Books similar to beneath a marble sky

John shors is an author of sweeping imaginative force. Shors imagines them in beneath a marble sky, bringing to life a story of love, war, beauty and tragedy. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world. Against scenes of unimaginable wealth and power, there were murderous sibling rivalries and cruel despotism. Beneath a marble sky is a story which literally speaks to you. In beneath a marble sky, princess jahanara tells the story of how the taj mahal came to be, and describes her own life as an agent in its creation and as a witness to the fateful events surrounding its completion. Given that the truth about what actually happened to each character is included at the end, talk about how mark sullivan crafted an interesting story while also sticking to the facts. My novels have won multiple awards and are available in twentyfive languages.

In two separate interviews, john shors discusses beneath a marble sky. This book is by far the best book we have read all year, and it is one of my alltime favorite book club selections. Hes a normal italian teenagerobsessed with music, food, and girlsbut his days of innocence are numbered. Ambition is not uncommon in the world of young writers, but john shors still manages to stand out as an author unlike any other. If you like memoirs of a geisha and want more historical books about.

Books similar to beneath a scarlet sky beneath a scarlet sky. He continues to talk with several book clubs a night, these days chatting about all of his books. If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through. Perhaps because the prose reads like poetry, or perhaps because this is a. Memoirs of a geisha is a book full of history, romance and life in another culture. Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, beneath a scarlet sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young mans incredible courage and resilience during one of historys darkest hours. Love, hate, betrayal, intrigue, duty, honor, played out against the magnificent backdrop of agra, india, the city of the taj mahal, i fell in love with this story from page one.

I had planned a trip to india to see the taj mahal, among other sites, and a friend recommended this book. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading beneath a marble sky. This article relates to beneath a marble sky when reading historical fiction i always like to know what is fact and what is fiction. Trilogy a story of romance and passiona wonderful book if you want to escape to a foreign land while relaxing in your porch swing. In a similar vein to ken folletts pillars of the earth but much shorter, it covers powerful emotions greed, lust, power, resilience, love. First, he spent five years writing the authentic, romantic beneath a marble sky, a novel narrated by jahanara, the daughter of taj mahal creator shah jahan. Beneath a marble sky by john shors english paperback. Petersburg times a majestic novel that irresistibly draws the reader within its saga of human struggles, failings, alliances and betrayals. Click on a title, author name or category to see similar books. The storys heartfelt message will resonate with adults and children alike, leaving a positive impression long after the last page is read. Beneath a marble sky by john shors english paperback book free shipping. John shors is a boulderbased novelist, but he and his fiction sure get around. John shors, bestselling author of beneath a marble sky my four year old loved this story.

The dixie diva book club july selection is beneath a marble sky by johns shors. If you like memoirs of a geisha and want more historical books about women in other cultures, here are some recommendations. The not in here story celebrates the miracle of adoption. When i realized it was set in the 1500s, it jumped ahead to help me fill in my challenge list. 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. I always felt like if i published a novel, i would like to make myself.

When you look at the taj mahal, you might see a just magnificent travel destinationlets face it. In a splendid debut, john shors has crafted an immensely readable and wellresearched historical novel of surprisingly contemporary relevance. Beneath a marble sky is not only the story of the building of a historic monument but also a tale of the very annihilation of an imperial family owing to deadly sibling rivalry. Beneath a marble sky easily made it into my top ten favorites. Jahanara wants to love and be loved, according to the example her parents, shah jahan and arjumand mumtaz mahal, have set, but in order to find love, even within the restricted world of a woman in seventeenth century hindustan, she must first. Our heroine is jahanara, the daughter of the emperor shah jahan and his favorite wife, mumtaz mahal. I grabbed this one from the 20 pageaday book calendar that seems to have taken over half my tbr list. But how many have wondered beyond the building of the moment, and to the lives. When i was working on beneath a marble sky, i had a rather busy job in. Reading guide for beneath a ma rble sky by john shors discussion guide for book clubs.

Beneath a marble sky is the story of a womans journey to selfacceptance. Goodreads members who liked beneath a marble sky also liked. Beneath a marble sky john shors bestselling author. Beneath a marble sky is a firstperson narration, and what a person. To ask other readers questions about beneath a marble sky, please sign up. Since his debut novel, beneath a marble sky, came out in 2004, the. He has won numerous awards for his writing, and his novels have been translated into twentysix languages. Novelist john shors reads at jaipur literature festival westword. Jahanara wants to love and be loved, according to the example her parents, shah jahan and arjumand mumtaz mahal, have set, but in order to find love, even within the restricted world of a woman in seventeenth century hindustan, she must first come to love herself.

Father once told me that wouldbe lovers were similar to mountains. In his first novel, john shors brilliantly recounts one of the worlds greatest love stories, narrated against a backdrop of hatred and violence. Beneath a marble sky and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. Set in the 17th century, this novel opens with the mogul emperor shah jahans daugher, jahanara, telling her granddaughters the story of her life while divulging to them their true identity as heirs to the throne of hindustan. This book has all the wonderful elements necessary to keep you turning the pages.

Elegant, often lyrical, writing distinguishes this literary fiction from the genre. Most have vaguely heard of the story how the magnificent white tomb was built by a grieving husband for his deceased wife. Theyre all pretty popular, sorry if youve read them already. Beneath a marble sky, canada, christina baker kline, gary d. Its sculpted out of pure white marble, its elaborately decorated with exquisite gems, and its surrounded by lush gardens that would make a grown man cry. Buy beneath a marble sky book online at low prices in. Historical romance and women memoirs of a geisha thoughtco. I want to know what an area smells and sounds like, how its food. Beneath a marble sky by john shors reading guidebook club. So, two years ago, when i first recommended beneath a marble sky in hardcover, i asked john where fact ended and fiction began, to which he answered, about 65% of beneath a marble sky is based upon hard facts.

Third, i feltthat these sceneswereanicechangeof pacefrom the rest of the book. Beneath a marble sky can be intense from an emotional perspective andi wanted to givethe reader the break of knowing that jahanara survived allof the turmoil second,iwanted to showjahanara as anolderwoman, andthese sceneswereagood way ofdoingthat. This book has been out since 2004, so it is not new, but it is a fantastic read. I picked up beneath a marble sky because of the cover. And finally, penguin books bought the trade paperback rights to my novel, and this. Jahanara is smart, willing to flout islamic tradition, kind to the poor, and devoted to her parents. Beneath a marble sky is a passionate, lush, and dramatic novel, rich with a sense of place. Schmidt, john shors, julie otsuka, ken follett, nancy horan, okay for now, pillars of the earth, read along, richard ford, the buddha in the attic, the orphan train, the space between us, the things they carried, thrity umrigar, tim obrien, under the wide and starry sky, www. Reading guide for beneath a marble sky by john shors. I felt like the stories of these children needed to be brought to life on the page. Beneath a marble sky by john shors estimated delivery 312 business days format paperback condition brand new author biography john shors has spent years in asia teaching, trekking across the continent, and climbing the himalayas. Hey, beneath a marble sky is all about the events that led to the construction of the taj mahalconsidered one of the great wonders of the worldso its no surprise that art and culture are a big deal for the characters in this book. John shors is the bestselling author of beneath a marble sky, beside a burning sea, dragon house, the wishing trees, and cross currents.

When reading historical fiction i always like to know what is fact and what is fiction. I love historical fiction because i feel like im learning something while. Shors imagines them in beneath a marble sky, bringing to life a story of. Cindy vallar anafyzes the work behind polished final. Since the taj mahal was just voted one of the new seven wonders of the world, the timing seemed perfect. Beneath a marble sky is a wonderful book if you want to escape to a foreign land while relaxing in your porch swing. A womans take on the famous monument as the emperors daughter recalls her part in its construction and her survival through treachery and war. Beneath a marble sky a novel of the taj mahal book summary and study guide. Beneath a scarlet sky is a work of historical fiction. I am the author of beneath a marble sky, temple of a thousand faces, beside a burning sea, dragon house, cross currents, and the wishing trees. Beneath a marble sky is set in 17thcentury india and tells the story of the building of the taj mahal. Find books like beneath a marble sky from the worlds largest community of readers.

When he was a young man reading three books a week, john shors always wished. Beneath a scarlet sky mark sullivan, 2017 lake union amazon 524 pp. Pino lella wants nothing to do with the war or the nazis. Beneath a marble sky paperback tattered cover book store. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to beneath a marble sky. Now he is traveling all over the country to promote his critically applauded debut by personally visiting. Beneath a marble sky kindle edition by shors, john. His bestselling novels, beneath a marble sky, beside a burning sea, dragon house, and his soontobe released, the wishing trees, are all set in asia.