In a splendid debut, John Shors has crafted an immensely readable and well-researched historical novel of surprisingly contemporary relevance. Beneath a Marble Sky brims with action and intrigue befitting an epic era when, alongside continuous war, architecture and its attendant arts reached a pinnacle of perfection. Beneath a Marble Sky brims with action and intrigue befitting an epic era when, alongside continuous war, architecture and its attendant arts reached a pinnacle of perfection. Beneath a Marble Sky, narrated by Princess Jahanara, eldest daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, recounts their story, and her own as well, a parallel tale of forbidden love enduring censure and extreme deprivations. At that time, Hindustan comprised all of modern Pakistan and Kashmir, most of eastern Afghanistan, and two-thirds of the Indian subcontinent (roughly north of Bombay to the Himalayas).

The story surrounding the construction of the Taj Mahal occurs, however, against a scrim of fratricidal war, murderous rebellion, unimaginable wealth, and, not least of all, religious fundamentalism ruthlessly opposing tolerance and coexistence between the disparate peoples in the empire. All from 0.99 New from 13.84 Used from 0.99 Rare Books from 16. In 1632, the Emperor of Hindustan, Shah Jahan, overwhelmed with grief over the death of his beloved wife, Mumatz Mahal, commissioned the building of a grand mausoleum to symbolize the greatness of their love. 21 Reviews Reviews arent verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when its identified From the author of Beneath a Marble Sky comes an inspiring new novel of a man and a. This 'passionate, lush, and dramatic' (Sandra Gulland) debut novel reveals the story behind the building of the Taj Mahal and the destruction of a royal family. In Beneath a Marble Sky, John Shors re-creates an historical Hindustan brimming with passion and intrigue, and containing the secret truth of the Taj Mahal.

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors