Indu Sundaresan - Shadow Princess

Praise for Shadow Princess

From a few lines in various historic documents, Sundaresan brings to life two little-known though remarkable women who, though they lived in the shadows of great men, proved that still greater women stood behind them.

The Oregonian

Sundaresan marshals extensive knowledge of Indian culture and history to tell the story of Roshanara and Jahangir as well as that of the Taj Mahal. A perfect read for those who wish to delve deeply into the cultural struggles of Indian women and the Taj Mahals celebrated architecture.

Booklist

Sundaresan has a scholars fascination with the period; shes at her best describing the opulent court or the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Publishers Weekly

Sundaresan brings sober devotion to the dynastic tale.... A mine of fabulous detail on the daily lives of the Mughal emperors.

Kirkus Reviews

Heavily researched and expertly written.... An exhilarating mixture of character and event, emotion and intrigue, extravagance and architecture.

India Currents

Enthralling.... Sundaresan handles very complicated and varied history with a beautiful simplicity. The book never becomes bogged down in details, yet she provides a vivid look at an amazing period in Indian history.... I cant sing her praises highly enough.

S. Krishnas Books

... and for Indu Sundaresans other remarkable historical novels

The Twentieth Wife

Sundaresans debut is a sweeping, carefully researched tale of desire, sexual mores, and political treachery set against the backdrop of sixteenth and seventeenth-century India.... Sundaresan charts the chronology of the Mughal Empire, describing life in the royal court in convincing detail and employing authentic period terms throughout.

Publishers Weekly

Fascinating.... The Twentieth Wife offers a rich and intimate view into palace life during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuriesand an incisive look at gender roles of that period.

USA Today

A rousing tale of the rise of the most powerful woman in Mughal Empire Indiashe who set into motion the forces that would, among other things and not at all incidentally, result in the building of the Taj Majal.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Rich and realistic.... [A] delicious story.

The Seattle Times

Indu Sundaresan has written a fascinating novel about a fascinating time, and has brought it alive with characters that are at once human and legendary, that move with grace and panache across the brilliant stage she has reconstructed for them.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of One Amazing Thing

Informative, convincing, and madly entertaining. The reader comes away with an unexpected vision of the power behind the veil.

Marilyn Yalom, author of A History of the Wife

The Feast of Roses

Imaginative storytelling.

India West

The novels scope and ambition are impressive.

Publishers Weekly

Pepper[ed] beautifully with her rich and well-informed vision of 17th-century Mughal India.

Seattle Weekly

Sundaresan weaves a seamless story, integrating solid research about the political affairs of the Mughal kingdom into the fictionalized account of Mehrunissas life as empress so skillfully that she brings a sense of easy familiarity to Mughal court life.

The Seattle Times

The Splendor of Silence

Sundaresan unfolds her bittersweet story in flashbacks that are full of sharply drawn details and adroit dialogue. Its a riveting read.

The Seattle Times

Indu Sundaresan expertly blends together history, memorable characters, and the sights, colors, and smells of India to create a hugely compelling novel. It is, quite literally, a feast for the senses.

David Davidar, author of The Solitude of Emperors

Indu Sundaresan continues to display her talents as a great novelist of historical fiction. Finely researched and full of evocative details, this sweeping tale of intrigue brings to life a fascinating era with richly drawn characters and a story that is engrossing, deep, and surprising. Sundaresan will certainly please her many enduring fans as well as draw in a wave of new ones.

Samina Ali, author of Madras on Rainy Days

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For my mother, Madhuram,

and

my daughter, Sitara

Sketch of the Taj Mahal Complex c.1648

Principal Characters

(In alphabetical order)