Reviewed by Yvonne B.
In this ‘sequel’ to The Twentieth Wife, the life of Mehrunissa is captured in an equally exciting and satisfying story as the first, beginning with her marriage to Emperor Jahangir and continuing to her death.
Mehrunissa was a commoner and she brought to the marriage her first child, Ladli, from her first husband — a soldier who is now deceased. (An important part of the book involves Mehrunissa’s effort to arrange a marriage between Ladli and any one of the Princes in order to secure Mehrunissa’s future in the kingdom should her husband, the Emperor, pass away before her.)
The story begins with infighting among the Emperor’s wives. Although married to the emperor, there is another wife who is given the most respect in the forum, and Mehrunissa immediately begins to fight for that first position.
She succeeds and is given the official seal of the Padshah Begam (highest wife in the harem). She then continues to use her influence over Jahangir to break through barriers previously faced by women in the courts. She is the first woman to appear in court next to the Emperor. She begins to make decisions regarding petitions to the court, something that was unacceptable in the past (and in doing so, she generates hostility from the emperor’s closest advisors).
One of her tactics for success and survival include the pact formed among herself, her father, her brother and one of the Emperor’s sons, Khurram. Khurram is the prince that Mehrunissa prefers Ladli marry, but he is influenced by his first wife who he loves (she is also Mehrunissa’s niece). In the end, the daughter is forced to marry a weak, ill-respected son and is very unhappy for the most part. Mehrunissa’s future, however, is now secure.
As ambitious as Mehrunissa was, circumstances are twisted and Kurram’s wife, Mehrunissa’s niece, is awarded the glory and lasting place in history. Upon her death, Khurram has erected the Taj Mahal as the tomb of his deceased wife.
For me, this was one of those books that is hard to put down. I found myself looking for time to sit in a corner undisturbed so I could read it and enjoy it. I learned a lot about the history of India and found myself ‘googling’ to learn more. She is honest about which parts are based on facts and which are not. I found most of the history to be accurate after I compared the story to timelines I found in other books and online.
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