The Feast of Roses

Set in 17th Century India, this sequel to The Twentieth Wife continues the story of Mehrunnisa, the beloved wife of the Emperor. It tells the tale of her power and how she manages to actively participate in a man's world. She's very political as well as beautiful and it helps that her husband adores her. This was a world where the Emperor and his court had everything. Precious jewels decorated garments and furniture. There were lavish gardens and fabulous food. (They even ate sherbet made from ice that was carried down from the mountains.) There were hundreds of women in the Emperor's harem, each one wanting to give him a son. As only one son could become emperor, these young men competed with each other and also with their father. Their lives were about combat, death or cruel punishment. Mehrunnisa had no sons, only a daughter from a former marriage. She therefore had to make choices as to who to support. Mostly, she was smart and made wise choices. But her political ambitions grew too large. Eventually, things changed. I enjoyed this sequel as I had enjoyed its predecessor. It was really a pleasure to read about Mehrunnisa's life as a mature woman who thrived so well in a man's world. Her husband counted on her for everything and she was really the power behind the throne. Of course, as I read the book I was also completely turned off by the excesses. These people at court led lives of splendor while the rest of their country starved. Women could become part of the harem and lead a life of luxury. But if a man wasn't born into the right family, there was no hope for him. The wars were deadly. As many as 2000 or more men would be killed in a single battle between competing brothers. And yet I was caught up in the story and the authentic historical details. Later, Mehrunnisa's niece became the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built and she was the one who will be remembered from that period of time. But as this book clearly points out, the woman with the political clout was really Mehrunnisa. The Feast of Roses is fine story well told. I was swept up in it. Read it for what it is and enjoy.

FEAST OF ROSES is beautifully written. Sundaresan has done a memorable job evoking the sumptuous Mughal Empire with her descriptions. The "chess scene" is one of my favorites.

And make sure you send everyone away on a weekend trip before you start reading this book so you don't have to be distracted by cooking, cleaning, entertaining and all that stuff.

Sundaresan's first book, The Twentieth Wife, showed her to be a writer capable of carrying a reader to another time. Her new book, The Feast of Roses, not only takes me again to that time, but reveals Sundaresan's writing skills to be even stronger. The prose is even more lyrical, the characters well developed, the plot suspenseful. A great read.

"The Feast of Roses" was a truly captivating novel filled with royal intrigue, love, passion and the mysterious world of seventeenth century India. It is definately a book for those who love history, romance and literature. Ms. Sundaresan's description of the love story between Emperor Jahangir and Mehrunissa, (known in history as Nur Jahan) keeps the reader wanting to know more and more as the book goes on. The novel is filled with colorful descriptions of the palaces, people and the time they lived in as well as capturing the human nature of each character. A great book to read no matter what kind of day!!! Two thumbs up!!!!!!