Perhaps not historically accurate, however, it is still a very touching story. I enjoyed reading through it, even if at some points I didn't find the text particularly catching (which led me to take long to finish it). ( )

In this book you will find unshakable love, loyalty, sadness, and betrayal. It is a fascinating read, I have heard about the story behind the meaning of the Taj Mahal and its incredibly romantic.I found myself totally immersed in this novel, i followed Jahanara's footsteps from a young princess into a brave and daring woman. Her wit and brilliance clearly made her one of my favorite characters. I recommend this book to those who like historical/fictional stories. ( )

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. ( )