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nuts246's review
5.0
Delhi is a city that inspires storytellers. There is a huge body of work set in the city, some of which are exquisite. The Garden of Heaven certainly deserves to be a part of that pantheon. The first of a quartet that will eventually span 800 years, this book starts at the time of the first Muslim invasion of Delhi, which dethrones the Rajputs and puts the Slave Dynasty on the throne.
Told through the stories of two families who are closely bound, but not directly linked, the book deftly weaves individual stories with the larger political dynamics. We see what happens through the perspective of people who realise that no matter who is in power, life goes on. The fortunes of both families rise and fall multiple times, but the human spirit lives on.
I loved the characterisation of the various protagonists- each is complex and distinct and driven by very different purposes. The women, particularly, are strongly etched- some are fiercely independent out of necessity, the others are forced to work within the the tight confirms of expectations but each does the best she can, and a bit more.
I also enjoyed how she weaves architecture into her narrative. The temples, the Juma Masjid, the Qutab Minar, the baolis, they all come alive through the eyes of the characters.
Eagerly waiting for the second in series. I hope I don't have long to wait.
Told through the stories of two families who are closely bound, but not directly linked, the book deftly weaves individual stories with the larger political dynamics. We see what happens through the perspective of people who realise that no matter who is in power, life goes on. The fortunes of both families rise and fall multiple times, but the human spirit lives on.
I loved the characterisation of the various protagonists- each is complex and distinct and driven by very different purposes. The women, particularly, are strongly etched- some are fiercely independent out of necessity, the others are forced to work within the the tight confirms of expectations but each does the best she can, and a bit more.
I also enjoyed how she weaves architecture into her narrative. The temples, the Juma Masjid, the Qutab Minar, the baolis, they all come alive through the eyes of the characters.
Eagerly waiting for the second in series. I hope I don't have long to wait.
robinwalter's review
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I've been waiting for this book for what seems like a long time, and it was worth the wait. The author's previous series, the Muzaffar Jang Mysteries, taught me a lot about Mughal Dilli while also entertaining and providing satisfying mystery stories. This book is "the same but more"
In the last couple of years I've read a few books on the period in which this novel is set, and two especially proved helpful - "Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens and Begums of the Mughal Empire" by Ira Mukhoty and "India in the Persianate Age" by Richard M. Eaton. They proved helpful because this book is history brought to life, and knowing something about some of the key historical figures that feature in this novel not only made it possible to say "ah, I know who that is", but also helped confirm the historicity of the novel's setting.
"Historical fiction" is a dime a dozen of course, but sadly far too many books in the genre are very much more "fiction" than "historical". Ms Liddle's works have always been marked by a painstaking attention to detail. In this book as in her others, she acknowledges the assistance of her sister, a published historian whose professional focus is on the city this story is set in. That sort of rigour means that rather than "not letting the facts get in the way of a good story", Ms Liddle uses the facts as a framework on which to build a good story. And this was a good story.
The setup of the novel made me think of Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights, and it was very interesting to see how the apparently disparate threads of the narrator's tale came together. I very enjoyed seeing history "fleshed out" by being told through the lives of ordinary people, and picking up historical details I hadn't known, like an account of the origin of the name "Dilli(Delhi)". But the moment I knew Ms Liddle had brought me into the story was when I raged against one of the characters. I am now impatient for the continuation of this saga.
In the last couple of years I've read a few books on the period in which this novel is set, and two especially proved helpful - "Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens and Begums of the Mughal Empire" by Ira Mukhoty and "India in the Persianate Age" by Richard M. Eaton. They proved helpful because this book is history brought to life, and knowing something about some of the key historical figures that feature in this novel not only made it possible to say "ah, I know who that is", but also helped confirm the historicity of the novel's setting.
"Historical fiction" is a dime a dozen of course, but sadly far too many books in the genre are very much more "fiction" than "historical". Ms Liddle's works have always been marked by a painstaking attention to detail. In this book as in her others, she acknowledges the assistance of her sister, a published historian whose professional focus is on the city this story is set in. That sort of rigour means that rather than "not letting the facts get in the way of a good story", Ms Liddle uses the facts as a framework on which to build a good story. And this was a good story.
The setup of the novel made me think of Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights, and it was very interesting to see how the apparently disparate threads of the narrator's tale came together. I very enjoyed seeing history "fleshed out" by being told through the lives of ordinary people, and picking up historical details I hadn't known, like an account of the origin of the name "Dilli(Delhi)". But the moment I knew Ms Liddle had brought me into the story was when I raged against one of the characters. I am now impatient for the continuation of this saga.
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