tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post114006014016978696..comments2023-11-19T00:42:48.156-08:00Comments on balancing life: Book review: The twentieth wifeSunilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-43508116994172385242010-05-20T01:23:20.797-07:002010-05-20T01:23:20.797-07:00Hey, incidentally, I read “A feast of Roses” befor...Hey, incidentally, I read “A feast of Roses” before. My review is here http://recommendbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/feast-of-roses-by-indu-sundaresan.html<br />Now I am looking forward to read the prequel. I have been reading such good reviews about the first book that I a definitely reading it after I finish my current book. I was completely hooked to this genre but in between I shifted to the topic of “Women in Muslim countries”. But perhaps now is the time to go back to the historical romances. I also hunted several other books like there’s "Taj: A Story of Mughal India By Timeri N. Murari", there’s “Jahanara”, “Beneath the marble sky” to name a few.Reema Sahayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11287414476458432950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140417136344888272006-02-19T22:32:00.000-08:002006-02-19T22:32:00.000-08:00Arnab.....it's a pity they don't make too many his...Arnab.....it's a pity they don't make too many historical fiction movies. I enjoy those greatly as well....and they make for great drama. Mughal-e-azam was such a classic. And yes...there is no shortage of original material. Only a shortage of original talent :-)<BR/><BR/>Anu......yes...i hope to lay my hands on the book soon. This one was well written and researched (though i caught out little points that weren't related to the story itself....like emperor Jahangir sipping spiced tea. Now, that would have been highly unlikely (though he certainly could have sipped coffee) because tea was introduced in to India by the british in the early 19th century, and became ubiquitous in a few years. But not in Jahangir's time :-)) But it made good reading...Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140401507456628762006-02-19T18:11:00.000-08:002006-02-19T18:11:00.000-08:00I loved this book. It's one of my favorites, I enj...I loved this book. It's one of my favorites, I enjoyed both the books by Indu Sundaresan. I am waiting to read your review on "A Feast of Roses". The author really did her research before writing this book.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140308132507039022006-02-18T16:15:00.000-08:002006-02-18T16:15:00.000-08:00Thanks for the review...ever wondered how cinemati...Thanks for the review...ever wondered how cinematic such stories are? But alas, despite having such marvellous stories in your own backyard, we find ourselves copying story ideas from other sources.greatbonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05095742894399841700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140191701456176882006-02-17T07:55:00.000-08:002006-02-17T07:55:00.000-08:00Shalini.....thanks for the suggestions. Timeri Mur...Shalini.....thanks for the suggestions. Timeri Murari's book has been on my back-list for a while. Jahanara i actually hadn't heard of!<BR/><BR/>Cloud9ine.....i thought the story of Tom Builder was Follett's best effort. It was a good book......well researched and written.<BR/><BR/>Red.......I had heard of Subhadra Sen Gupta, but never read her. I actually like books for younger audiences.....all the way to the very young (Dr. Seuss), so suspect i'll enjoy her books! Thanks.<BR/><BR/>Charu....Mehrunnisa was undoubtedly cunning and scheming. You <I>cannot</I> become empress of India (or any other place) if you are not so. But her relationship with Jahangir was complex. She deeply loved him, but loved power and the throne (perhaps) more. It becomes more complex later as Khurram (later Shah Jehan) marries her favorite niece, but her daughter (from her first marriage) Ladli marries a younger son of Jahangir. So......though she's very fond of Khurram, she wants her daughter's husband to become emperor, and the intrigue just gets one level more complex. She reminded me a lot of the lady Libia (from I, Claudius), wife of Augustus Caesar. <BR/><BR/>Mumbaigirl.....go for it.Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140185728668076042006-02-17T06:15:00.000-08:002006-02-17T06:15:00.000-08:00I haven't read 'the twentieth wife' - sounds inter...I haven't read 'the twentieth wife' - sounds interesting, will find it to read... but I recently read 'taj' by Timeri Murari - it is a fascinating account of Mughal india during the period of Shah jahan and the way Taj mahal came about. Mehrunnisa in that account comes across as a scheming and cunning woman, a side to her I have never read about before - faint suggestions that she did not really love Jahangir as much as sshe loved the throne or as much as he was besotted with her...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140166296521983802006-02-17T00:51:00.000-08:002006-02-17T00:51:00.000-08:00There are a couple of middling Mughal historical r...There are a couple of middling Mughal historical romances by Jyoti Jaffa, Beloved Empress (Mumtaz Mahal) and Nurjahan (Nurjahan).<BR/><BR/>Though Subhadra Sen Gupta writes for a younger audience, her short stories rock ( Sword of Dara Shikoh).Rohit Dehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10974780088015911428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140160919615347882006-02-16T23:21:00.000-08:002006-02-16T23:21:00.000-08:00with ref to historic period fiction, try 'The Pill...with ref to historic period fiction, try 'The Pillars of the earth' by Ken Follett which really differs a lot from his usual spy bookscloud9inehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04200308334220564412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140154206614173632006-02-16T21:30:00.000-08:002006-02-16T21:30:00.000-08:00I loved reading your review of The Twentieth Wife....I loved reading your review of The Twentieth Wife. It is one of the really good books on the history and romance of the Mughals. Some other great books in the same vein are Timeri Murari's Taj: A story of Mughal India and Jahanara by Lyane Guillaume. Two books which are on my to read list are: Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj Mahal by John Shors and The Feast of Roses also by Indu Sundaresan.Shalinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08702425925479194019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140141411872222472006-02-16T17:56:00.000-08:002006-02-16T17:56:00.000-08:00Minal.....i thought the name was fantastic also. S...Minal.....i thought the name was fantastic also. Sounds musical. Most names in Asia had meaning, and the meanings are usually quite flattering, so i was not surprised, but this name had a ring to it for sure.<BR/><BR/>Hiren...i think you will enjoy the book.Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140104317852041072006-02-16T07:38:00.000-08:002006-02-16T07:38:00.000-08:00Thanks for the info. Looks like a must read.Thanks for the info. Looks like a must read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-1140062889930882392006-02-15T20:08:00.000-08:002006-02-15T20:08:00.000-08:00I read the first line before the title of your pos...I read the first line before the title of your post and the entire story came back. Recently completed reading the Twentieth wife. It's indeed an excellent book.<BR/><BR/>And I simply loved the name: Mehrunissa, sounds so heavenly and meaning so beautiful!Minalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08556930930046840091noreply@blogger.com