The Twentieth Wife / Summary

Author: Indu Sundaresan

Subject: Meticulously researched and steeped in history, The Twentieth Wife is an intimate glimpse into 17th Century India, and the imperial Mughal harem, where women wielded a hidden power with the skill of astute diplomats, and one of Emperor Jahangir’s wives fought to keep Mehrunnisa out of the zenana and Jahangir’s affections.

Type: Novel, Historical Fiction, Romance Novel, Biography Fiction

Characters : Mehrunnisa,Emperor Akbar, his first wife, Ruqayya, will raise her, Ruqayya, Jahangir, Ali Quli,

Summary

The thing about historical fiction is its power to take us back in time.The Twentieth Wife takes the reader on a journey through Mughal India during the reign of emperors Akbar and Jahangir. It is the story of the enigmatic Nur Jahan, the twentieth and favorite wife of Emperor Jahangir a woman whose brilliance and determination overcame countless obstacles and whose love shaped the course of the Mughal empire.

Nur Jahan was born in 1577 as the daughter of Iranian refugees fleeing persecution in Iran. Mehrunissa was Decried as the sun among women.Growing up on the fringes of Emperor Akbar’s opulent palace grounds, Mehrunissa transcends the boundaries of her family’s station to grow into a beautiful girl blessed with intelligence and a burning ambition.Mehrunissa first meets the young Prince Salim on her wedding day.At that moment he falls in love with her and foresees the path of his own fate. She is eight years old but decides on uncompromising bail that one day she will marry Salim.

The Twentieth Wife is the debut novel by Indu Sundaresan. He has skillfully blended history with the rich and sensuous imagination of a timeless fairy tale.Sundaresan’s attention to detail, combined with his fascinating description of the Mughal court, creates a vivid narrative that is difficult to suppress.The romance between Mehrunisaa and the emperor Jahangir is slowly Decaying and somehow it clicks.However, Mehrunissa’s struggle to find a place for herself and her family in a male-centered society, the power struggle within the harem and the politics of the Mughal palace are quite interesting.