Customer Reviews

The Twentieth Wife: A Novel

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This historical novel is based on facts of the late 16th and early 17th century rule of the Mughal Empire in India. The main character, Mahrunnisa, was real - a woman who married the Emperor when she was no longer young, and who then ruled the Empire with him. The story is sweeping and romantic.

To be honest, I read the first 50 pages of the book and decided not to read any more. It seemed formulaic at first. And I also have a politically correct streak in me about books always being written about empires rather than common people. And so I put the book in my give-away pile. Then I went to sleep and when I woke up I was thinking about the story. And so, I raced home that evening, picked up the book, and read another 150 pages at once, gobbling the book up in big chunks until I had thoroughly read and enjoyed all 396 pages.

What a book! What a story! What an interesting history lesson!

The Mughal Empire was so vast and so rich that it was inevitable that there would be lots of in-fighting for the throne. The Empire had a harem but only one of his sons could be Emperor. Competition was ugly. Wars were fought. Lives were lost. There was splendor and love and plain old fashioned good storytelling with the violence real but understated, as was the romance. I was totally captivated.

I loved it the book so much I am ordering the sequel. Can't wait to read it.

Sundaresan's novel draws a vivid and colorful picture of 17th century India under the Mughal rule. The underlying theme of the seemingly faceless, mute and therefore mysterious mughal women wielding power over the monarchy by the force of their love provides an enthralling story line. The descriptions of the Mina Bazar, a market solely for the women belonging to the Royal harem to be able to move freely without being veiled, drives home the extremely cloistered life these women lived, where once they enter the zenana, neither do they see any man other than the king for the rest of their lives, nor does any male not of immediate family ever catch a glimpse of them. The wealth of detailed descriptions of the lifestyle, locale and time, helps provide a fertile imagination with a clear picture of life in India during the 17th century. This story about Mehrunissa, who broke all the established customs of that time, who, at the age of 34 (when women were discarded as old and useless) managed to capture the King's fancy to the extent that he married her as his twentieth wife holds the reader enthralled until the finale. Though this book is a fictionalized version of Indian history in the 17th century, most events are accurately recorded, showing that the author has done her homework! A must-read gripping tale of love and hate, desire and ambition, treachery and debauchery.

Indu Sundaresan's The Twentieth Wife claimed my attention in a way that books rarely do. From the beginning I was vested in the characters, but even more strongly, in the time and place in which they live. The details are astonishing in their complexity, and Sundaresan is equally at home portraying the harsh conditions of a nomadic existence or the opulence of palace life. She has a gift for creating a sense of "place," and originating from that "place," her characters are memorable and compelling. Finishing the book, I felt as if I'd taken a journey, one both vivid and memorable.

as an avid reader of historical fiction, I can honestly say this is not the worst book I have read. However, the author's many mistakes really make this hard to read- for example, I have never heard of the word "Bapa" being used to address one's father (I grew up speaking Urdu)- and the author refers to the maternal grandfather as "Dada"- when the word is Nana. Mughal women did not wear "ghagara"s (loose skirts); rather they wore "gharaara"s, a sort of split skirt with embroidery and embellishments. And Muslims don't greet each other with "InshaAllah"- which means, God Willing- the author uses this phrase numerous times as a greeting or salutation. If you are familiar with the culture and language, it is annoying to read these mistakes.

I was very disappointed in this book after reading a rave review of it. I enjoy books with strong or memorable characters - this book had neither. Everything always worked out too well. Her father's embezzlement was brushed aside, but would in reality have not been tolerated. In the author's epilogue, she characterizes the real Mehrunnisa as mean, treacherous, in charge; yet the author made her too saccarinely sweet in the book; she was definitely not a memorable character. Nor was the emperor - at first he was evil and corrupt, then suddenly upon becoming emperor, he became thoughtful of his people - give me a break! While I recognize and appreciate the author's extensive research into this time period, I was amazed that the book was accepted for publication, since we never really even care about any of the characters! If you would like to read a book about India with memorable characters, read A Fine Balance by Mistry...now, there is a great book!

Though too young and way beneath his station, Mehrunnisa, the daughter of a Persian courtier to the Mughal Empire, plans to one day wed the heir apparent to the throne Salim. The very intelligent eight-year-old Mehrunnisa knows she needs a plan if she is to achieve her impossible dream of marrying her beloved whom barely knows she exists.

A few years later Mehrunnisa is forced to marry a cruel soldier. Besides abuse from her odious spouse, she suffers several miscarriages. However, she ultimately succeeds in gaining more than just the attention of Salim, who is now the Emperor Jahangir, she shares passion with him. Finally, Mehrunnisa accomplishes her dream goal, but though now a powerhouse empress she and her family paid quite a price for her attaining her childhood desires that she never let go of as an adult.

Historical fiction readers that relish a deep look at seventeenth century India will gain much pleasure from this descriptive tale. The story line is loaded with historical references with a very illuminating portrayal of Mughal court life. However, the wealth of information, which seems authentic to this pre-school novice on the history of India, overwhelms the characters and thus undercuts the prime tale of Mehrunnisa's efforts to become the empress. Indu Sundaresan provides a vivid tale that the hard core sub-genre audience will want to read, but the weak characters make it difficult for casual fans to care what happens to Mehrunnisa or anyone else.

Harriet Klausner

Transport yourself to a time long ago, an era of emperors, palaces, intrigue, and deceit. A story of a common woman, her family exiled from Persia, aspiring to power in the Mughal Empire. Indu Sundaresan spins a tale of myth and legend woven with historical fact and memoir, a story that reeled me in and I couldn't put it down!

If you've curiously pondered the wonders of India and long-ago lore...step into a tale of love, mystery, and devotion that eventually resulted in the reality of the Taj Mahal.

You'll want the sequel to this book, The Feast of Roses, because The Twentieth Wife winds up to a punch of a cliff-hanger and leaves you hanging. The story takes off to new proportions in the Feast of Roses!

To sum it up quickly: this is the ULTIMATE soap opera. It would make a great movie! Mehrunnisa's life was filled with happiness, family warmth, sadness and tragedy, abuse, and most importantly, an all-encompassing passion for life and the love of her life, Emperor Jahangir. As overwhelming as her life seemed at times, I never found myself disbelieving its events. I felt as if I was drawn into her time and place right along next to her. I am unfamiliar with her real-life story or this time and place in history (this is historical fiction), but find myself wanting to learn more about her and this era.
The only downfall of this book was the constant introduction of new characters with difficult Indian and Persian names. Characters' names changed as they attained different status in the empire and the author liberally uses common Indian terms and references. Although I think these terms and names only added to the authenticity of the story, I found it confusing at times and I had to slow down many times just to figure out the pronunciation of or the identity of the character. Thankfully, the author has added a glossary and family tree of the characters to help.
To those of you who enjoyed "The Red Tent" or "Queenmaker," this should probably be on your "to read" list as well. Very similar storylines. A pleasant and entertaining book and definitely recommended.
P.S. I hear there is a sequel in the works-can't wait.

I enjoy reading many different genres, but historical fiction is one of my favorites......and lately, the cultures of India, Sudan, and any of the countries in that exotic section of this wonderful world seems to satisfy my reading addiction.

THE TWENTIETH WIFE is a rich, exotic view of the women, their desires, and females' position in society in the Mughal Empire of 1600's India.

I could "feel" India as I read the story of Menhurrisa. This girl knew what she wanted at the early age of 8 and kept her focus on the love for a man she first saw in a parade. Almost all woman in that era would consider love for a man like this unattainable..........royalty above her class.

This was a book that I couldn't get enough of. I looked forward to the next page at all times. I enjoy reading a book that takes me mentally to another time and place. By reading this book, I learned a lot about the ancient 17th century Indian cultures of women and harem life, which had a class system of its own that the women had to deal with.

I highly recommend reading this book if you like historical fiction or if you enjoy reading a story of a strong woman who believes in herself and beats all odds to attain her desires.

I read this book about 2 1/2 years ago and the story has stayed in my memory. I bought the sequel, THE FEAST OF ROSES, last year and plan on reading it as soon as I finish the historical fiction novel that I am now reading set in 1500 England.

If you are looking for an awesome book, and very good historical fiction with surprising twists and turns spiced with a whole lot of action......this is a book you will truly devour.

I highly recommend this read.

B Harris

This debut novel from Indu Sundaresan, based on historical events, recounts the first three and a half decades in the life of Mehrunnisa, a young woman who would later be known as Empress Nur Jahan. Even as a young girl she was determined to one day marry the handsome Prince Salim. And when the prince happens to meet Mehrunnisa a few times, quite by accident, he is enchanted with her as well. But Mehrunnisa is married off to another man, a mere soldier, who treats her with cruelty and does not love her. The book follows her through her twenty-seven years of marriage to Ali Quli.

This period of time, encompassing the late 16th and early 17th centuries, saw many historically significant events: Prince Salim's rebellion against his father, Emperor Akbar; the rebellion of Salim's own son after Salim takes the throne as Emperor Jahangir; Ali Quli's fateful alliance with the rebel Prince Khusrau; along with other wars of the time. We see Mehrunnisa endure the many hardships that come her way as her family is shamed and disreputed by the actions of her husband and brother, and how they eventually manage to regain the emperor's esteem. And ultimately, we see the fruition of the childhood passion between Salim and Mehrunnisa when she becomes Emperor Jahangir's twentieth and most influencial wife.

"The Twentieth Wife" is rich in historical detail, which I found interesting as I have little knowledge of the Mughal Empire. The downside, however, is that the characters are poorly developed. They are ultimately forgettable. Large-scale events overshadow interpersonal relations, and Mehrunnisa, her family, Jahangir, and the others remain flat and difficult to care for. The romance between Mehrunnisa and Jahangir is unconvincing. They meet only a handful of times, briefly, and exchange very few words. Sundaresan does not offer any explanation for the emperor's captivation with this woman, who was from a family that would have supplied no political advantages to the emperor via his marriage to her.

In summation, the book provided nothing to me that a textbook wouldn't have. It added to my historical knowledge and was a relatively easy read, but did little to stir my emotions. If I ever pick up its sequel, "The Feast of Roses," it will be out of historical interest, and not from expectation of a great story. And in all likelihood, if I find myself wanting to learn more of the history of the Mughal Empire, I'll pick up a work of non-fiction instead. This isn't a terrible novel, but there are many better pieces of historical fiction to be had, and I'd suggest passing this one by and looking elsewhere.