By: John Shors Publisher: NAL Trade Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: NAL Trade Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 368 Publication Date: June 06, 2006
Product Description: Journey to dazzling seventeenth-century Hindustan, where the reigning emperor, consumed with grief over the tragic death of his beloved wife, commissions the building of the Taj Mahal as a testament to the marvel of their love. Princess Jahanara, their courageous daughter, recounts their mesmerizing tale, while sharing her own parallel tale of forbidden love with the celebrated architect of the Taj Mahal. This impressive novel sweeps readers away to a historical Hindustan brimming with action and intrigue in an era when, alongside the brutalities of war and oppression, architecture and the art of love and passion reached a pinnacle of perfection.
Wonderful! Beautiful story! It was one of those books I kept thinking about when I wasn't reading.
Wonderful-looking forward to more from this author I wish I could remember who recommended this book to me so I could thank them! I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction, but this is a lovely book. The author did a good job of letting us get to know the characters, which is something mostly missing in new fiction today. I am looking forward to the next novel from this author.
Disappointing I love historical fiction, and I was really looking forward to exploring the building of the Taj Mahal and a study of India with a fictitious story as the vehicle. But I soon tired of the romance novel feel of this book and quit reading it about 125 pages into it--something I rarely do. After turning ahead and seeing only more of the same, there was no reason to go on. It was too boring. It had a shallow, superficial feel that was more like a comic book or novel for teens than a serious novel for adults. I had just finished Michener's classic, Caravans, and felt like I was traveling in Afghanistan in 1946. This one had none of that feel. I'll keep looking for something with some substance, depth, and character development about India--maybe Taj will be more satisfying. I am sorely disappointed in this book.
Best Book This Year ! Our book club chose this as our Spring selection and the verdict was unanimous. It was the best story we had read all year. We spoke with the author during our meeting and talked about his experience in Japan as a teacher, his motivation for the story line and his research into the real characters in this love story of persistence and courage. It reminded me of Memoirs of a Geisha, as the main character was propelled through a life of challenges by holding on to true love and her bravery to face any obstacle which came her way. The author wrote a beautiful story. A pleasure to read.
Congratulations on a Wonderful Debut Novel I've always been intrigued by the love story behind the Taj Mahal. I loved this fictionalized account based on fact, told in the voice of the Emperor's daughter, Jahanara.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
