Indu Sundaresan

The story of Mehrunnisa, the daughter of servents who became the an empresses of the Mughal empire.

A Novel

The Twentieth Wife

The Twentieth Wife tells the story of Mehrunnisa, who is one day set to become empress of the Mughal Empire of India. The entire book sets the reader up for...the next book, where I believe her story really begins. I went into this book thinking Mehrunnisa was the main character and main focus, but this story is told on a much more epic scale. Prince Salim has just as much, if not more, page-time in this book than Mehrunnisa. This novel was also filled with more intrigue than romance. And it was fun to read; I was just expecting a love story filled with more passion. I expect the second installment should have that. 

This book has fascinating characters in a lush setting, though I felt Mehrunnisa was almost the least compelling element, as we don't really get to know her. It's not told in first person. There's so much gossip among the women of the harem about how Mehrunnisa has almost bewitched the Emperor. No one can figure out why he's so enamored with her --- including the reader. I felt of all the characters, I came away from this book knowing Mehrunnisa the least. She is beautiful, and that's almost as much depth as she's given here. 

Speaking of depth, I found the language of this book to also be surface-level. Yes, there was some beautiful descriptive imagery and flowery language, but I felt the majority of the structure consisted of short, simple sentences. These made the book easy to read, but yet it also felt almost too simple. This lack of depth and compound sentences almost made it seem like a child could have written this. 

This book has a very slow build up to the main point (the romance) but a lot of interesting things happen in the meantime, with lots of travel, adventure and court plots and conspiracies. I think this could have been marketed differently, as my expectations were not entirely met based on what I thought this book would be about. The most interesting part of Mehrunnisa's story seems like it will start in the next book, but I'm afraid I'm not that invested yet that I have to read it right away. 

I did appreciate the map and glossary; these elements really added to my understanding, and enjoyment, of the book.

Amanda

3.5 stars

The Twentieth Wife tells the story of Mehrunnisa, who is one day set to become empress of the Mughal Empire of India. The entire book sets the reader up for...the next book, where I believe her story really begins. I went into this book thinking Mehrunnisa was the main character and main focus, but this story is told on a much more epic scale. Prince Salim has just as much, if not more, page-time in this book than Mehrunnisa. This novel was also filled with more intrigue than romance. And it was fun to read; I was just expecting a love story filled with more passion. I expect the second installment should have that. 

This book has fascinating characters in a lush setting, though I felt Mehrunnisa was almost the least compelling element, as we don't really get to know her. It's not told in first person. There's so much gossip among the women of the harem about how Mehrunnisa has almost bewitched the Emperor. No one can figure out why he's so enamored with her --- including the reader. I felt of all the characters, I came away from this book knowing Mehrunnisa the least. She is beautiful, and that's almost as much depth as she's given here. 

Speaking of depth, I found the language of this book to also be surface-level. Yes, there was some beautiful descriptive imagery and flowery language, but I felt the majority of the structure consisted of short, simple sentences. These made the book easy to read, but yet it also felt almost too simple. This lack of depth and compound sentences almost made it seem like a child could have written this. 

This book has a very slow build up to the main point (the romance) but a lot of interesting things happen in the meantime, with lots of travel, adventure and court plots and conspiracies. I think this could have been marketed differently, as my expectations were not entirely met based on what I thought this book would be about. The most interesting part of Mehrunnisa's story seems like it will start in the next book, but I'm afraid I'm not that invested yet that I have to read it right away. 

I did appreciate the map and glossary; these elements really added to my understanding, and enjoyment, of the book.

Jennifer McNeil

I couldn't put this book down! The settings are lush, the characters are well developed, and the story sucks you in. Any fans of historical fiction will appreciate this book.

Swasti Ramadhin

Absolutely loved this book! It was beautifully written and I could hardly put it down. I loved that the book is based on facts and that Sundaresan worked from there. Can't wait to read the next 2 in the series.

The Twentieth Wife A Novel

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