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. ( )

If you enjoyed The Twentieth Wife or The Feast of Roses, you’ll love Beneath a Marble Sky.

There was plenty of sorrow, death, horror and action packed into the book, but in the end everything turned out okay for the most favorite characters. What I find interesting is that the reality of Mughal court life was much more scheming and full of more backstabbing and plotting than most fictional books can come up with, this book included. Keep in mind that the only things really factual about this book is that these people existed. That’s about it. In reality, Jahanara, as a Mughal princess, was not allowed to get married. So her terribly abusive, fictional husband never existed. If you’re into romance or historical fiction, you should give it a try. It’s definitely a page turner and a fast read ( )

In Beneath a Marble Sky, author John Shors abandons what appear to be undisputed facts about the Taj Mahal, Mughal India, and its Imperial family in order to tell the kind of story we wants to tell. In the true story, there's plenty of potential for drama and no doubt enough holes in the history for Shors to find plenty of scope for the imagination. The possibility of a romance involving Princess Jahanara and the architect who built the Taj is the kind of thing that, even if unlikely, would probably be difficult to contradict absolutely, so building a story around that possibility seems like a fine choice for Shors. But to contradict known history to make that love story more dramatic is irresponsible. For example, as far as I can tell, it's known that Jahanara didn't marry, but placing Jahanara in a loveless, brutal marriage ups the risk of the romance with Isa the architect, so that's what Shors does, and he does it without even giving a nod to the fact that this goes against the known facts.

Even more irritating is how the people involved are all either wholly good and honorable or wholly evil, and good usually means having modern enlightened values. Of course all of the good guys would set their slaves free at the first possible opportunity, although they are such good people that the slaves refuse to leave their service (convenient, huh?). And of course the bad guys beat every woman they see and hate everyone whose beliefs are different. In Shors's version of Hindustan, there are no shades of grey at all. In reality, the situation was no doubt more complex; it would have to be what with it involving real people and not the cardboard cutouts Shors gives us. Is a story in which Jahanara eventually serves as first lady to her despotic brother Aurangzeb too difficult for Shors to tell? Did he not even bother to find out that little piece of history?

Of course, some readers may not give two figs about historical accuracy, but even if this book were accurate, I wouldn't have found it satisfying, except perhaps as a guilty pleasure. It's not particularly artfully done, and it's very predictable, but if you're itching for some dramatic romance that doesn't require much thought, this might do the job.

See my complete review at my blog. ( )

This story is about Princess Jahanara, Isa the architect, the emporor and his wife and finally how the emperor's children bring down an empire. The theme overriding all these people and their stories is love. We discover why the Taj Majhal was built. We are taken into 17th century Hindustan for the battle and horror of war.

The action is fast paced, the descriptions are accurate, I could smell the spices in the marketplace and feel the sand in my throat when they traveled on horseback.. It is a love story while being so much more.

This story gets the big thumbs up. ( )

This book is set in 17th century Hindustan & shows us the story of how the Taj Mahal came into being.

The Taj Mahal is an act of love - true wonderful, all encompassing love. Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Arjumand after she departed his life, while trying to give birth to their last child. Neither of which made it.

This story, told from their daughter's voice, Princess Jahanara, is a compelling read of historical fiction. Jahanara tells us the mesmorizing tale of her parents, as well as her parallel story of her own forbidden love with the architect of the Taj Mahal.

Rich with history made interesting, showing us how wars went about, some stratagey as well, the impressive wealth, action & intrigue, all during a time & place that we beg the author to lead us deeper into.

John Shors does a very impressive job of telling this tale from a female voice as well, harder I am sure due to the fact that it is a different religion & way of life than any we can expereience now. John reminds us in the readers guide, that the Taj Mahal is meant to be appreciated from the inside, as well as for the outside. Most people view it from afar & see it's beauty, but inside....made from all marble, inset with jewels is another beauty all its own. The Emperor was laid to rest here as well, when he died years later.

If you are looking for a great book to read, that will draw you in & make you want it to last longer.....check out this book from your library, or www.paperbackswap.com, or even just pick it up at a Barnes & Nobel.

This book is on my short list of favorites. I will read it again, and again. ( )