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The Feast of Roses (Taj Mahal Trilogy #2)

by Indu Sundaresan (Goodreads Author)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 2,405 ratings · 245 reviews

The love story of Emperor Jahangir and Mehrunnisa, begun in the critically praised debut novel The Twentieth Wife, continues in Indu Sundaresan's The Feast of Roses. This lush new novel tells the story behind one of the great tributes to romantic love and one of the seven wonders of the world -- the Taj Mahal.

Mehrunnisa, better known as Empress Nur Jahan, comes into Jaha

...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Published May 18th 2004 by Washington Square Press (first published 2002)

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Jan 15, 2009 Roossy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

The Feast of Roses was about Mehrunissa; her life as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, an empress and a ruler. She was the love of Emperor Jahangir and they wed because they loved each other. As she gained more power from the harem, she asked to have more power in the kingdom’s politics, which meant she was to be consulted for any problems concerning the kingdom. Love apparently blinded Jahangir and he granted all of Mehrunissa’s wishes.
As Jahangir’s health deteriorated, Mehrunissa was the...more The Feast of Roses was about Mehrunissa; her life as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, an empress and a ruler. She was the love of Emperor Jahangir and they wed because they loved each other. As she gained more power from the harem, she asked to have more power in the kingdom’s politics, which meant she was to be consulted for any problems concerning the kingdom. Love apparently blinded Jahangir and he granted all of Mehrunissa’s wishes.
As Jahangir’s health deteriorated, Mehrunissa was the one in charge for many of the Mughal India kingdom’s affairs. This woman’s power was not common back in their time and many of the high-ranking officers despised it. The fear of losing power came to Mehrunissa when Jahangir had severe asthma attack and almost died. She then tried to secure her power and position by asking Khurram, one of Jahangir son to marry her daughter, Ladli. Unfortunately, her attempted failed and when Khurram became the emperor, she was exiled and forgotten.
My first encountered with Mehrunissa character was in Taj. She was mentioned as an aunt of Arjumand. There was not much information about her except that she did not like her husband and was married to Jahangir after her husband was killed. She was viewed as ambitious and smart. In one instance, she was humiliated by her lack of skill of archery by his husband’s other wife, which made her practiced archery very hard in a short time, succeeded in killing a tiger and gained her husband respect.
Nevertheless, I admired Mehrunissa as a strong woman. She went through humiliation as she thought as barren and only gave a daughter to her first husband. She witnessed her first husband assassination, she worked hard to earn her living and she loved her child despite of the child’s gender.
I have seen Mehrunissa's courage in many women. Eva Paron, Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton were among them. They were the brains behind their husbands. Many of these women are the brain machines in today’s commercial worlds and they are the reason why women should still fight for equal right.(less)

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May 16, 2013 Mizuki Genshou rated it 5 of 5 stars

The romance between Mehrunnisa and the Emperor Jahangir improves a great deal after Jahangir made Mehrunnisa one of his wives and welcomed her officially to the harem. Now Mehrunnisa wasn't just Jahangir's object of desire, now she was named Light of the World by her Emperor, she had to try remaining as the Emperor's favorite wife. She had also became an increasingly important player in the power game at the court of the Mughal Empire.

I like how the author described the relationship between Mehr...more

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Dec 15, 2007 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sundaresan picks up the story of Mehrunnisa, the remarkable heroine from her debut novel, Twenty Wives, as the so-called "Light of the World" consolidates her power as wife of Emperor Jahangir of the Mughal Empire in 17th-century India, only to see her dominion destroyed by her own aggressive tendencies. The early chapters find Mehrunnisa confronting two rivals, who happen to be old friends of her husband, and eliminating them in a brief series of power struggles. She also talks Jahangir into le...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Anupama rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nice one, but I liked the previous book better. Here, Mehrunnissa is already the Empress, and she enjoys all possible power. She appears a bit conceited at times, and too shrewd at times. She rises to the helm and then suddenly, everything goes wrong. You'll like reading the book for sure.

ISBN: 978-93-5029-209-9, Harper Collins Publishers

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Mar 27, 2009 Naida rated it 2 of 5 stars

UGGG this was horrid. Had to drag myself through it. The 1st book in the series - The 20th Wife was SO much better.

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Mar 10, 2009 Preeti rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, desi-authors, historical-fiction, india

Never judge a book by its cover. That is the oft-repeated mantra, which can be applied not just to literature, but to many other subjects.

In this case, even though I really wanted to read the book, the cover just blew me away. To me, it's a perfect representation of what the story is about: power, opulence, beauty, sensuality, and, above all, a need to step beyond the confines of a well-defined, though rather ill-fitting, role.

The woman on the cover is showing herself but only partially - her fa...more Never judge a book by its cover. That is the oft-repeated mantra, which can be applied not just to literature, but to many other subjects.

In this case, even though I really wanted to read the book, the cover just blew me away. To me, it's a perfect representation of what the story is about: power, opulence, beauty, sensuality, and, above all, a need to step beyond the confines of a well-defined, though rather ill-fitting, role.

The woman on the cover is showing herself but only partially - her face is still hidden. And that was how I saw Mehrunnisa.

I never really knew the stories of the Mughal empire. Growing up in the U.S., it was not exactly a subject given much, if any, gravity. So, I knew about the Taj Mahal and about Shah Jahan and his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, but not much beyond that. Then, I heard about The Twentieth Wife (the first in the two-book series) from Amulya Malladi's website. Intrigued, I read the first chapter online and was instantly hooked.

Both books follow Mehrunnisa, or, as she is more popularly known, Nur Jahan, throughout her life, from the unique circumstances of her birth through to her reign over the empire.

This books starts after Mehrunnisa arrives into the imperial zenana as Emperor Jahangir's twentieth wife. We follow her as she establishes her power over the Emperor and over his kingdom. We see how, as a friend so eloquently put it, her strength becomes her weakness, and eventually, her downfall; a strong, aggressive, cunning woman whose actions changed the course of history becomes a mere line in history books.

The imagery in this book is absolutely delicious. The lives of the royals: the majesty, the opulence, the splendor - all of it is depicted in vivid detail, allowing the reader to see it all, to actually be there. Oh, and the romance:

"He moved closer to Mehrunnisa's back and went to sleep. Heat hung inside the apartment, the punkah did little but spin the air around the room, but Jahangir could only close his eyes when some part of him was against her. They would each wake many times at night to find sweat thickly matted between their skins, but half-asleep they would wipe it away, find another position in which to lay their bodies, another place in which they made contact. An arm, a leg flung across, a shoulder lodged against a hip, even fingers touching, it did not matter, touch they had to."

Overall, this book was a much slower read compared to The Twentieth Wife. I think there was just a lot more to take in in this one.

Never having been a fan of historical fiction, these two books definitely changed my perception. It was interesting to learn about the treachery, the friendships forged, alliances broken, the campaigns, the wars, the tireless work of a ruler controlling a vast land.

I hope Indu Sundaresan writes more and I'm off to learn as much as I can about Nur Jahan.

Note: Although the author claims to have followed history very closely, there is some leeway she has allowed herself in constructing the story. Being a work of fiction, this artistic license is to be expected.(less)

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Aug 30, 2012 Marcy rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a glorious historically accurate account of the Mughal Empire in India! The author, Indu Sundaresan, exquisitely paints pictures in words of the settings in Agra and other places in India. She includes metaphors that I felt compelled to underline so I would not forget the beauty of her language.

This story is mainly about Mehrunnisa, the wife of Emperor Jahangir, Akbar’s son and fourth Emperor of Mughal India. In the past, it was a firm Mughal belief that a woman’s place was in the harem, be...more

What a glorious historically accurate account of the Mughal Empire in India! The author, Indu Sundaresan, exquisitely paints pictures in words of the settings in Agra and other places in India. She includes metaphors that I felt compelled to underline so I would not forget the beauty of her language.

This story is mainly about Mehrunnisa, the wife of Emperor Jahangir, Akbar’s son and fourth Emperor of Mughal India. In the past, it was a firm Mughal belief that a woman’s place was in the harem, behind the zenana walls to keep her dignity. Mehrunnisa, proving to all Mughals and people of the Indian Empire that she was every bit an equal to her husband, was given unprecedented power from Emperor Jahangir to receive petitions from the morning audience, as well as advise him. This was only the first freedom that Mehrunnisa achieved as the beloved wife of the emperor, early on in their marriage.

Many of the Indian people lost respect for their emperor, for tradition demanded that an Emperor alone should rule and be all powerful. This novel clearly shows, however, that Mahrunnisa’s control and power was uncontested as she had the Emperor’s full approval for all the decisions she made.

The one plan Mahrunnisa had, that would never come to fruition, was that she wanted her daughter Ladli, from a previous marriage, to marry Prince Khurram, Jahangirs’ third son. (That marriage would ensure that when Emperor Jahangir died, Prince Khurram would become emperor, and Mehrunnisa’s family would be firmly established during the Mughal rule).
Prince Khurram was already married to Mahrunnisa’s niece, Arjuman. He was madly in love with her and had no desire for any more marriages.

(Prince Khurram became known to be Shah Jahan and the Taj Mahal was the magnificent structure that had been erected in her memory after she gave birth to their fourteenth child).

This novel depicts Mahrunnisa’s plans for full control of the empire. It possesses all of the intrigue in the Mughal Empire to try and ensure the “timeline events” Mahrunnisa desired to occur. Sometimes Mehrunnisa won, sometimes she lost. She certainly gained enemies along the way. Mehrunnisa did stay in control of the Mughal Empire for sixteen years!
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical novel. The actual timeline events in history came alive for me. I could “see” the structures that the author described, inside and out, and learned the minute details of the events I learned about through other informative texts.

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Jan 08, 2011 Danna rated it 2 of 5 stars

This historical fiction saga of the Mughal empire is well-done, but epic in proportion. I was into the story and the real-life characters, but I found the reading slow and dense. Reading about Empress Nur Jahan was interesting, and I found myself rooting for her throughout the entirety of the novel. As usual, when reading historical fiction, I found myself wondering how much of each scene was based on fact or poetic license.
For the first time in my life, I actually took a break from a book. I wa...more

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Sep 18, 2009 Tara Chevrestt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: women-that-really-existed-fiction, historical-fiction, india

The Twentieth wife was better, in my opinion, but this novel, again about Empress Nur Jahan aka Nisa, was just as beautifully written with historical details, romance and courage. This novel follows Nisa's life after her marriage to the Emperor. The only thing I grew weary of was the stories, details and characters pertaining to the Portuguese and English trading, ships and treaties. That was dull. However, the court and zenana intrigue was abundant. I found Nisa's story incredibly sad despite t...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Linda Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

A very good sequel to The Twentieth Wife. The first book, The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan, is a must read prior to The Feast of Roses, although, both books could easily stand alone. Both are very detailed and in depth looks at life in ancient India. This book is every bit as breathtaking as the Twentieth Wife. The author, Indu Sundaresan, educates readers about ancient India all the while entertaining with page-turning happenings. The riches, power struggles, family fueds (with dire conseq...more A very good sequel to The Twentieth Wife. The first book, The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan, is a must read prior to The Feast of Roses, although, both books could easily stand alone. Both are very detailed and in depth looks at life in ancient India. This book is every bit as breathtaking as the Twentieth Wife. The author, Indu Sundaresan, educates readers about ancient India all the while entertaining with page-turning happenings. The riches, power struggles, family fueds (with dire consequences) and the way in which power and wealth is distributed is amazingly detailed. The way in which India dealt with England on issues of trade was captivating. This book deals with the betrothals, marriages and harems of royalty. Everything in their lives has a political spin to it. Fortunes can turn on a dime. In many ways, there is nothing new under the sun.

The author did research on 17th Century history of India for a thesis paper. The accounts are historical with some creative license taken to make the story congruent. Both books are love stories but so much more. Every sentence is flawlessly written and it is so beautifully done and so elegantly detailed that sometimes I would reread paragraphs and even start chapters over to savor the intelligence of the story. The Twentieth Wife should grab you right away as Mehrunnisa is born to poor parents in the dessert in a sand storm and is set out in a basket in her father's hopes that she be retrieved by someone more able to care for her. How her life unfolds is amazing and based on actual facts. The author does admit to filling in some blanks as the focus in those times was not to document women's lives, but the powerful men they served. Also, it is really Mehrunnissa's niece who is most highly honored as her husband constructs the Taj Mahal in India after her untimely death. The niece, not a centerpiece in the story, actually becomes empress following Mehrunnissa but is only empress for four years as she had 14 children and dies in childbirth. Even so, Mehrunnisa is in power for 16 years after clawing her way to the top and fighting all sorts of impossible circumstances and is much more powerful. She is so clever and deflects the most arduous attempts at bringing husband, Jahangir, and her empire down making few mistakes. If it seems there are spoilers in this review, rest assured there is so much more that will now go unsaid that you will not be disappointed by what has been said. I highly recommend both books. Take care, Linda(less)

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Apr 07, 2012 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was the perfect sequel (following The Twentieth Wife). The novel picks up exactly where the first left off making it a very easy transition form one book to the next. The way Sundaresan describes the Mughal Empire's riches is done in such a way that I could almost close my eyes and see it in front of me. The gardens were another one of Sundaresan's most vivid pictures that were painted through words. I also like the way she explains some of the etiquette of the imperial court. Her attention...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Rachana rated it 5 of 5 stars

The feast of roses portrays the life of Mehrunnisa (aka Nur Jahan) after she married Jahangir. The author has described how Mehrunnisa became the only person who Jahangir would trust with his life, his decisions and day to day work of the empire. She was the first woman to attend the Jharokha which was the primary means through which the Mughal emperor would interact with his subjects and was considered to have a sharp business acumen as well. She invested the proceeds from her jagirs in ships w...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Tania rated it 4 of 5 stars

“The Feast of Roses“ de Indu Sundaresan
Este libro es la segunda parte de “La Emperatriz tras el velo“ o en inglés “The Twentieth Wife“ y empieza después de que Mehrunnisa se casa con Jahangir. Al principio no es más que una esposa más pero poco a poco ella va adquiriendo poder. Ella aspira a ser la esposa número 1 o Padshah Begam, honor que ostenta Jagat Gosini, su peor enemiga. Poco a poco no solo ella logra que el emperador le traspase ese título sino que recibe el sello real lo cual le permi...more “The Feast of Roses“ de Indu Sundaresan
Este libro es la segunda parte de “La Emperatriz tras el velo“ o en inglés “The Twentieth Wife“ y empieza después de que Mehrunnisa se casa con Jahangir. Al principio no es más que una esposa más pero poco a poco ella va adquiriendo poder. Ella aspira a ser la esposa número 1 o Padshah Begam, honor que ostenta Jagat Gosini, su peor enemiga. Poco a poco no solo ella logra que el emperador le traspase ese título sino que recibe el sello real lo cual le permite publicar edictos reales y cogobernar con el emperador. En una sociedad cerrada y machista esto no es bien visto por los nobles por lo que ella se gana gran cantidad de enemigos. Entre ellos, a todas las mujeres del zenana o harem, los hijos del emperador y eventualmente su propio hermano. Al principio ella forma una “Junta“ con su hermano, su padre y el heredero al trono para tomar decisiones de gobierno. Pero al tiempo ésta deja de funcionar pues los hombres no se sienten bien acatando ordenes directamente de una mujer. Con los años Mehrunnisa trata de casar a su hija Ladli con Khurram pero este se ha casado con Arjumand, su sobrina, hija de Abul quién cela a Ladli y no quiere que su esposo la tome por esposa. Arjumand le dará 14 hijos y morirá dando a luz al último. Al morir Khurram le construirá un bellísimo mausoléo digno del amor que profesó por ella: el Taj Majal. Mehrunnisa termina casando a su hija con Shahryar otro de los hijos “buenos para nada“ de Jahangir. Ella complota para que este sea el que herede en línea directa el trono y genera un conflicto irreconciliable entre su esposo y Khurram, quién tiene que darse a la fuga y pedir asilo en el reino vecino. A la muerte de su padre este regresa a reclamar el trono, matándo a aquellos que puedan amenazar su derecho, entre ellos Shahryar y algunos primos. Mehrunnisa acaba sus días viviéndo bien pero despojada de todas las riquezas y poder del que gozó durante su matrimonio de 16 años con Jahangir.
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Dec 14, 2011 Mimi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nur Jahan the Queen of Mughal
Buku dua dari Trilogi Taj Mahal mengisahkan tentang Mehrunnisa yang (akhirnya) berhasil diperistri Sultan Jahangir (gelar bagi pangeran Salim setelah diangkat menjadi sultan). Bukan sebagai selir-seperti yang diminta permaisuri Jagat Gosini, istri pertama sang Sultan- namun sebagai istri ke20, sekaligus yang terakhir.
Disebut terakhir, karena sang Sultan kali ini menikah benar-benar karena cinta, bukan karena nafsu atau politik seperti sebelumnya. Tak heran Nur Jahan,...more

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May 04, 2012 Mansi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dear-writer-you-lost-the-plot

I read the first book - The Twentieth Wife - and loved it so much I planned to make my entire life revolve around Mughal life. I started living like a princess - which essentially means I am broke and I have no subjects. At this point, i picked up Feast of Roses which picks up from where the first book left off...funnily enough, the author decides that she has had enough of being nice to the central characters and makes them senile caricatures of themselves. Political ambition is briefly touched...more

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Aug 28, 2009 Stacy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

Honestly, I was bored a lot of the time while reading this book. The first one was fun and entertaining, with good character development. Well, the characters had already been developed, so the author had to rely more upon plot...and the plot was sorely lacking.

I really ended up disliking both Mehrunnisa and Khurram, and I felt sorry for Jagat Gosini (which irritated me, since she was so unlikable in the first one). There were way too many double-crosses...how did anyone trust anyone? Rather th...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Virginia Jacobs rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Feast of Roses was, unfortunately, not as good as The Twentieth Wife. Mehrunnisa is older now, and the emperor is madly in love with her. She is strong-willed and through the emperor manages to become his equal in ruling. But you never really understand why she wants that power, or what she does with it. Is she a just and fair ruler? Does she help the people of her country? Does she help empower other women? You never learn.

Then there's a whole section of Thomas Roe coming to India as a dipl...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Lesa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful story... beautifully told. It was a little slow toward the end, but still worthwhile. Loved reading about Nur Jahan, what an incredible woman for her time. Able to rule an empire while completely cloistered within the walls of the harem and "behind the veil."

PS. what is up with the author's foreshadowing in this second book? Actually, it's not even foreshadowing, there are no "hints" as to what may or may not happen next, the author comes right out and informs the reader what is going...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Uomo di Speranza rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ehhh

Arrogance. It's the fallibility many humans admit to, but not one can find the sense of. What is it that makes us want to conquer other humans? What is it that gives us an inherent need to make them feel inferior when, all in all, we will always be inferior ourselves? This exact phenomenon is the source of many tragedies throughout history, tragedies such as the ever-so-famous sinking of Titanic, the fall of Rome, the World Wars....actually, every war, when you think about it. The figure portray...more Arrogance. It's the fallibility many humans admit to, but not one can find the sense of. What is it that makes us want to conquer other humans? What is it that gives us an inherent need to make them feel inferior when, all in all, we will always be inferior ourselves? This exact phenomenon is the source of many tragedies throughout history, tragedies such as the ever-so-famous sinking of Titanic, the fall of Rome, the World Wars....actually, every war, when you think about it. The figure portraying how much life arrogance has stolen is a figure bordering on the ridiculous. You would think that, just maybe, we would learn. That humans would eventually have an epiphany of how this accursed phenomenon only leads to other accursed phenomena.

But we shall never. That is the sorry truth.

Let's start with some examples of this phenomenon in action from Indu Sundaresan's The Feast of Roses. Sundaresan's piece follows the many escapades of Empress Nur Jahan, who ruled the Mughal Empire (the richest Empire on Earth during the seventeenth century, nowadays located in Pakistan and India) in her husband's name for approximately eighteen years. She faced many trials throughout her period of prominence in the Empire, predominantly men who believed she was not worthy, and at times not capable, of wielding such power over the country. Such an issue made survival in the cut-throat environment of a royal court quite trying indeed, and just like Ms. Rachel Berry of Glee, Nur Jahan used ruthless techniques to prove those who doubted her utterly wrong. Very funny how power struggles continue to plague politically prominent people today. Why has it continued, asks the inquirer?

Let's progress with a law of evolution from our good friend, Charles Darwin-"Survival of the Fittest"

Darwin studied the evolution of animals, specifically finches on the Galapagos Islands (which sound like a pretty nice destination to get some work done indeed), and this was one of several laws concluded from his travels. Scientifically speaking, humans are indeed animals. We have evolved from intellectually inferior apes, and adapted to our world so well that the power alter it is in our very grasp, a power no other species on Earth possesses. But still animals. But still beasts. These rules of evolution, therefore, apply to us as well.

Since humans followed this law in a most primitive state, it is only natural that we followed them as the species became more complex. It is all we knew concerning how to live, and continues to be so-it is why we go to work each day (one cannot survive if he does not have the money to do so), why every song you hear on the radio these days has to do with break ups, make ups, or make-outs. In all honesty, the Mughal Imperial Court had quite a large resemblance to the animal kingdom-characters rose, fell, conspired, even killed each other to attain dominance over others; for if you have that dominance, you're that much more difficult to conquer. If you're more difficult to conquer, you're that much more likely to become immortal.(less)

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Dec 05, 2011 Neha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, kwench

A book with a word ‘rose’ in the title is so mushy, romantic, M&B types - something that I would never read. But then I have found some great books and authors through recommendations from friends. Now I can confidently say that this author is here to stay on my list to read. The hard work and perseverance of author Indu Sundaresan shines through the book. It’s a very long story and based on historical records, fables, and some just word of mouth. But building a story piece by piece requires...more A book with a word ‘rose’ in the title is so mushy, romantic, M&B types - something that I would never read. But then I have found some great books and authors through recommendations from friends. Now I can confidently say that this author is here to stay on my list to read. The hard work and perseverance of author Indu Sundaresan shines through the book. It’s a very long story and based on historical records, fables, and some just word of mouth. But building a story piece by piece requires a lot of imagination. Especially historical fiction has to be treated very carefully with a basic premise of being true in years and not in moments. As in we all know about the war but not the minor battles…

Indu unveils Mehrunissa slowly and gracefully, as a beautiful, intelligent and a thinking woman. An ordinary woman who achieves power, fame, wealth and success in a man dominated Muslim dynasty is quiet an aberration in itself. It wasn’t only her beauty but the brains which made Jahangir and the entire Mughal kingdom bow to her. She was more of a man than any other man in that Mughal era and actually running the show behind Jahangir. To make her presence felt and be the Kohinoor of the crown amongst 800 wives of Jahangir is quite a feat. She was a 30 year old widow with a child when she married Jahangir, displacing all the royal blood queens and mothers of future heirs to the crown. I believe if she delivered a son to Jahangir, Mehrunissa’s power and control would have been longer. She was the most powerful woman in India at that time – she could move armies, win wars, give away land and favours to ministers or British – anything she wanted.

The history text books in schools ignore her role in shaping history, but there is no denying that her influence and control over Jahangir actually defines the path of Muslim dynasty in India. The marriage of Shahjahan to Mumtaz Mehal (Mehrunissa’s niece), marrying her own daughter to Shah Jahan’s brother prompting him to kill his own brother for the throne, liaison with British for protection to Indian ships, all these things gave roots to Taj Mahal, Aurangzeb coming to rule after killing his brothers and British firming their foot hold on India. I keep wondering how beautiful she would have been for Jahangir to take a liking to her and then letting her get away with all his powers.. or was it that beauty just laid the foundation it was her intelligence and political mind which took her further. Like they say there is a woman behind every man’s success… I can’t judge whether Jahangir was success or failure but there was a woman behind him for sure.. and what a woman.. indeed…
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Jun 08, 2011 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: year-of-virtuous-reading

This is like the mascarpone cheesecake of books: incredibly rich, satisfying in even the smallest bite, but absolutely addictive. The sheer amount of historical and setting research made the historian in me happy in the heart -- so much detail, I could've taken a bath in it. The author manages not to turn it into either a headlong rush from one significant event to the next, or a patronizing anthropological study of an exotic time and place.

The main characters are all real people in Mughal India...more

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Apr 08, 2010 Jon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, favourites

I wondered if this would make it into the five star category by the end, along side my treasured reads, and the fact that ive just closed the last page and grieving a bit allready for Nur Jahan and my time spent engrossed in that historical era of Mughal India means it makes the grade. I read most of this book in Bali surrounded by lush gardens and foundtains and it was an ideal place to kick back and get immersed in the Zenana and its politcs. Being the second book, it was nice to allready have...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Indira Iljas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: india-s-novel

Dan sesungguhnya,
jika kamu kehilangan cinta sejatimu..
Itu semua karna kamu
Tak sungguh-sungguh pelihara
Dan menjaga cinta matimu.....

(Mulan Jameela-Cinta mati 2)

Potongan lagu di atas cocok untuk istri Sultan Jahangir, Ratu Jagat Gosini yang mati-matian menentang sang Sultan untuk memperistri Mehrunnisa. Meskipun restu tidak di dapat dari istri tua nya, Mehrunnisa akhirnya menjadi istri ke 20 bagi sang Sultan.
apa yang terjadi dengan jagat Gosini, begitu sang suami mengawini Mehrunnisa ?? menjadi s...more

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Jun 09, 2010 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-in-2010

The Feast of Roses made it to my to-read list because of a Goodreads giveaway. Even though I didn't win I'm thrilled that I found this book, as it was the best novel based on history I've read in a long time. Sundaresan brought to life characters I hadn't heard of before and it was fascinating to learn about the rituals of the royal court and zenna. This was a fantastic book that brings back to life an unfortunately forgotten Empress.

The greatest surprise for me was that this book was a sequel;...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Jane Glen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I did not realize that this was the sequel to The Twentieth Wife, which I read several years ago. I would have liked to have read them one after the other. This is outstanding historical fiction which follows the life of Mehrunnisa, wife of the emperor of the Mughal Empire in India. It is lush in its description, and shows a vivid picture of that time period and country. It is a political story as well as a love story, and is meticulously researched. I highly recommend this.

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Aug 05, 2011 Summer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-females

I didn't really enjoy the Feast of Roses as much as the Twenitieth Wife. This was much harder to get through, and I rarely walk away from a book and come back to it. The majority of the book were battles and treaties. I grew also to dislike the main character, Mehrunissa. She was a power hungry woman,and had an arrogance that grew and grew throughout the novel. It was actually quite deppressing. I understand that it is based on fact, but this book just didn't stand quite as well as the precusor....more

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Sep 04, 2010 Rebecca Huston rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 16th-century, historical-fiction, india

What can I say? I really wanted to like this book, but it just fell flat for me. The setting is wonderfully created, and the story is based in fact, two things that usually make a HF novel work for me, but this one was -- well, lifeless. I could not get into it at all, and when it ended, well, I was left wondering That's it?

Oh well.

For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_13323...

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May 24, 2009 Tas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-highly-recommended-ones

Judged by the cover, definitely not a book I would have picked out. My mom's friend has been recommended it for months now.
For the first Indo-Historical fiction that I've read, its very very good. Writing was concise but also with the kind of details that the Mughal lives demand and the conjugal love story of Jahangir and Nur Jahan was unexpected and excellently portrayed. I do wish I had read 'Twentieth Wife' first. I still might.

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Jun 19, 2011 Robyn Vines Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you read my review on prequel to this book, The Twentieth Wife, you'll know that I loved it. This book continues with the life of Mehrunnisa, eventual empress of the Mughal Dynasty and her rise from nothing to one of the most powerful rulers. It's beautifully written and glorious in its details. I would love to see a movie made from these books, just for the amazing palaces and clothing described in the books.

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Dec 07, 2008 Yvonne added it

This is the continuation of The Twentieth Wife (which is actually the haphazard courtship of the couple -- Marinisa, a commoner and Salim, the prince and then emperor).

Sundaresan narrates the marriage through the death of the emperor. Hard to put this one down, also.

I am hoping to read The Splendor of Silence by Sundaresan soon. I think it's set around WWII. I know it will be good.

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About Indu Sundaresan

Indu Sundaresan was born in India and grew up on Air Force bases all over the country. Her father, a fighter pilot, was also a storyteller—managing to keep his audiences captive and rapt with his flair for drama and timing. He got this from his father, Indu's grandfather, whose visits were always eagerly awaited. Indu's love of stories comes from both of them, from hearing their stories based on i...more

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