Customer Reviews

The Feast of Roses: A Novel

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In the second of two novels, The Feast of Roses relates the married life of Mehrunnisa, the twentieth wife of Emperor Jahangir of India in the 17th Century. Best known as Empress Nur Jahan, "The Light of the World", the beautiful Mehrunnisa comes from humble beginnings, but captures the Emperor's attention as a young girl, years before he is able to claim her as his wife.

Brought up near the women of the zenana (harem), with a powerful patron who senses her potential, Mehrunnisa is trained in the ways of court life. But she is abruptly married, with the emperor's consent, and sent to a distant post with her husband, who is in disfavor with the imperial court. Then Merhrunnisa is widowed and Emperor Jahangir returns her to his court and marries her (hence the title of Sunduresan's first novel The Twentieth Wife). The first novel covers the young Mehrunnisa's early attraction to the emperor, but ends with their marriage.

Although sequels are frequently disappointing, A Feast of Roses never loses its historical perspective. The research is meticulous; in addition, the author humanizes her characters, bringing them vividly to life against the turmoil of this divided court. Mehrunnisa is an extraordinary character, her bravery, loyalty and independence, virtually unheard of in Seventeenth century court life. A woman who refuses to be remembered as a footnote of history, she is an early role model, a shining example of women leaders who rise above time and place.

The historical and romantic union addressed in The Feast of Roses portrays Mehrunnisa's sojourn as the most influential wife and trusted empress of Jahangir's reign. The emperor is content with his new wife, his beloved companion and lover, eschewing the other wives for the last one. Certainly there are ill feelings toward the powerful Empress Nur Jahan, insinuating herself into court life, usurping the place of favored consultants, including the emperor's boyhood friends and the forgotten wives, all who find themselves outside the charmed circle of power.

This is the love story of a common woman and an emperor who selects her as his most beloved and favored wife. Mehrunnisa serves as an advisor the emperor in matters of state, particularly when his health begins to fail. That a woman of ignoble birth can achieve a position of power is a testament to Mehrunnisa's intellect and courage and the author has given her protagonist a real presence, even though Mehrunnisa suffers banishment after the emperor's death.

How ironic that the Taj Mahal, built by Emperor Jahangir's son Khurram in memory his deceased wife, has become the symbol of this period, surpassing the memory of the Empress Nur Jahan. Truly a "Light of the World", Mehrunnia is an extraordinary role model, a woman of great achievement, centuries before her time. Luan Gaines/ 2003.

"The Feast of Roses" was a truly captivating novel filled with royal intrigue, love, passion and the mysterious world of seventeenth century India. It is definately a book for those who love history, romance and literature. Ms. Sundaresan's description of the love story between Emperor Jahangir and Mehrunissa, (known in history as Nur Jahan) keeps the reader wanting to know more and more as the book goes on. The novel is filled with colorful descriptions of the palaces, people and the time they lived in as well as capturing the human nature of each character. A great book to read no matter what kind of day!!! Two thumbs up!!!!!!

The second of two books, The Feast of Roses is the continuation of Mehrunnisa's life after her marriage to the emperor Jahangir and finally realizes her dreams of becoming empress of the legendary Mughal Empire.

In the soley male-dominated world of Mughal imperial life, under her new status as empress, Nur Jahan - the twentieth and most beloved wife of the emperor, schemes and plots once again to further her ambitions for even greater power within the complex labyrinth of hirarchy and official rank to emerge as sole ruler.

Things don't exactly go according to plan as her very own niece
Arjumand Banu, (better known as Mumtaz-i-Mahal for whom the Taj Mahal was built), refuses to go along with her schemes and defies her outright. Her stepson, Prince Khurram, will also find himself in a predicament when he also refuses to bow to Mehrunissa's wishes and will eventually end up fighting for his and his family's life against his father's armies sent by Mehrunnisa. In consequence, for years Khurram and his family will live as outlaws, hunted down by the imperial army, treated as traitors.

Mehrunnisa will initially emerge victorious. She will virtually rule the empire single handedly, given her husband's blessing, for many years, obtaining great wealth and even greater power than any woman has ever dared to dream of having at the time. Her will is bent on destroying Prince Khurram, rightful heir to the throne, and his surviving sons to ensure that her own daughter's future as empress will be secured.

The Feast of Roses is a tale of love most sincere, of jealousy and hate, of truth, lies and greed for possessions and power, trust and the sad betrayal of that trust. An engaging read as Sundaresan's skill in describing in great detail the life at court, the life within the harem, the many lavish ornaments and jewels casually passed around, and the characters themselves is really something else. I decided to read this book after accidentally stumbling onto 'Taj: A Story of Mughal India' by Timeri Murari in a bookstore. Read these together and you are all set for a journey into the lives of India's most legendary rulers: THE MUGHALs. Enjoy as much as i have.

Set in 17th Century India, this sequel to The Twentieth Wife continues the story of Mehrunnisa, the beloved wife of the Emperor. It tells the tale of her power and how she manages to actively participate in a man's world. She's very political as well as beautiful and it helps that her husband adores her.

This was a world where the Emperor and his court had everything. Precious jewels decorated garments and furniture. There were lavish gardens and fabulous food. (They even ate sherbet made from ice that was carried down from the mountains.) There were hundreds of women in the Emperor's harem, each one wanting to give him a son. As only one son could become emperor, these young men competed with each other and also with their father. Their lives were about combat, death or cruel punishment.

Mehrunnisa had no sons, only a daughter from a former marriage. She therefore had to make choices as to who to support. Mostly, she was smart and made wise choices. But her political ambitions grew too large. Eventually, things changed.

I enjoyed this sequel as I had enjoyed its predecessor. It was really a pleasure to read about Mehrunnisa's life as a mature woman who thrived so well in a man's world. Her husband counted on her for everything and she was really the power behind the throne.

Of course, as I read the book I was also completely turned off by the excesses. These people at court led lives of splendor while the rest of their country starved. Women could become part of the harem and lead a life of luxury. But if a man wasn't born into the right family, there was no hope for him. The wars were deadly. As many as 2000 or more men would be killed in a single battle between competing brothers. And yet I was caught up in the story and the authentic historical details.

Later, Mehrunnisa's niece became the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built and she was the one who will be remembered from that period of time. But as this book clearly points out, the woman with the political clout was really Mehrunnisa.

The Feast of Roses is fine story well told. I was swept up in it. Read it for what it is and enjoy.

Beautifully written sequel to The Twentieth Wife. Facinating story about a powerful woman at a time when women weren't supposed to be powerful. Many sequels don't live up to the original book....this one does...don't miss it!

The Sequel to the "Twentieht Wife" although very well writen is a bit dissapointing for it lacks the passion of the author's writing. It is a bit repetitive, for the author tends to dwell too long re-telling parts of the story that have already been covered in the first book. Having said that I still recomend it, Indu Sundaresaan is a gifted writer that manages to transport the reader back in time to the Mugal empire, providing interesting descriptions of the politics and life behind the curtains in the Zenana.

Sundaresan certainly has brought a interesting period of history back to life. As someone who has read The Twentieth Wife and The Feast of Roses, I'm obviously a fan of hers. Sometimes her writing can be a bit stiff, and her dialogue awkward, but I'm happy that she has introduced me to a new world.

Readers who like Sundaresan, and the era she's writing about, should look into Beneath a Marble Sky. I just finished this novel (which tells the story behind the Taj Mahal's creation), and couldn't have loved it any more.

I'm happy to be reading novels set in this period, as it's a fascinating era, and one that most people in the West know little about.

The Feast of Roses continues from where the happily-ever-after of The Twentieth Wife left off. Frankly, I don't think it's ever a good idea to keep going after reaching a happy ending. It's like Disney feeling they need to tell us the "continuing story" of Cinderella. It's just too painful! Don't get me wrong: the book is good, and much better written than The Twentieth Wife, in my opinion. But that's all I can really say to praise it. Now, I know the author didn't write history, so the fact that all the characters are fools isn't really her fault, but it was so deeply unsatisfying to see the heroine of the first book fall from grace, even in MY eyes. About halfway through the book, I couldn't stand the person she had become and the foolish decisions she made. She became a completely unsympathetic character to me. None of the other characters fared any better, and they quickly went from being likeable and beloved to annoying, dissolute idiots. But probably the worst flaw in this book is the very clumsy "foreshadowing" in an effort to be dramatic. The author blatantly states, less than a quarter of the way through the book, that everything Mehrunnisa does will lead to her downfall and she'll be forgotten, etc. This is emphasized a few times. I mean, I know historically that the ending was inevitable, but it's really not fair for the author to tell the reader less than a quarter of the way through the novel that there really is no point in reading on, it's just downhill from here. Overall, I couldn't wait to be done with the book and I suggest that if you liked the first book, let the story end there and don't disappoint yourself with this one.

The Twentieth wife was better, in my opinion, but this novel, again about Empress Nur Jahan aka Nisa, was just as beautifully written with historical details, romance and courage. This novel follows Nisa's life after her marriage to the Emperor. The only thing I grew weary of was the stories, details and characters pertaining to the Portuguese and English trading, ships and treaties. That was dull. However, the court and zenana intrigue was abundant. I found Nisa's story incredibly sad despite the wealth and power she was able to yield during her reign. She could not trust even her own brother. I also find it a shame that there was no other empress like her for a long time after, if ever. Beginning with Arjumand, Mehrinnisa's niece, the empresses were content to be quiet and hide behind their veils once again. Thus, Mehrinnisa was incredibly brave. She is a heroine I will not forget. I have enjoyed reading about her life. Indu has done a terrific job. I am sorry I have completed the Nur Jahan novels. Hate to see it end.

FEAST OF ROSES is beautifully written. Sundaresan has done a memorable job evoking the sumptuous Mughal Empire with her descriptions. The "chess scene" is one of my favorites.