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Mehrunnisa soon becomes the most powerful woman in the Mughal Empire in spite of a formidable rival in the imperial harem who has schemed and plotted against her from the start. She rules from behind the veil, securing her status by forming a junta of sorts with her father, brother, and stepson -- and risking it all, even her daughter, to get what she wants. But she never loses the love of the man who bestows this power upon her....

Average Customer Rating:

great book...excellent seller	Customer Rating:
Item arrived in great condition and as described. Would definitely buy from this seller again. Thank you.

More of a general review on her 3 books

Customer Rating:

"The midday sun whitened the city of Lahore to a bright haze. Normally, the streets would be deserted at this time of the day, but today the Moti bazaar was packed with a slowly moving throng of humanity. The crowds deftly maneuvered around a placid cow lounging in the center of the narrow street, her jaw moving rhythmically as she digested her morning meal of grass and hay". This is how she begins her books.... painting a clear picture for you to not just see, but even be a part of. I've read three of her books, The Twentieth Wife: A Novel, The Feast of Roses: A Novel and The Splendor of Silence: A Novel and Indu Sundaresan keeps me wanting for more. Her books are historical, romantic, thrilling, captivating and much more. I don't know a clear category or genre that her books could fit in because there's a lot her books do. They gave me a history lesson and motivated me to read and research more about the Mughal Empire and India's freedom struggle. They made me nostalgic as I could feel India all around me as I read those descriptive lines that talked about the intricacies of architecture, the finesse of attire, the aroma of several delicacies, the colors of a blooming garden, the smell of the first rain... oh! the list is too long! Her books work like a time machine taking you back to that mystical era gone by. Indu Sundaresan introduces you to each of her characters with such ease that after it all you feel like you personally know all of them. It's amazing how she makes you feel for each of them. You can grow to like or dislike these people just the way you would in real life. It's amazing how she portrays certain delicate relationships and makes you feel anxious as she builds around them a whole plethora of directly or indirectly effected events. Her vivid books brought about all kinds of emotions in me..... happiness, anxiety, pride, disgust, amazement, hope and everything else you can possibly think of. I think the stories she tells are well rounded and provide a very fulfilling read. Absolutely love her books and can't wait for her next one!

embarassingly bad

Customer Rating:

If you are reading this, don't waste time with this book. It is poorly written, with endless repetitions and contradictions every 2nd sentence. I had been both aggravated and embarrased by the quality of her first book " The Twentieth Wife" ( see amazon review) and had vowed not to read this. But this morbid curiosity overtook me and I wanted to see if this book was as bad as that. And my curiosity was satisfied. It was the same as the first. I guess with some authors, as long as the book rakes it in, it is a success. Some of us however, read books to enjoy them and this level ( or lack of ) writing is difficult to swallow - specially on a historical topic of immense power and beauty. At the end of the day, the part that, once again, upsets me is her use of ZENANA and HAREM as if they are one and the same thing. For such basic blatant mistakes, she would have to have a very superior style to carry the book forward. Sadly, the combination of an annoyingly repetitous style with erronous language and facts and hardly any thought content, even history cannot save this book.

Tami Abdullah	Customer Rating:
A wonderful book. It is hard to put down. Indu is a magnificent writer.

Seductive and intelligent

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Sundaresan is talented in her craft. She completely seduces the reader with vividly intense writing. She is artful in explaining customs and traditions without being condescending. The reader is enchanted by her storyline of a strong willed woman from tenuous circumstances and follows her like a waft of smoke through Mehrunnisa's path. The love story is universal, and everyone can relate to the desire and longing for both life and love that the main character pursues, in this case, in the second half of her life. This sequel follows the character and the challenges she continues to face. She is so well created, that we grow to love her, knowing her flaws and admiring her strengths. Immediately upon finishing the first book, I hunted down this sequel, which was as richly fulfilling as the first book was. I found myself reading the book by this author at every spare moment.