05/15/2018
Despite the spare record she has to work with, Lal paints richly detailed scenes from Nur's life…Lal has done a service to readers interested in the Mughal period and the many forgotten or poorly remembered women of Indian history. She has helped shine a little light on an enigmatic character many think they know but few actually understand.
The New York Times Book Review - Vikas Bajaj
04/16/2018
"Nur Jahan emerges from this biography as a spirited, brilliant, and gifted leader. Nur’s story weaves into Lal’s gorgeous, nuanced portrait of the glittering splendour of the Mughal Empire and how its political, military, and cultural destinies were shaped by this remarkable refugee-turned-empress"
"A luminous biography…It is a captivating account, its depth of detail recreating a world whose constraints of lineage would seem to preclude the advance of an unknown, self-made, widowed queen…Lal’s book is an act of feminist historiography."
"Lal shows that [Nur’s] reign had a lasting effect on female empowerment, enabling royal wives to issue an array of orders beyond the harem."
"An enchanting evocation of the brilliant Mughal Empire and a tender tribute to India’s first female leader. Lush and sensuous, a jewel box of a book."
"An absorbing portrait of a remarkable woman, but also offers a stylish reconstruction of a fascinating slice of Mughal life."
"Intriguing, inspiring, and relevant to us today in twenty-first-century America."
"In filling in the details of Nur Jahan’s life, Ms. Lal has not only written a revisionist feminist biography; she has also provided a vivid picture of the Mughal court, with its luxuries, beauties, intrigues and horrors."
"Lal… paints rich multisensory tapestries… providing context and evidence to show that due to Nur’s surroundings, history, and contemporaries, she was probably a progressive, worldly, multitalented, forward-thinking woman warrior from the outset.… Lal releases Nur from the condescending ways in which previous commentators have trivialized, belittled, and diminished her accomplishments."
Los Angeles Review of Books - Gary Singh
"There's much more to the story [of Nur Jahan], as historian Ruby Lal reveals in her fascinating new book "
Christian Science Monitor - Randy Dotinga
"Ruby Lal, professor of South Asian studies at Emory University, challenges the well-worn fictions of Nur Jahan’s life and legacy.… A cross between Princess Diana, Mother Teresa and Annie Oakley, her Empress is scarcely human."
Wall Street Journal - Maxwell Carter
"This is an outstanding book, not only incredibly important but also a fabulous piece of writing. Here, India’s greatest empress is reborn in all her fascinating glory in a luminescent account of her life and times. Ruby Lal has written a classic—one of the best biographies to come out this year and certainly the best ever of Nur Jahan."
"Lal’s intriguing biography, with its chronology of her relatively swift rise to power and even swifter descent, restores Nur Jahan to her full splendour."
"Despite the spare record she has to work with, Lal paints richly detailed scenes from Nur’s life.… Lal ably guides the reader through the rich drama and intrigue of Nur’s later life with Jahangir, whom she married after Quli was killed.… Lal has done a service to readers interested in the Mughal period and the many forgotten or poorly remembered women of Indian history. She has helped shine a little light on an enigmatic character many think they know but few actually understand."
"What an extraordinary and detailed account of a remarkable woman—amazing! A very impressive, thorough, poetic, humane work."
"Ms. Lal has not only written a revisionist feminist biography; she has also provided a vivid picture of the Mughal court, with its luxuries, beauties, intrigues and horrors. Moreover, at a time when India’s Hindu-nationalist government chooses to emphasise one strain in the country’s history, she offers a reminder of the diversity of Indian tradition. "
Historian Ruby Lal extracts the real life of seventeenth-century Mughal (Mongul) Empress Nur Jahan from legend, romanticized tales, and political erasure in this engaging audiobook. Suzanne Toren ably narrates Lal’s well-researched account of the Indian cosovereign’s life—from her birth to aristocratic Persian parents to her short-lived first marriage and life as the twentieth wife of Emperor Jahangir. Toren’s sure tone reflects Nur Jahan’s roles as a leader, woman, and first-generation immigrant. As Nur Jahan’s story unfolds, Lal contextualizes her impressive achievements within the cultural norms and political environment of the period. Toren differentiates quoted passages from the author’s insights with vocal modulation and light characterization. Nur Jahan was once relegated to a romantic heroine. Here, Lal’s scholarship and Toren’s narration illuminate the full expanse and lasting impact of the Empress’s brief reign. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
★ 2018-04-16
