The Feast of Roses: A Novel

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.

Everything I praised about the first book, didn't happen in this one. In the twentieth wife book, the pages weren't padded with filler junk. This book went on and on describing curry dishes, clothin , etc., but ignored more important information. She describes a royal caravan, which takes practically the whole city with it and is so long that takes 8 hours to pass, by but doesn't explain how they eat, travel and sleep if you are not important. Slaves, servants and a ton of others have to serve the court. This writer pulls armies out of the air! Command awarded right and left and given tens of thousands of soldiers. Twelve thousand soldiers riding hard for days and she writes that they changed horses only once. Really? Twelve thousand horses are just hanging around waiting to be swapped out. What about dinner for 12K?Jhangir was easily manipulated. From his friends and then Mehrunnisa. The first book told such a good story but that love so sweet got selfish and greedy. The emperor and empress didn't care about the empire. Jhangir thought he did because it was bred into him but he would have never given such a greedy, vicious woman control of he cared. The book X-Ray said Mehrunnisa did for charity but this author made her out as horrid. My kindle X-Ray also said Jhangir was famous for a illicit affair with courtesan Anarkali. Also the contradictions have me whiplash. I was left scratching my head in every chapter. Backtracking continuously and retelling parts of the previous book. I had noted some of the contradictions until they became frequent.

Though not quite as amazing as The Twentieth Wife, The Feast of Roses was still a magnificent look into the Mughal empire and the continuing story of the main character met in the first book. This is a worthy continuation of the earlier story and was powerful. Indu Sundaresan is a master of capturing minute details that in the hands of other authors might trivialize or overburden the work. But somehow, she instead uses all that detail to paint such a vivid picture that you feel you are there! I loved this book and strangely have reread it several times. I very highly recommend this author and book, but do yourself a favor. If you haven't read The Twentieth Wife, get it and read it FIRST before getting this book. You'll appreciate having all the backstory knowledge even though it isn't necessary to enjoy Feast of Roses.Side note: You'll also love having a more in depth knowledge of the history of the Taj Mahal after having read this amazing book. I'm giving it only four stars because, while excellent, it falls SLIGHTLY short of the "OMG" factor that the first book contained.

The Twentieth wife was better, in my opinion, but this novel, again about Empress Nur Jahan aka Nisa, was just as beautifully written with historical details, romance and courage. This novel follows Nisa's life after her marriage to the Emperor. The only thing I grew weary of was the stories, details and characters pertaining to the Portuguese and English trading, ships and treaties. That was dull. However, the court and zenana intrigue was abundant. I found Nisa's story incredibly sad despite the wealth and power she was able to yield during her reign. She could not trust even her own brother. I also find it a shame that there was no other empress like her for a long time after, if ever. Beginning with Arjumand, Mehrinnisa's niece, the empresses were content to be quiet and hide behind their veils once again. Thus, Mehrinnisa was incredibly brave. She is a heroine I will not forget. I have enjoyed reading about her life. Indu has done a terrific job. I am sorry I have completed the Nur Jahan novels. Hate to see it end.

How someone can change when power and might are in their hands. Changing from a beautiful, caring and gracious lady to a powerful Tigress. Good follow up from the Shadow princess. A must read both books.

Came on time and in fairly good condition. Looking forward to a good read in summer. Writer has good reputation

nice book

Read it!

A Rich Royal experience