The Twentieth Wife: A Novel

Although it moves slowly at times, the story is amazing and the writing superb. I enjoyed every minute reading this novel.

This is Indu Sundaresan's first novel, and I have to say, dam good for a first! The story is based on real people and events, and is enhanced by Sundaresan's romantic imagination. The descriptions bring you to India in 1600's by including details on foods, scents, colors, customs that were intelligently elaborate and well researched. The writing is smart, fun and captivating. The story is about Mehrunissa, the daughter of refugees, who's family climbs the social ladder. At age 8, she finds herself mesmerized by Salim, the future heir to the throne. She immediately thinks he is beautiful and later develops feelings for him, and through the years she dreams of becoming one of his wives. She is enthralled by the power struggles within the harem and learns to make the right alliances. Even if the allience parties have their own agendas for befriending her. Salim's feelings for her are also very interesting. While reading other scenes I was looking forward to their next meeting. Mehrunissa was a real pip. Definitely a woman ahead of her time. She transcends from a child in a poor family, who cannot afford to feed her, to one of the most powerful women in the History of India. This is an inspiring and very romantic story. I am sure that Historical Fiction fans, as well as anyone that enjoys a well written and romantic story, will find it truly delightful.

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.

I am really torn about the three stars. When I was reading, I was thinking it was a four star novel. When I reached the end, I was convinced that I would only give it two. This novel was intriguing from the beginning and kept me interested throughout. The problem is that no one can write a complete story these days. Everything has to be a trilogy. So you read the story, waiting for when the protagonist marries the emperor. As soon as she does, it ENDS. Abruptly. Without warning, or even a gentle winding down. There is not even a cliffhanger or an enigma. It simply is... and then it isn't. I found this maddening and artless, from an author who had already demonstrated that she is capable of very good storytelling. I am so mad at having to buy another book to continue, as if it was a serial, and I feel so cheated by the publisher, that I may not read the next book at all.

I love fiction that illuminates a time or characters that I know little about. I would normally give this 4 stars because of a few things that jarred like the number of dished including tomatoes which only came to india with colonial rule (considered inedible until the 19th century) and probably tobacco though I suspect it would have become established earlier, possibly in the time period described here. On the other hand I found the story so gripping and I am sure I will reread it so I have given it the extra star. A love story and a glimpse of life and history. Who could ask for more! Now for the Feast of Roses.

Fascinating story based in the history of India's Mughal Empire. The story is about Mehrunnisa, daughter of a poor Persian who comes to the empire to make his fortune. She meets the son of Emperor Akbar (third of the Mughal) prince Salim when eight, and falls in love with him on his wedding day, and decides that someday, she will become his wife. Through brief encounters, Salim becomes fascinated with her, much to the disapproval of his powerful third wife, Jagat Gosain. The novel then follows Mehrunnisa's marriage to another Persian —a decorated soldier in Akbar's army, the rebellions of Salim against Akbar (where her husband betrays Salim), the reconciliation between father and son, and Salim's rise to power as Emperor Jahangir. Like his father, Salim's eldest son rebels, with the help of Mehrunnisa's husband. We also see how Jagat Gosain works to prevent Mehrunnisa and Salim from being together. Ultimately, however, it is the story of how, throughout the years, she held a power over him that no other in his harem of 19 wives and hundreds of concubines held over him. Sundaresan creates a wonderful, vivid picture of the world of late 16th to early 17th Century India. The vastness of the Mughal Empire, the climate and customs of the period, the variety of it's people, and the complexity of the politics of the time are woven together to create an engaging story. There was a nice balance between providing the details and terms while not reading like a textbook explaining every term and custom. All of the main characters were distinct, and fully realized — each with their own voice and behaviors, letting me sink into the story despite my unfamiliarity with the setting - historical and cultural. I look forward to reading the two following books by Sundaresan - the next dealing with Mehrunnisa's rise to be the premier wife, and the power behind the thrown. I always enjoy reading about the unconventional women of history.

I love historical romance novels. Pretty much every book I own attests to that effect. But the settings in those novels have been a little monotonous (England or America), so finding this book was a pleasant surprise! I loved all of the wonderful descriptive imagery, the colors, sounds, smells--even temperature and time were remarkably tangible. This book is the sequel to "The Feast of Roses", which introduces the story of a prosperous, powerful and handsome emperor who falls in love with a beautiful and married nobody. When his love interest's husband dies, the emperor at last is able to marry her. "The Twentieth Wife" focuses on this lovely woman, weaving a tale of a beautiful, intelligent, loving and strong woman who will not simply fade into the background as the other wives had. She is the first and only love of the emperor, and his true equal, in every respect. In an interesting twist, this woman turns out to be the aunt of the one for whom the Taj Mahal was built! If you're looking for a beautiful escape from the present, give this book a try. You won't be disappointed.

The only thing stopping me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that were so many characters with similiar names that I almost had to make a list to figure out who was who sometimes. Terrific mixture of fiction and actual historical data. I learned quite a bit about the Indian empire and history of its emperors. Nisa fascinated me and I thought her a strong woman for the times. After all, it cannot be easy to attract the Emperor so much for so long when he has 300 women at his disposal. Kudos to her for leading the times in change for women. This book portrays her as a woman not completely satisfied hiding behind the veil and I am anxious to read the next book to find out what all she accomplished. I am sure it was much. I like the fact that there is a sequel because this is a book that you wish would not end. To be more technical, this novel covers her childhood, her parents and family ties, her puppy love for a prince, her trying first marriage, and finally, her ascendance to the throne. It stops there, leaving the reader wanting more.