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9 internautes sur 10 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
Historical Fiction at its Finest!, Aoû 19 2007
This historical fiction is about the story behind the building of the Taj Mahal, which was built to honor Mughal Empress Mumtaz Maha. It's the saga of her family and is told by the central character Jahanara, the daughter of the Mughal emperor. It is a story of love, honor, and betrayal.
This book is exquisite! Shor's deftly colors each page with breathtaking prose and breaths live into the vivid characters! It tried to read slowly, to savor each word and image, but this book is hard to put down! John Shor's architecture of this book is beautiful and I highly recommend it!
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8 internautes sur 9 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
A marvellous story, beautifully told, Mars 17 2007
Simply stated, this is a beautifully written novel.
From the opening sentence to the last page, John Shors brings to life the world of contrasts which was the Mughal Empire at the time the Taj Mahal was built. In the process he tells us one of the world's most endearing and enduring love stories.
Elegant fiction in an historical setting. John Shors involves the reader from the beginning, and it was almost painful to reach the end. I wanted more.
Highly recommended
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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3 internautes sur 3 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
A monument to undying love, Juil 3 2007
A romantic reconstruction of imperial life in 17th century India, "Beneath a Marble Sky" recounts the turbulent story of princess Jahanara, the daughter of the emperor who commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal as a fabulous testament to the overwhelming love of his wife. Well educated, literate, a wily diplomat, savvy political advisor and a bright, witty conversationalist and companion at a time when Muslim women were held in particularly low esteem, Jahanara has been well taught by her mother who bequeathed the solemn responsibility for the care of her ailing father to Jahanara on her death bed.
Now an elderly woman herself, the story is told in the form of a flashback narrated from Jahanara's point of view as she relates the fascinating, complex, violent and disturbing history of her family to her grand-daughters. Her soft spoken, pacifist eldest brother Dara, the rightful heir to the imperial throne dreams of the day he can see the Muslim community in peaceful co-existence with those professing the majority Hindu faith. In complete contrast, her younger brother, Aurangzeb, is so consumed by jealousy of his brother's position as heir and the deep hatred of Hindus whom he labels godless heretics, that he spends his entire life plotting the coup and the civil war necessary to steal the throne from his father and brother. Jahanara's story, set against the backdrop of the construction of the Taj Mahal also tells of her unrequited impossible love for Isa, architect of the Taj Mahal and a commoner that Jahanara can never marry and the exquisite pain of her arranged, political marriage to Khondamir, an ugly, evil, conniving merchant with some very sleazy, distasteful sexual proclivities.
"Beneath a Marble Sky" is many things for many readers - an accomplished historical fiction with lots of savory details for time and place; a compelling political page-turner loaded with intrigue, violence, passion and pathos; as well as a powerful moving romance that tells of three distinctly different but heart-warming relationships that come to fruition in ways that will draw a sigh and a smile from even the most romance-phobic male readers.
My taste in historical fiction would have enjoyed more time spent on the context of the story - more background, for example, as to the religious tensions that were so central to the story and perhaps a little more detail describing the common man's daily life in a setting which to us is so completely exotic and foreign. But, to his credit, Shors did not overstate his case or overstay his welcome by producing a needlessly padded heavyweight door-stopper which, sadly, is often the case with contemporary historical fiction authors. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
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4 internautes sur 5 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
An absolute masterpiece of historical fiction, Nov. 5 2006
Should Oprah ever read this novel, I have no doubts that it would quickly become one of her book club selections -- and even then, Beneath a Marble Sky would not get the attention it truly deserves. This novel is, quite simply, a literary masterpiece. Like the timeless monument that forms the story's backdrop, Beneath a Marble Sky is a living testament to love, beauty, and humanity at its best. Epic in scale and disarmingly challenging in its vision, this novel offers an incomparable exploration of romance, truth, nobility, duty, sacrifice, friendship, faith, evil, etc. Its characters easily present themselves before your very eyes, far too human, real, complex, and intricately realized to ever remain locked among the words on the written page.
One of the seven wonders of the modern world, the Taj Mahal is the most famous and breath-taking monument to love on this planet, yet few in the West know very much about the story behind it. Inspired to tell its story in a work of historical fiction, John Shors spent seven years researching, writing, and refining this novel. To make the task especially daunting, he, as a first-time novelist, chose to tell that story from the point of view of Jahanara, the seventeenth century Hindustani empress whose father, Shah Jahan, commissioned the construction of the exquisite mausoleum. Following the outline of historical events that culminated in the controversial reign of Jahanara's tyrannical, Islamo-fascist brother Aurangzeb (Alamgir I), Shors takes the reader on an emotional journey of overwhelming proportions, peeling back the veils of time to reveal amazing insight into a fascinating society and culture whose influence is still felt to this day -- and not only in modern-day India and Pakistan. Shah Jahan was a Moslem emperor ruling over a land with a Hindu majority. While surrounded by dangerous enemies, Hindus and Moslems lived together in peace in Hindustan -- until, that is, Aurangzeb came to power and founded his reign on Sharia law. The parallels to modern world events are obvious.
Beneath a Marble Sky, though, is primarily the story of Jahanara, a most remarkable woman who, in this work of historical fiction, embodied the best qualities of both her father and mother. A remarkable woman indeed, she understood her duty as a child of the Emperor and never let the fact that she was a woman in a male-dominated society restrain her from doing what was right or, in her eyes, necessary. Her great fortitude and independence caused her almost unbearable pain and suffering over the years, yet she never betrayed herself or her ideals -- or chose escape over what she viewed as her duty. Married off at sixteen years of age to a brutal, despicable trader, she despaired of ever experiencing the kind of true love shared by her parents -- until, that is, she met Isa, the architect chosen to design and build the Taj Mahal. Theirs was a forbidden love that could have caused great damage should it have been discovered -- but she found help from an unexpected place and came to know a degree of true happiness with Isa. Events conspired against her, however, as the blood-thirsty Aurangzeb sought to usurp the throne in place of Dara, Jaha's beloved older brother who wanted nothing more than to bring Hindus and Moslems closer together. It is during the ensuing years of great personal suffering that Jaha truly emerges as the embodiment of her mother's ideas and essence.
A book like this is the next best thing to a time machine, for John Shors truly does take you back to the days when Jaha walked the streets of Agra. Without your even thinking about it, you soon find yourself experiencing everything through Jaha's eyes and ears, from the chaotic activity of a bazaar to the perfumed beauty of a harem to the blood, stink, and sweat of brutal warfare -- and, of course, the unsurpassed beauty of the Taj Mahal, which you watch grow from the laying of its foundations to the completion of the domed marble mausoleum which served as the inspiration for the book's title. Fear not that you won't be able to relate to life in this ancient, exotic setting, for Shors quickly immerses you in this world. The moral dilemmas Jaha faces are particularly poignant, making her the most human of protagonists. And the love story is just exquisite. Truly, I couldn't ask for a more rewarding, enthralling reading experience than I found in Beneath the Marble Sky.
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5 blue ribbon Romance Junkies review, Fév 17 2008
Most people who have had the pleasure of journeying to see the Taj Mahal marvel in awe at the majestic mausoleum. Even those of us who've only seen this beautiful building in pictures are struck by the sheer emotion we feel. The love that the emperor had for his beloved wife can easily be felt just by viewing his tribute and her final resting place. Such beauty often has an intriguing story behind it. By telling the story from the point of view of the emperor and his beloved wife's daughter, Princess Jahanara, John Shores allows us to step back in time
and experience life as it might have been.
Princess Jahanara learns of politics, love and gentleness at her mother's side. She longs for the kind of love that is so obvious with her parents, but knows that her marriage will be for political reasons and not based on any true feelings. As she grows up, Jahanara takes note of her brothers' personalities and the sheer ruthlessness that is so prevalent in Aurangzeb that it terrifies her. Dara is next in line for the throne but there's no doubt in Jahanara's mind that Aurangzeb will commit murder to take his place.
At the age of sixteen, Princess Jahanara is wed to a man whom she will come to hate, an emotion she'd never felt before entering into marriage. His cruelty and disrespect are felt by everyone around them but Jahanara is wise beyond her years and uses her mother's teachings to help her endure her fate. Since her parents and siblings left on campaign right after her nuptials Jahanara feels very alone until their return. Upon their return, Jahanara is delighted at seeing her mother and it's decided that Jahanara will be present when her mother gives birth. Jahanara is overjoyed at the opportunity to be present for the blessed event. Only when the time comes, it quickly becomes obvious something is very wrong. The baby is breech and the empress is losing far too much blood. The physician cannot stop the bleeding and Jahanara and her father have only moments with her as she fades quickly from their lives. One of her final wishes is that her husband find love again. He refuses so she asks that he build her something beautiful and visit her tomb on the anniversary of her death. The emperor commissions an architect to begin work on a grand mausoleum. Jahanara is to help Ustad Isa and communicate with her father about the building's progress, this means being away from her husband in order to be near the building site. Unexpectedly, she finds the love of her life in Isa, but she's already married. Jahanara would never bring dishonor on her father by cheating on her husband.
John Shors BENEATH A MARBLE SKY is a jewel of a story which will touch readers hearts and imagination. I was completely caught off guard by the raw emotions I felt just reading about the Emperor's family and all the love, devotion and years that went into the building of the Taj Mahal. Princess Jahanara is an amazing young woman with an extraordinary amount of bravery. Her tale is just as poignant and inspiring as her parents, which we already know withstood the test of time and is still standing for the world to see. I highly recommend this book, I know I'll certainly be making room for my copy on the keeper shelf.
Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)
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Great Read!, Jui 25 2007
A great read..especially after reading The Feast of Roses. It gives you a completely different view of Prince Khurram..later known as Emperor Shah Jahan. A real love story letting us know about the true love of Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand). In the Feast of Roses you see Arjumand as deceitful however in this book you see her as a powerful women of the harem. I have mixed feelings about what really happened and whose view is correct however seeing the Taj Mahal personally and also the Red Fort it really brought everything together for me. I went 5 years ago with my family to visit these great sites and at the time I could not have cared too much but knowing what I know now b/c of this book I must say it is truly magnificant! The way they built the Taj Mahal is just mind blowing.
Two things about the book that I was diappointed to learn AFTER I read the book was that 2 main parts are fictional in this book. One being that Princess Jahanara was never married, and the other that there was no love affair in real life with Isa. To find that fictional was really disheartening however I guess without that there wasn't much of a story.
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A wonderful additon to..., Juil 18 2004
Par Un client
I had previously read THE TWENTIETH WIFE and FEAST OF ROSES by Indu Sundaresan. Both of these books tell the stories of this main character's ancestors and family. similar The three together tell a wonderful story and make a spectacular trilogy. The authors have a similar writing style and you don't feel like you miss a thing. Try to read them in the order I've mentioned, but if you've already started this book, you'll enjoy reading the others, too.
John Shors has an easy and relaxed writing style. I was especially impressed with how wonderfully he was able (as a man) to express the feelings and insights of such a complex and emotionally-ladened female character (in first person narrative, no less). I was especially touched by the relationship between Jahanara and her father, the Emperor. I did find certain spots alittle violently graphic for me, but I suppose that's how the story actually went.
I, like a previous reviewer, also jumped ahead and did some research on the Taj Mahal as I was reading. I have to agree with her, that as hard as it may be, avoid doing so. While being very interesting, it definitely gave away a few secrets and ruined a few surprises in the plot of the book.
In all, this book was an easy, quick and enjoyable read and I recommend it. The story behind the Taj Mahal is beautiful.
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Fascinating History, Juil 15 2004
John Shors has written a fascintating story of the people involved in the creation of the Taj Mahal. With a sure and enjoyable sense of time and place, he lays out the exploits and adventures of generations of rulers and the people they ruled. running throughout the narrative are various timely themes about the integration of people of different ethnicities within a single state, intolerance and the roles and responsibility of the ruler.This is a very good novel and particularly impressive from a first time author. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or who might have an interest in the past of the Indian sub-continent. It deserves to be better known.
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An exquisite novel on the love story behind the Taj Mahal, Jui 13 2004
Before I say anything else my strong recommendation is to resist the impulse to look at any history of the building of the Taj Mahal. I made the mistake of going on line to find some pictures of the Taj Mahal once I got to the point in John Shors' "Beneath a Marble Sky" where the grand mausoleum had been completed and instead of stopping at the photographs I glanced at what was known about the historical figures at the center of the novel and it gave away a major development. So do as I say and not as I do. Afterwards you can find the true events that weave their way through this exquisite first novel.All that really matters when you pick up this novel is that you have seen a picture of the Taj Mahal (it is not like there is a bad one). It does not matter whether or not you know that it is a mausoleum or that it honors the Mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal, because what is important is that if you have seen it you know the Taj Michael is one of the most beautiful buildings on the planet, a sublime mix of architectural magnificence and aesthetic beauty, and this historical romance is about how it came to be built. When the Taj Mahal is a tomb, then the great pyramids of Giza are reduced to just being piles of big blocks. The narrator of "Beneath a Marble Sky" is Jahanara, the daughter of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and because Jahanara his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who tells her story and that of her family to her granddaughters, who are visiting the Taj Mahal for the first time. The tale begins when she was thirteen and beginning to appreciate how difficult it is to be a woman in a man's world. It seems she will be a spectator to both the great love between her parents and the contention between two of her brothers for her father's throne. Dara is a student of philosophy and religion believes that Muslims and Hindus can life together in harmony, while Aurangzeb is a ruthless warrior and puritanical zealot who wants to extend the borders of the Empire in all directions and send unbelievers to their richly deserved deaths. When his beloved wife dies the emperor hires a talented young architect, Ustad Isa, to build her a beautiful memorial, the Rauza-I Munavvara ("Tomb of Light"). As the Taj Mahal rises, the conflict between the two brothers comes to a head, but the fate of the empire comes second to that of Jahanara and who has her own love story. When you get to the heart of this novel and why it works it is because Shors comes up with an elegant explanation for why a man would be inspired by a dead woman he has never seen to create the most beautiful building on earth. At the same time Shors remains faithful to the cultures and the poetic rhythms of the languages they speak. A key part of what makes this novel work is that it is really another tale from the Arabian Nights. Those fabled 1001 tales came from three cultures, Arabic, Persian, and Indian, while this novel set in Hindustan represents a culture clash between two of those three as a Muslim emperor rules a predominantly Hindu land. However the idea that this is another Scheherazade story matters because the characters and events are slightly larger than life. We are, after all, talking about a beautiful Muslim princess along with the course of an empire. There was a point in the narrative where I found myself questioning that Jahanara's parents would ever marry their beloved daughter to such a wretched soul as Khondair. A reason was given, but the validity of it was implicit at best and it was only when it dawned on me that this is a tale writ as large as Aladdin and Ali Baba that I realized history and realism were not the standards by which "Beneath a Marble Sky" is to be judged. This is an epic romance even if it is told in deeply intimate terms and while it is not a fantasy it is touched by the exotic, which tempers fidelity to the history around which Shors has crafted his own work. Final Notes: First, I noticed one of the best web sites devoted to the Taj Mahal mentions this book. It should, because it is going to inspire a lot of people to go to Agar. Maybe not as many as are currently heading to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth, but a sizeable number nonetheless. Second, I have to wonder what in the world John Shors will write next after this one. Where does he go from here? It will be interesting to find out and there will be a lot of people looking forward to that next book after reading "Beneath a Marble Sky."
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Superb !, Jui 12 2004
John Shors brings the period and people alive in his extraordinary historical novel. As the developer of the award-winning Virtual Travel ® website "Explore the Taj Mahal" http://www.taj-mahal.net, I am thoroughly impressed at the level and quality of his research, and his portrayal of the characters and times of the building of the Taj Mahal. Five Stars!
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CDN$ 18.50 CDN$ 13.51
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