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Book Reviewed by:Travel
back to the politics and intrigues of
17th-century Hindustan (northern India).
Emperor Shah Jahan's beloved wife, Mumtaz
Mahal, is dead (giving birth to their 14th
child) and he's determined to build the most
beautiful and magnificent mausoleum ever
seen to house the body of the woman he
called Taj. The story is told by Jahanara,
the favorite daughter of the Emperor and
Mumtaz Mahal.
Life was good when her mother
was alive, but following her death the
Emperor is grief stricken and barely able to
rule. Meanwhile, his second son, Aurangzeb,
starts to build his brutal power base in a
clear attempt to oust Jahanara's older
brother, Dara, from his role as heir
presumptive; and Jahanara is married off to
a very nasty bit of work.
Realizing that his
daughter is married to a violent and
repulsive man, but unable to sever the
marriage for political reasons, the Emperor
sets Jahanara up as overseer of the
mausoleum project, which allows her a
convenient excuse to escape the confines of
her husband's house. As the walls of the
building, that is now known world-wide as
the Taj Mahal, grow - so does her love for
the young architect in charge of the
project.
This is a highly readable first novel
combining elegant prose, exotic setting and
historical accuracy - recommended for any
who enjoy quality historical fiction, with a
dollop of romance thrown in for good
measure.
This review
first ran in the June 15, 2006
issue of BookBrowse Recommends.
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