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The Twentieth Wife [Jan 01, 2012] Sundaresan, Indu - Softcover

 
9789350292105: The Twentieth Wife [Jan 01, 2012] Sundaresan, Indu
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Language: EnglishPages: 384 (throughout B/W Illustrations)About The BookMehrunnisa - the Sun of Women - one of India's most legendary and controversial empresses... a woman who overcame insurmountable obstacles through sheer brilliance and determination ... whose love shaped the course of the Mughal Empire. She is the twentieth wife.The daughter of refugees from Persia, growing up on the fringes of Emperor Akbars opulent palace grounds, Mehrunnisa first encounters Prince Salim on his wedding day. Eight years old at the time, she decides she too will one day become Salirn's wife - unaware of the great price she and her family will pay for this dream.Skilfully blending the textures of history with the rich imaginings of a fairy tale, The Twentieth Wife sweeps readers up in the emotional pageant of Salim and Mehrunnisas embattled love. From an ill-fated first marriage through motherhood and into a dangerous maze of power strugg

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Review:
In The Twentieth Wife, first-time novelist Indu Sundaresan introduces readers to life inside a bejeweled, dazzling birdcage--the world of the Mughal Court's zenana, or imperial harem. Her heroine exercises power in the only way available to a woman in 17th-century India: from behind the veil. At the age of 8, Mehrunissa (the name means "Sun of Women") has already settled on her life's goal. After just one glimpse of his face, she wants to marry the Crown Prince Salim. And marry him she does, albeit some 26 years later, after overcoming the opposition of her family, an ill-starred early marriage, numerous miscarriages, and the scheming of other wives.

The story's gothic trappings have a basis in fact. As Sundaresan writes in her afterword, the historical Mehrunissa exercised far more power than was usually allotted to an empress, issuing coins in her own name, giving orders, trading, owning property, and patronizing the arts. (Curiously, the book ends just as Mehrunissa is ascending to the throne as empress, dwelling on her years of powerlessness and struggle rather than those of her enormous political influence.) Although the empress was fabled in her time, we know next to nothing about the woman herself. Unfortunately, Sundaresan does little to flesh out this intriguing figure. Despite the vivid historical detail, the reader remains more aware of the author's presence--and her own contemporary take on women's issues--than of her characters' inner lives. --Mary Park

About the Author:

Indu Sundaresan was born in India to a long line of storytellers. After an undergraduate degree in economics, she came to the United States for graduate school at the University of Delaware, where her passion for writing soon took over. Her first novel, The Twentieth Wife, was awarded the 2003 Washington State Book Award.

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  • PublisherHarper Collins India
  • Publication date2012
  • ISBN 10 9350292106
  • ISBN 13 9789350292105
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages384
  • Rating

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Sundaresan Indu
Published by Harper Collins Publishers (2012)
ISBN 10: 9350292106 ISBN 13: 9789350292105
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