Scan barcode
A review by babsaway14
Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors
2.0
This is the story of the plot contrivances necessary to create a romance about the Taj Mahal. Okay, a bit harsh, I know, but the entire time I read this book I felt that the first line of each chapter, instead of giving a succinct synopsis of what was about to occur, should state: "Now the author has created the world's worst husband to marry unhappy narrator to, therefore leaving no moral ambiguity about her right to fall in love with the architect of the Taj Mahal, just in case reader is too blind to see that plot twist coming at her." I don't need my hand held this much, especially in historical fiction.
Which lead me to another issue with this novel - as a reader, I am supposed to accept the morality of the time period written about (elephants stamping on small children while the narrator and her fair ruling father watch?). I'm fine with that. Yet, at the same time I felt the author expected me, the reader, to continually shut off that same acceptance of past ethics/principles (father sending happy daughter off to tryst with lover for the the sake of love, a much more modern reading, I would say), and turn it back on again for the sake of the story (father marrying favorite daughter to previously mentioned worst husband ever for no particular gain, as far as I could see). It was disconcerting. I wanted some sort of consistency.
Not my favorite.
Which lead me to another issue with this novel - as a reader, I am supposed to accept the morality of the time period written about (elephants stamping on small children while the narrator and her fair ruling father watch?). I'm fine with that. Yet, at the same time I felt the author expected me, the reader, to continually shut off that same acceptance of past ethics/principles (father sending happy daughter off to tryst with lover for the the sake of love, a much more modern reading, I would say), and turn it back on again for the sake of the story (father marrying favorite daughter to previously mentioned worst husband ever for no particular gain, as far as I could see). It was disconcerting. I wanted some sort of consistency.
Not my favorite.