Beneath a Marble Sky

Before I say anything else my strong recommendation is to resist the impulse to look at any history of the building of the Taj Mahal. I made the mistake of going on line to find some pictures of the Taj Mahal once I got to the point in John Shors' "Beneath a Marble Sky" where the grand mausoleum had been completed and instead of stopping at the photographs I glanced at what was known about the historical figures at the center of the novel and it gave away a major development. So do as I say and not as I do. Afterwards you can find the true events that weave their way through this exquisite first novel. All that really matters when you pick up this novel is that you have seen a picture of the Taj Mahal (it is not like there is a bad one). It does not matter whether or not you know that it is a mausoleum or that it honors the Mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal, because what is important is that if you have seen it you know the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful buildings on the planet, a sublime mix of architectural magnificence and aesthetic beauty, and this historical romance is about how it came to be built. When the Taj Mahal is a tomb, then the great pyramids of Giza are reduced to just being piles of big blocks. The narrator of "Beneath a Marble Sky" is Jahanara, the daughter of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and because Jahanara his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who tells her story and that of her family to her granddaughters, who are visiting the Taj Mahal for the first time. The tale begins when she was thirteen and beginning to appreciate how difficult it is to be a woman in a man's world. It seems she will be a spectator to both the great love between her parents and the contention between two of her brothers for her father's throne. Dara is a student of philosophy and religion believes that Muslims and Hindus can life together in harmony, while Aurangzeb is a ruthless warrior and puritanical zealot who wants to extend the borders of the Empire in all directions and send unbelievers to their richly deserved deaths. When his beloved wife dies the emperor hires a talented young architect, Ustad Isa, to build her a beautiful memorial, the Rauza-I Munavvara ("Tomb of Light"). As the Taj Mahal rises, the conflict between the two brothers comes to a head, but the fate of the empire comes second to that of Jahanara and who has her own love story. When you get to the heart of this novel and why it works it is because Shors comes up with an elegant explanation for why a man would be inspired by a dead woman he has never seen to create the most beautiful building on earth. At the same time Shors remains faithful to the cultures and the poetic rhythms of the languages they speak. A key part of what makes this novel work is that it is really another tale from the Arabian Nights. Those fabled 1001 tales came from three cultures, Arabic, Persian, and Indian, while this novel set in Hindustan represents a culture clash between two of those three as a Muslim emperor rules a predominantly Hindu land. However the idea that this is another Scheherazade story matters because the characters and events are slightly larger than life. We are, after all, talking about a beautiful Muslim princess along with the course of an empire. There was a point in the narrative where I found myself questioning that Jahanara's parents would ever marry their beloved daughter to such a wretched soul as Khondair. A reason was given, but the validity of it was implicit at best and it was only when it dawned on me that this is a tale writ as large as Aladdin and Ali Baba that I realized history and realism were not the standards by which "Beneath a Marble Sky" is to be judged. This is an epic romance even if it is told in deeply intimate terms and while it is not a fantasy it is touched by the exotic, which tempers fidelity to the history around which Shors has crafted his own work. Final Notes: First, I noticed one of the best web sites devoted to the Taj Mahal mentions this book. It should, because it is going to inspire a lot of people to go to Agar. Maybe not as many as are currently heading to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth, but a sizeable number nonetheless. Second, I have to wonder what in the world John Shors will write next after this one. Where does he go from here? It will be interesting to find out and there will be a lot of people looking forward to that next book after reading "Beneath a Marble Sky."

The Taj Mahal is the inspiration for this loosely interpreted love story. Princess Jahanara is the main character, and like many main characters in historical novels, she is highly intelligent and feisty and thinks like a modern woman. Of course I knew it was all fiction as I let myself become involved with the story, and at times I actually found it quite silly. However, I was also captured by the tale and found myself thinking about the book and rushing back to it just to see what would happen next. The author did a good job of keeping the details of life in the empire interesting and engaging. Central to the story is Jahanara's forbidden love with the architect of the Taj Mahal. There are other love stories as well, especially that of Jahanara's father, the emperor who built the famous tomb for his favorite wife who died in childbirth. Throughout, I was aware that this was a novel, and that many of the historical details were outright wrong, but that didn't make me put down the book. Something exciting happens on every page and the characters are defined early as either the "good guys" or the "bad guys". Aurangzeb, who later became emperor and ruled for a lifetime, is a bad guy and we see this cruel streak in him right from his childhood. We're certainly not surprised then, when later, he murders his brother and imprisons his father. The reader identifies with Jahanara, and we share the ups and downs of her life. She is treated terribly by her husband, adored by her father, and loved by the architect. She is imprisoned and suffers unspeakable horrors, but somehow has the quick mind to get her out of the most outrageous situations. I resisted checking the facts about the Taj Mahal until after I finished the book. I soon learned that the author crafted the story out of the very barest of facts and as far as I am concerned, it was ALL fiction. But I must say that I really did enjoy reading it. It was great escape fiction on a hot summer's day. Understanding that, I do give it a lightweight recommendation. Just be aware of its limitations.

John Shors says 65% of this novel is based on hard facts - all the royal characters were real people and acted as they did in the book. So he's used a bit of "poetic licence" to tell a good tale. It's certainly worth a read, so long as you are not pedantic about historical fiction being 100% accurate. But this novel is more than historical fiction I think. Beautifully written (in the first person narrative through the eyes of Princess Jahanara), with evocative imagery, it is an epic story depicting the downfall of a royal empire. In a similar vein to Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth (but much shorter), it covers powerful emotions - greed, lust, power, resilience, love - between siblings, parents and children and of course, men and women. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. I also felt it has relevance to today's world, by illustrating the societal impact of liberal versus orthodox perspectives in religion and using the latter to justify discrimination, war and genocide. It's a captivating read. I highly recommend it

I chose this for a book club selection after my Mother told me about it. She had read in the book that the author loved to talk to his readers so she sent him an email and, to her surprise, he called in the middle of her book club meeting! I emailed him a few months before we read it and we set up a Skype meeting. It was so nice to read a book and discuss it and then be able to actually ask the author questions we had. He was very gracious and spent some time with us talking about this book and the next book he is currently finishing, which we are all excited to read. One of the comments I have seen here is that the book is not accurate. It is fiction, but Mr. Shors took a year to research the subject and five years to write this (while working full time). He approximated that it is 80% factual, but the parts he added or embellished are what made it a quick and interesting read. I think he did a wonderful job of describing things and I felt like I was inside the Taj Mahal. The main character was someone I was rooting for and excited to continue reading about. It is not like reading a historical account, because it is far too interesting and gripped me from the start.

Beneath A Marble Sky by John Shors is a beautifully crafted work of art. His writing is visually descriptive and his flow is really captivating. It's a page turner that doesn't rush, yet holds your attention and doesn't let it waver. One thing I'm really impressed with is the voice of the main character, Jahanara. It doesn't feel at all like it could be coming from a man's point of view - which can be the downfall of many male authors who attempt to write in first person for a female character. This voice feels true. This is the story of Princess Jahanara, daughter of the ruling family of seventeenth-century Hindustan that became famous for building the Taj Mahal. After her mother's death, her father commissions the Taj Mahal to be built and puts Jahanara in charge of overseeing the project and its brilliant architect, Isa. Of course, romantic feelings develop between the two, but as Jahanara has an unhappy marriage of political convenience to a cruel and scheming businessman, she and Isa can not truly be together. Add to this, two of her brothers are vying for power and favor as to who will take over the Peacock throne when the Emperor dies. Who will it be? The conniving and paranoid military man who despises his family as well the Hindus who make up a huge portion of the population? Or the more sensitive academic who wants nothing more than to unite the Muslims and Hindus and create a strong and prosperous Hindustani empire? Passion, murder, intrigue and war make for an exciting tale. While this is a fictional novel, it does follow the history closely and Shors weaves a tight tapestry of sight and sound. The action is very gripping, as is the love story between Isa and Jahanara. The cast of supporting characters are well written and never stray from their identities. They feel "true". Shors writes extraordinary dialog that never feels forced or trite but is laced with poetry and symbolism. His descriptions are complete and visual but not overly wordy, which is the pitfall of many an author. I'm still stunned that this is his first book. I really hope you all go pick up a copy. It really is a superbly crafted novel!

This was a quick read, requiring just a few hours on each of three successive nights to finish the book, which was enough time to devote to this somewhat contrived, if nonetheless appealing, fable which the author has structured loosely, very loosely, on the goings-on of a cast of characters more or less intrinsic to the conceptualizing and building of that exquisite mausoleum and iconic edifice of the Mughal empire which we know as the Taj Mahal. Hardly an epitome of historical fiction, this book is the rather improbable, though partially factual, tale of the love that led to the raising of this most magnificent tomb, and along the way there's a lot of somewhat indefinite warring but very definite maiming and killing of hordes representing various regional or factional allegiances which existed under the Islamic and Persianate imperial powers that ruled the Indian subcontinent at that time. To relate his story, the author gives us a narrator who is caring, steadfast, intrepid and otherwise irreproachable; a brilliant and gifted builder; an exquisitely beautiful, wise, and near angelic mother; a devoted, righteous-- though autocratic-- father; the requisite pathological villains in the persons of a brutish husband and a demonic brother who is the yin to the yang of a rival, kinder brother; a couple of remarkably loyal and self-sacrificing friends; and several conveniently accommodating neighbors, fellow travelers and assorted family members. These characters play their parts against a background of politically insurrectionist machinations and gaudily and gorily related depictions of 17th century cruelty and maltreatment of all and sundry. And still, somehow, the extraordinary building is completed, a fine romance does indeed ensue between the doughty heroine and her architect lover and, as extraneous folk die or move out of sight, the implicit reunion of the narrator/princess with her lover and daughter occurs. And so it all ends. As well it might. It's only a story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down. A veritable page turner, it’s so beautifully and well written. If you’re at all interested in India’s rich history and the Mughal era, this is a must read. Even though it’s a fictional tale, I learned so much about that particular period of time. Why only 4 stars? Perhaps I’m being too particular, but there are certain aspects that felt forced or lazy or perhaps just needed some additional context (i.e. Jahanara’s marriage), and those aspects kept on distracting me from the overall flow of the book. That said, buy this book. You won’t regret it!

Couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end!! Book Club pick and author spoke with us in HI. It was wonderful!!

Spannende Liebesgeschichte vor realen historischen Geschehnissen. Einige Details, die Wissensdurst befriedigen, aber nicht den Lesefluss hemmen. Buch-Tipp für alle Indien- insb. Agra-Reisenden.

I have never read John Shors before but can hardly wait to purchase all his books. His style of writing is so lush and so inviting from the first word to the very last one. This book captured me from page 1. He writes with such humanity. Like I said, I haven't read his books before but will be purchasing all of his books. If they are anything like Beneath the Marble Sky, they will be incredible.

great book, astonished love story, the best book for me in my life, story about true love and work on Taj mahal

Great book

good read