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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
She's getting better all the time!, August 26, 2002
This review is from: Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, India, 1627 (The Royal Diaries) (Hardcover)
I thought Kathryn Lasky was going great with Marie Antoinette and Mary of Scots, but with Jahanara she's gotten even better. I'd never even heard of this seventeenth-century Indian princess before I read this book, but now I want to know more about her. And that's the ultimate goal for writers of historical fiction, isn't it? Jahanara, despite being the highest-ranking princess in the Indian royal family and owning jewels the size of robin's eggs, leads a pretty dull life. She is almost never permitted to venture outside the harem where she lives with her younger siblings and her father's many wives. And when she does leave, she must wear a thick veil to conceal all of her features, as is customary with Muslim women. She worries constantly about her family. Her father is the emperor of India, but his stepmother Nur Mahal is constantly plotting against him to the point where he once has to fake his own death to escape her clutches. Two of Jahanara's younger brothers, Dara and Aurangzeb, were taken political hostage by Nur Mahal and she worried constantly for their safety. Then they returned, Aurangzeb was not the same person who had left. He had not only become a militant Islamic who hated all things that were not Muslim (as compared to Jahanara and Dara who snuck food to eat during Ramadan), he was also greedy and power-hungry. Though he had two older brothers, Aurangzeb was determined to become emperor and Jahanara was sure he would kill for the privilege. Thus the royal court of India swirled with intrigue, even behind the screens of the harem. I found this to be very interesting book, especially in the descriptions of courtly dress and manner. I had only two small problems with it. There was a minor subplot where Jahanara adopted a street child which I found unnecessary, as it added nothing to the story. And at the end of the book there were two large gaps in the diary entries, one of a year, the other of several months, with weak explanations for them. It was as if Kathryn Lasky was in a big hurry to finish the book and get to the final dramatic climax. However those are only small squabbles I have. The historical note is very interesting and informative. It tells the fate of Jahanara's family, and
states that it was for Jahanara's mother that the Taj Mahal was built. In a nutshell, I loved this book.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Okay diary., October 12, 2002
This review is from: Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, India, 1627 (The Royal Diaries) (Hardcover)
14-year-old Jahanara Begum Sahib might be the highest ranking princess of her royal family, thus the title Princess of Princesses, but her life is very dull. Her family are imprisoned by the "Snake" Nur Mahal, Jahanara's step-grandmother, and they are not permitted anywhere outside of their harem. However after a quick turn of events, in which her father even fakes his own death, Jahanara finds herself once again a princess and her father in power. However the curse of Nur Mahal, and her constant plotting is never far. However Jahanara soon realized that not all things would be the same again. Her brother Aurangzeb has been tranfered into a power-hungry radical Muslim boy and hates anything not Muslim, evening bending down so low as to poisen their father's 3rd wife who was Hindu. Jahanara begins to realize that Aurangzeb might do anything to become emperor, evening killing his two older brothers... I had loved all of Kathryn Lasky's previous diaries, especially Elizabeth I Red Rose of the House of Tudor, which continues to be my favorite on out of all the Royal Diaries, so I had high expectations for this book. Some of those expectations were met, like always Lasky described very well the court life of India. Unfortunately I felt this book was really lacking a center plot. Too many things were going on and Lasky never really established a plot. It is still a very good book about India though.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Exciting Life of Jahanara: Princessof Princesses, October 1, 2003
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, India, 1627 (The Royal Diaries) (Hardcover)
Jahanara princess of princesses: Book Review By: Kathryn Lasky I think the author did a very good job writing this book. She never let the reader get confused in reading the story. I never felt that I wasn't the character. Everything the character felt, I felt. She always explained and described everything that was happening very well. Everything was told step by step. This fictional biography is based on the Indian princess of princesses, Jahanara who lived in 1627. It takes you through four years of her life. The story begins when they are prisoners under an evil woman, Nur Mahal, who has Jahanara's two brothers separated from them. Then Jahanara's father tricks everybody and regains the throne and Jahanara's family is free. Jahanara then travels and gets the nicest apartments along with jewels as big as her big toe; being her father's favorite. But she is still not free. This book is also a mystery. When Nur Mahal finally let's the two brothers go, they return normal, except one. He has changed very much; he acts odd and is very, very pious. Jahanara also gets very confused sometimes for she does not know what is going on because nobody tells her. Therefore she has to find out for herself. This book's strengths are that it captures the reader. Once you start reading it, you cannot stop. When I had to stop, I felt as though I was watching a show on T.V. but I had to miss it because I was going somewhere. The author does a good job keeping you hooked to the story. You can picture what was going on, as if it were a real show. This book has only one weakness. The author uses some Indian words that you can't figure out. So you have to look at the glossary at the end of the book. This can interrupt your focus. I definitely recommend this book to all readers. It is full of adventure, but mostly mystery. It will have you keep on asking, "What is going to happen next?" This is a "have to read book."
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