Helpful Score: 1
Synopsis: (No Spoilers)
The story is told through the voice of Jahanara, daughter of the Shah Jahan and one of his wives Mumtaz Mahal. Jahanara relays the story of the building of the Taj Mahal to her granddaughters. In so doing she tells the tale of her parents great love for one another and her own forbidden love for the architect who comes to build the Taj Mahal after the death of her mother. We also learn the story of Jahanara's two brothers Dara and Aurangzeb who vie for the throne even though their father is still very much alive.
NOTES:
I will admit that this is not my usual fare (I have found most novels I have read about India disepointing), so Im not the ideal audience for the novel. So my response to the novel -as you might expect- was mixed.
I admired several things about the book. It was a quick book with a LOT of romance and plot twists. It does certainly succeed as a light and mostly fun novel. Mainly, I enjoyed learning more about this time period and setting.
However, several things drove me crazy about the book. First, the love scenes between Jahanara and Isa were too one-note. They dont get to know each other; their relationship doesnt develop and grow through trials. Instead, they love each other madly, and all scenes between them consist of ecstatic exhortations of how much they love each other. That would all be fine if there was more to the relationship to make it seem more real. Then was the pretty unbelievable plot elements that were in the novel. Its a historical stretch that Jahanara would be given all of the power that she is afforded in the novel (i.e. that this culture would allow Jahanara to act as the emperors agent for the building of the Taj Mahal). The bigger stretch is that Jahanara takes the just mind-bogglingly stupid risks that she takes in the final 40 pages of the novel after her character has been so firmly established for the previous 320 pages as being a good judge of people and situations and as placing as her highest priorities Isa and her child. The things that happen toward the end of the book make utterly no sense after reading the rest of the novel.
And lastly the book reads very flat and is predictable, with the characters being two dimentional, and un-engaging. And being familiar with the Muslim culture, I must add that there are big NO-NOs the author presented with a 21 cet. western/feminist attitude... such as the-absolutely-tabo-kind-of-forbiden premerital DISHONORABLE relations (read sex) which is openly discussed between Jahanara and her female friend. The friend presents it matter of factly like it is a no big deal, and Jahanara though a bit shocked takes in, in one stride and carefuly listens to the adwice how she her self can do it without being caught...I was also shocked that the restrictions imposed by the harem were totally ignored by the author. Jahanarah was Begum Sahib, she would not have been allowed to leave the harem, nor would she have been allowed to be touched by anyone of a lower rank. Further, her mother the empress not only leaves the harem unveiled but touches men other than her husband, it just wouldn't have been done. Other errors pertain to Arjumand's heritage; (her aunt was Nur Jahan, empress to Emperor Jahangir) she was no common shop girl, and other major aspects that should have been researched.
...All in all it was a moderately well executed book with some highlights. I did NOT hate this book, but nor can I say, that I liked it, either. As a Romance it was pretty good book, but as an accurate historical novel, for me at least, it was a disappointment.
The story is told through the voice of Jahanara, daughter of the Shah Jahan and one of his wives Mumtaz Mahal. Jahanara relays the story of the building of the Taj Mahal to her granddaughters. In so doing she tells the tale of her parents great love for one another and her own forbidden love for the architect who comes to build the Taj Mahal after the death of her mother. We also learn the story of Jahanara's two brothers Dara and Aurangzeb who vie for the throne even though their father is still very much alive.
NOTES:
I will admit that this is not my usual fare (I have found most novels I have read about India disepointing), so Im not the ideal audience for the novel. So my response to the novel -as you might expect- was mixed.
I admired several things about the book. It was a quick book with a LOT of romance and plot twists. It does certainly succeed as a light and mostly fun novel. Mainly, I enjoyed learning more about this time period and setting.
However, several things drove me crazy about the book. First, the love scenes between Jahanara and Isa were too one-note. They dont get to know each other; their relationship doesnt develop and grow through trials. Instead, they love each other madly, and all scenes between them consist of ecstatic exhortations of how much they love each other. That would all be fine if there was more to the relationship to make it seem more real. Then was the pretty unbelievable plot elements that were in the novel. Its a historical stretch that Jahanara would be given all of the power that she is afforded in the novel (i.e. that this culture would allow Jahanara to act as the emperors agent for the building of the Taj Mahal). The bigger stretch is that Jahanara takes the just mind-bogglingly stupid risks that she takes in the final 40 pages of the novel after her character has been so firmly established for the previous 320 pages as being a good judge of people and situations and as placing as her highest priorities Isa and her child. The things that happen toward the end of the book make utterly no sense after reading the rest of the novel.
And lastly the book reads very flat and is predictable, with the characters being two dimentional, and un-engaging. And being familiar with the Muslim culture, I must add that there are big NO-NOs the author presented with a 21 cet. western/feminist attitude... such as the-absolutely-tabo-kind-of-forbiden premerital DISHONORABLE relations (read sex) which is openly discussed between Jahanara and her female friend. The friend presents it matter of factly like it is a no big deal, and Jahanara though a bit shocked takes in, in one stride and carefuly listens to the adwice how she her self can do it without being caught...I was also shocked that the restrictions imposed by the harem were totally ignored by the author. Jahanarah was Begum Sahib, she would not have been allowed to leave the harem, nor would she have been allowed to be touched by anyone of a lower rank. Further, her mother the empress not only leaves the harem unveiled but touches men other than her husband, it just wouldn't have been done. Other errors pertain to Arjumand's heritage; (her aunt was Nur Jahan, empress to Emperor Jahangir) she was no common shop girl, and other major aspects that should have been researched.
...All in all it was a moderately well executed book with some highlights. I did NOT hate this book, but nor can I say, that I liked it, either. As a Romance it was pretty good book, but as an accurate historical novel, for me at least, it was a disappointment.
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