About this title: This "passionate, lush, and dramatic" (Sandra Gulland) debut novel reveals the story behind the building of the Taj Mahal and the destruction of a royal family.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: New American Library
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780451218469ISBN:0451218469
Description: Very Good. This book is in very good to fine condition. The binding is tight and pages are clean. The cover has bumps and scuffs. There is no creasing on the spine. read more
Edition: First Thus, Second Printing
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: New American Library, New York
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780451218469ISBN:0451218469
Description: Fine. No Jacket, as Issued. Collectible. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Signed by Author Highly-praised debut novel set in 17th Century Hindustan recounts the story of the building of the Taj Mahal and of life in the royal family of the time. Fresh new copy, signed by the author on the title page. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: NAL Trade
Date Published: 2006-06-06
ISBN-13:9780451218469ISBN:0451218469
Description: Good. Paperback. General paperback wear, bends in spine, possible bends from reading on the cover, and may have a bookstore stamp inside cover. Quick response! read more
Binding: paper back
Publisher: New American Library, New York
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780451218469ISBN:0451218469
Description: Like New. Like new condition paperback, cover has minimal shelf wear, pages are clean with no markings or tears, tight binding, overall very nice book. 390 pgs. read more
Description: Paperback Book is in Good condition: clean cover, clean pages (no text markings), clean page edges (no remainder mark). Some wear to cover edges. Ships with bar coded label for faster delivery! read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group Usa
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780451218469ISBN:0451218469
Description: New. This "passionate, lush, and dramatic" (Sandra Gulland) debut novel reveals the story behind the building of the Taj Mahal and the destruction of a royal family. read more
"Terrific novel. I loved it. Well written and suprisingly, by a dude. Shors does a terrific job writing from a female viewpoint. The novel follows the life of Jahanara, the daughter of the great emperor who built the Taj Mahal. Very detailed about her immediate family and the tragedies that befell them. She leads a life full of great pain and misery with little bursts of joy here and there and finally, when you think no end is in sight, her dreams come true. The love between her and the architect was amazingly enduring. Truly a rare kind of love not found in real life. It was not, however, so romantic as to be cheesy. I feel it was lacking a few details though. For example, We know Jahanara's mother had a total of 14 children, but only 5 are in this book. We have no idea what became of the other 9. And some more detail about the emperors other wives and children would have been interesting. Considering emperors had many wives and children, I find it hard to believe all his attention was on this particular wife and 5 children all the time. I would like to add that more detail about architecture would make the book too dull. Thought that it was the right amount in that aspect as well. I will be ordering more by this author."
"I loved this book. It read like a movie in my head, it had a little bit of romance, history, drama, and suspense. My book club was fascinated by the way the author could write from such a different point of view. Everyone I know who has read this book has loved it, and the author is from Boulder, right down the street!"
"I don't really feel like I can rate this book because I didn't finish it. I was excited to read it and was totally disappointed.
The story should have been really intriguing. It should have been fun to read about the building of the Taj Mahal but it wasn't. The characters were really flat and the plot too predictable to be interesting. The thing that bothered me the most was that it was completely unbelievable. The main characters were way WAY too progressive for Muslim royalty in the 1600's in Hindustan. They would even be considered liberal by today's western standards.
And worst of all, it wasn't much of a love story. After a few chance meetings the main character and love interest are desperately in love with each other for no apparent reason. What kind of a love story is that?
I read more than half of it but didn't finish it. Maybe it gets better and everything is redeemed but I wasn't interested enough to find out."
"I have long been fascinated by the Taj Mahal. It is truly an architectural marvel, and I dream of visiting it one day. Beneath a Marble Sky is fiction, so I am unsure of how much of its depiction of either the construction of the Taj Mahal or Indian culture is authentic, but the book did increase my admiration for this amazing building. Also, it is just a really good book!
Beneath a Marble Sky is a love story, as well as a family saga. The story is told by Princess Jahanara, my favorite kind of heroine, a feisty and brave beauty who is anything but content to be simply an ornament. After the death of her beautiful mother, Jahanara's father commissions the creation of the Taj Mahal to honor her memory and comfort his broken heart. While Jahanara finds love unexpectedly with the architect of the Taj Mahal, her brothers Dara and Aurangzeb begin to tear the country apart as the religious tensions of Muslim and Hindu begin to escalate. Jahanara is forced to choose sides, and soon finds herself facing not only imprisonment, but death as she seeks to save those who are dearest to her.
I really enjoyed this book. It is full of action, unexpected plot twists, court intrigue, and some romantic moments. While I loved Jahanara's strong character, for me it was also at times a weak point in the novel, as I found myself wondering if her actions were plausible in her time and culture. Eventually, I decided I didn't care as the book would have been less enjoyable without her. I also appreciated that the romantic scenes are more innuendo than outright description. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is both a fun and interesting read."
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