Shadow Princess

Details, details, details... This book is so full of details―of the buildings, of the dresses, of the food, of the trees and flowers and birds of the numerous gardens―that the actual story seems smothered by the details. This concluding part of the Taj trilogy chronicles the life of Jahanara, the eldest daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan, who comes to power after her mother dies in childbirth. It also describes, in sometimes exasperating detail, the construction of Taj Mahal, the Luminous Tomb. This novel is quite an absorbing read, presenting a somewhat different picture of princes Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb. I liked the way Jahanara's character has been built, but was disappointed that the story ended long before her life did, for it show more would have been interesting to know how she lived in the harem of Aurangzeb, the brother she didn't love. This disappointment and the overwhelming detailing have me giving 3.5 stars to this finale of a quite satisfactory series. show less

I read about one-half of this book before I put it down, which is a shame, really, since I consider Sundaresan's other two feats (Feast of Roses and The Twentieth Wife) among two of my favorite historical novels. What happened? The backdrop for this novel is perfect, as the focus is on Mumtaz's daughters and the aftermath of her death and subsequent building of the Taj Mahal - a subject covered frequently, yes, but I trusted Sundaresan to breathe new life into the well-plowed field. However, what ultimately came about was more history than plot. Entire paragraphs read like history textbooks and succeeded in curing my insomnia instead of keeping me up into the hours of the early morning as I had hoped. In frustration, I slammed the book show more shut, disappointed I had paid for the hardcover instead of waiting to check it out from the library. If I were you, I would wait to check it out for the library if you are intent on reading this. show less

Reading this book has been like watching Taj Mahal float a few meters above ground in silvery moon light.

ove the way Sundaresan told the story in this book.She did it in such a way that I found my self transported back to the Century and the characters life. It made me what to keep reading.

Aurangzeb, the middle son of the family, soon became my favorite character.I like him because he is pretty much the outsider of the bunch. No one seems to like him all the much, and yet he still remained a strong. His love for his sister was great, but a lot of the things that he did made me angry.

Then there is Jahanara, the oldest of the daughters. She was loved by almost everyone, The favorite Child. She had everything she could want, but she didn't have a companion, a husband. I hate and love or at the same time. I hated some of the discussion she show more makes, but i love how She will become different then most princess. She thinks different that is.

The book took place in the Sixteenth century India.
overall i liked this book, it was a little slow for me to get into it a first but after about couple of chapters i hit the spot and just kept reading form there and could not put it down. It did not really have the wow factor but it was not horrible so i say give it a try if you like Historicity base books. show less

The concept and reality of royalty is beyond bonkers. The spectrum of human achievement is fascinating. I now need to witness the Taj Mahal and its inspiration up the Yamuna.

Enjoyable, but not exactly historical.

17 de junio de 1631. La bella Aryumand ha muerto al dar a luz. A su lado, la lloran su marido, el emperador mogol Sha Yahan, y la hija mayor de ambos, la princesa Yahanara.
Con sólo diecisiete años, Yahanara debe asumir las responsabilidades de una emperatriz sin serlo: acompañar a su padre en el duelo, tomar las riendas del harén, administrar las enormes riquezas de su madre y atemperar los ánimos de sus hermanos, que prepararán la sucesión cada uno por su cuenta.
Una sola cosa alegra los días de Yahanara: las atenciones que le depara el apuesto Nayabat Jan. Sin embargo, hay quien, aconsejado por las malas lenguas, no ve con buenos ojos su relación con este noble venido del norte, porque ella debe gobernar en la sombra mientras show more Sha Yahan dedica su tiempo y los recursos de su imperio a construir el mayor homenaje al amor de la historia de la humanidad, el Taj Mahal. show less