The Twentieth Wife: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: All the beauty of India
Review: A girl sees the prince, she imagines herself in love. Because she is a girl, she is subject to the politics of her family. The prince becomes a rebel, she becomes a general's wife. The story it a tale of a young girls desire to marry her prince.

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Summary: Illuminating
Review: A wonderful piece of historical fiction. Brings the Mughal Empire to life. I couldnt wait to read the second part, Feast of Roses.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant read, but uneven
Review: As an historical romance set in an exotic location (16h century Moghul India), The Twentieth Wife has much to recommend it. Its heroine, Mehrunnisa, who eventually becomes Empress, is an engaging character with an interesting story. The most intriguing part of the book is its picture of how powerful women overcame the restrictions placed on them as wives of the Emperor and extended their influence beyond the harem walls. However, the book is unevenly written. Parts of it read too much like a straight historical account, and not enough attention is paid to character development. That said, the book is well worth reading, and I would have given it an extra half a star if I could have. I'll probably read the sequel, but I'll wait for it to come out in paperback

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Summary: A Love Story with History
Review: Everyone knows about what led to the building of the Taj Mahal, but the history behind it is fascinating. Without Mehrunnisa, maybe the Taj Mahal would never be build. Interwined in this love story is pieces of history that make the book more captivating. I could not put this book down.

Rating:
Summary: Promising Start
Review: I agree with many of the Editorial Reviews above. There are so many nice things to say about this book - facinating historical periods that are rarely used in American books, intriguing characters and interesting events. However, it is easy to be distracted by the stilted writing and the lack of character development. As much promise as this book had, it reads more like a Danielle Steele novel - the main character claws her way out of poverty (with well-timed, if unexplained, assistance from other characters) to become the most powerful woman in her region. I hope Indu Sundaresan continues to develop her writing skills because she has certainly found an interesting topic.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Historical Fiction!
Review: I cannot confess to being an expert on this time period of history, so any glaring errors between the real heroine's character/story and this novel are lost on me.

What I can say is that 'The Twentieth Wife' is a wonderful piece of historical fiction. Sundaresan draws you into the world of mogul India and wraps you up in it. I found it an entertaining, enjoyable read and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction from a female perspective. Two thumbs up and by all means read 'Feast of Roses', the sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this book!
Review: I couldn't put this book down. I read it in one huge gulp - read until my eyes refused to focus. A rich historical tale about one of the most fascinating women in Indian history. An honest-to-goodness page turner. We know so little about other cultures and their history. This is an incredibly painless way to increase our knowledge of a country whom many consider to be the cradle of civilization. Sundaresan can consider me a fan - happily waiting for the next installment.

Rating:
Summary: Just Another History Book!
Review: I have always been interested in Indian history and I had been intrigued with the idea of knowing more about Jahangir and Noor Jahan. However, The 20th Wife reads more like a history book than a fictionalized account of what happened. All the characters are hollow and shallow, one wonders how the Moghals ruled for as long as they did since most of them seem only interested in their harem and wine. Beyond that, the herione of our story was terribly unsympathetic and boring. Sundaresan never told us enough about Mehrunissa so that we could be convinced of her beauty or her charm. It seemed illogical that Salim, who was so fickle, should not only lust after her for years, but should also be in love with her. The story didn't seem to be set in the past because the women seemed to have so much freedom and the ability to speak their will without any recriminations. I wish the people who make this story had been fleshed out more. I felt the details of the elephants and historical facts were given precedent over the characters. Not one character in the entire story made you want to give a damn about what happened to who and when.

Rating:
Summary: A lush & lavish novel
Review: I have just finished reading this book for the second time. I think that it is a beautiful novel about the rich culture of 16th and 17th century India, an India that both politically and religiously is very different from today in ways I had not known. I think that the characters, though interesting, are still somewhat lacking, which is my main fault of the book. The legend of Mehrunnisa (Sun of Women) I think was very hard for the author to translate into prose. It is still a very enjoyable read and I was reluctant to put it down even after knowing what happens. I would recommend this book as very entertaining and I am planning on buying the sequel that the author mentioned in the after word. (The back of The Twentieth Wife says that the sequel will be called Power Behind the Veil, but the authors next published book is named The Feast of Roses (May 2003) which may or may not be the sequel.)

Rating:
Summary: Birlliant introduction to an over-looked era
Review: I just finished this novel and I immediately looked to pick up the next volume - which is not published yet. The brilliance of the Mughal Empire is fully set out, no trite or repetitive descriptions. It is wonderful to see a writer focusing on a time in Indian history other than the British Raj and doing such an excellent job with her writing. I would heartily recommend this novel.