves into the sea of her husband's thoughts, but it is only a matter of time before envy and intrigue cloud her happiness. Although Mehrunnisa is the light of Jahangir's life, she must compete with the women of the harem for her place in the household and ultimately secure her political visions by surrounding herself with men she can trust. Sundaresan colors the life of a fascinating woman whose female wiles inspired the Taj Mahal. Elsa Gaztambide
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
The months of June and July passed. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The months of June and July passed. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?
 |
65% buy the item featured on this page: The Feast of Roses: A Novel CDN$ 12.05 |
 |
15% buy Beneath A Marble Sky CDN$ 13.51 |
 |
10% buy The Space Between Us: A Novel CDN$ 13.86 |
 |
6% buy The Twentieth Wife: A Novel CDN$ 11.68 |
Customer Reviews
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. |
