Turning Pages !!!

The Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan It’s the second book in the trilogy. The first one was ‘The twentieth wife’ which focussed upon how Jahangir (aka Salim) became the emperor and Nurjahan(aka Mehrunissa) became his twentieth and last wife. Though it’s a trilogy, the way books are written they have their existence. It’s not a mandate to read ‘The Twentieth Wife’ before reading ‘Feast of Roses’. You won’t feel any disconnection or lost while reading ‘Feast of Roses’. Even I read ‘Feast of Roses’ two years later after reading ‘The Twentieth Wife’. Being a lover of history, this book is no less than a gift as it has served the dish of history with the right quantity of fiction. Feast of Roses is about Mehrunissa, how she ruled the heart of Jahangir and thus ruled the empire behind the veil for 16 years which no other Empress could do. She was envied not only by other wives and concubines in Jahangir’s harem but by the men of Jahangir’s court. Mehrunissa was a woman of substance,...

The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Someone has very well said ‘Only a woman can understand a woman better.’ That’s the reason Chitra never fails in expressing the women side of the story and once again she proved this. She has re-written India’s epic saga, previously Mahabharata and now Ramayana, from a woman's perspective. In the patriarchal society, very few bother about writing emotional turmoil a woman goes through when she is being wronged. Her writing style portrays a visual in front of the reader’s eyes. It’s always a delight to read her books, they have never disappointed me, and this one has taken a special place in my heart and is one of my favorites now. When I was reading this book I was so mesmerised, I felt as if I am in that era. And all this is happening in front of my eyes. This is one of the very few books where I was waiting for the end but at the same time sad when it's ended. Now I am eagerly waiting when Chitra will write ...

Rani Padmavati – The Burning Queen By Anuja Chandramouli When there was so much going in India over the release of the Bollywood movie Padmavat, it made me curious to read the history of Queen Padmavati and then when I searched for fictional books written on Queen Padmavati, I found this one. Being a lover of historical fiction books, this book didn’t give me a feel-good factor after I finished reading it. It was not a page turner book for me. The keenness to know why Rani Padmavati committed Jauhar was the only reason which made me withstand this book till the end. Other than this, the style of writing failed to hold my interest in reading the book.   Until now every historical fiction book which I have read contains either a family tree chart or a reference page having the list of characters depicting who is whom and how they are related to the lead characters. Major drawback of this book is missing any such mapping or reference, as a result while reading the book,...

Palace of Illusions By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni One word : exquisite writing Loved the way Mahabharat has been described from the perspective of women of that era.. Whether it was Draupdi's feelings or Kunti's or even Duryodhan's wife.. Character of every woman Their flaws their strength are carved very beautifully It won't be an exaggeration to say that to me it seems as if Chitra had a conversation with these women and then penned down their feelings.. it came so lively... Would definitely recommend it for history fictional lovers.. Rating: 4/5  

Rebel Queen By Michelle Moran As it's written from the perspective of one durgavasi (a female soldier from Rani Laxmibai's Army) So it's inclined towards her life more rather than focusing on the struggles of Rebel Queen. Not sure if that was the intention of the writer. However, the description of all the scenes is very well written and it actually helps you in visualizing the scene. Overall, enjoyed the reading! Rating: 3/5