Beneath a Marble Sky: A Love Story

*An Evocative and Intoxicating Debut*
If there was a 12 star rating, I'd give it that and then some. This debut deserves all the stars in the heavens and more. Truly this is a wonderful, evocative tale of the wonderous building of one of the world's most crowning architectural achievements. I learned so much while reading this book, the history of India and it's culture, of it's people and their beliefs, and learned so much about the Taj Mahal that I never realized or knew before. The author should be highly proud of this first achievement, his writing is so beautiful and full of talent. Each word, each phrase, like poetry and I found myself reading passages over and over they were so well crafted. I really felt I was there in India, I show more could smell the spices, feel the desert sand, hear the jingling bells on the feet of sari swathed beautiful women, one can feel the cool smooth marble that built the majestic tomb that hold the Emperor's wife. Never have I read such a magnificent historical novel that left me mesmerized and telling all my friends to go buy a copy. Don't miss this story, you won't forget it for a long time. show less

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, show more 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. show less

After really enjoying Shors' Temple of a Thousand Faces, the ficionalized, but well researched story of Cambodia's Ankhor Wat, I have wanted to read this book about the Taj Mahal. It did not disappoint. The story is told by the clever Princess Jahanara, eldest daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan and his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, describing the treacherous battle for succession in India, her loveless politically-arranged marriage, and her falling in love with the architect of the mausoleum for her deceased mother. Their faithful eunuch servant and her closest female friend are strong characters and great allies. The religious tension between the ruling Muslims and the majority Hindus was well handled, but introduced late, in my opinion.

Set during the 17th century, Shors' novel tells the story of the heartbroken emperor who has the Taj Mahal built in memory of his deceased wife. His brave daughter Jahanara tells the story of their family, which includes her love affair with the Taj Mahal's brilliant architect, Isa. It also discusses the family rivalries between her scholarly oldest brother and her power-hungry, evil brother.

I might not have ever picked it up if my book club hadn't chosen it. I knew very little about the building of the Taj Mahal before reading it and was fascinated to learn about the culture and traditions of the people responsible for the beautiful building. There are moments that feel melodramatic, but at the same time, the stakes are high. I liked show more that the novel spans such a long period of time. Jahanara and Isa's love has to withstand years of turbulent challenges, which strengthens it and proves it's not a fling.

I loved the character of Jahanara, though I was occasionally frustrated by the choices she made. Regardless of the decisions she made, she still showed a courage that is admirable, especially considering the times. Her dear friend and companion, a eunuch, was another wonderful character. He is loyal to the end, showing an unbelievable devotion.

The book tackles the building of an icon, a love affair, persecution of women, religious fanaticism and family feuds, which is a lot for a novel. Shors doesn't over reach his ability though and the book is a fast-paced read. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoy historical fiction with a great story. show less

Enjoyed this book greatly. It transported me entirely to a different time and culture and was enjoyably easy to read and get lost in the story, passion and drama.

John Shors must have wrote this inviting book with much love. This is a highly fictionalized story of the building the Taj Mahal in 17th century Hindustan told by Princess Jahanara.

I tip my hat to the man because it did feel like a woman wrote the book because it did at times feel like a romance novel .... with a good smattering of bloody and violent scenes to keep it out of the romance section.

It was the men in the story I found a little over-legendary to the point of being flat... like Jahanara's evil brother and uncouth husband. Nizam and especially Ladli were wonderful (the author seemed to have a lot of fun with the snarky Ladli).

At the end of the book, the author offered to personally speak to any book club who read his book. I show more wondered if anyone took him off on his offer?

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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 show more 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. show less