---
product_id: 12179093
title: "The Twentieth Wife: A Novel"
price: "$12.45"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/12179093-the-twentieth-wife-a-novel
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# The Twentieth Wife: A Novel

**Price:** $12.45
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** The Twentieth Wife: A Novel
- **How much does it cost?** $12.45 with free shipping
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## Description

desertcart.com: The Twentieth Wife: A Novel: 9780743428187: Sundaresan, Indu: Books

Review: A wonderful and outstanding book - Although it moves slowly at times, the story is amazing and the writing superb. I enjoyed every minute reading this novel.
Review: Well done and captivating. - This is Indu Sundaresan's first novel, and I have to say, dam good for a first! The story is based on real people and events, and is enhanced by Sundaresan's romantic imagination. The descriptions bring you to India in 1600's by including details on foods, scents, colors, customs that were intelligently elaborate and well researched. The writing is smart, fun and captivating. The story is about Mehrunissa, the daughter of refugees, who's family climbs the social ladder. At age 8, she finds herself mesmerized by Salim, the future heir to the throne. She immediately thinks he is beautiful and later develops feelings for him, and through the years she dreams of becoming one of his wives. She is enthralled by the power struggles within the harem and learns to make the right alliances. Even if the allience parties have their own agendas for befriending her. Salim's feelings for her are also very interesting. While reading other scenes I was looking forward to their next meeting. Mehrunissa was a real pip. Definitely a woman ahead of her time. She transcends from a child in a poor family, who cannot afford to feed her, to one of the most powerful women in the History of India. This is an inspiring and very romantic story. I am sure that Historical Fiction fans, as well as anyone that enjoys a well written and romantic story, will find it truly delightful.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #110,196 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #653 in Romantic Action & Adventure #1,295 in Family Saga Fiction #6,394 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Book 1 of 3  | Taj Trilogy |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,936) |
| Dimensions  | 5.31 x 1.2 x 8.25 inches |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| ISBN-10  | 0743428188 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0743428187 |
| Item Weight  | 12.8 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 416 pages |
| Publication date  | February 18, 2003 |
| Publisher  | Atria Books |

## Images

![The Twentieth Wife: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ZbgS06MML.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A wonderful and outstanding book
*by L***E on November 20, 2025*

Although it moves slowly at times, the story is amazing and the writing superb. I enjoyed every minute reading this novel.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well done and captivating.
*by A***N on July 20, 2005*

This is Indu Sundaresan's first novel, and I have to say, dam good for a first! The story is based on real people and events, and is enhanced by Sundaresan's romantic imagination. The descriptions bring you to India in 1600's by including details on foods, scents, colors, customs that were intelligently elaborate and well researched. The writing is smart, fun and captivating. The story is about Mehrunissa, the daughter of refugees, who's family climbs the social ladder. At age 8, she finds herself mesmerized by Salim, the future heir to the throne. She immediately thinks he is beautiful and later develops feelings for him, and through the years she dreams of becoming one of his wives. She is enthralled by the power struggles within the harem and learns to make the right alliances. Even if the allience parties have their own agendas for befriending her. Salim's feelings for her are also very interesting. While reading other scenes I was looking forward to their next meeting. Mehrunissa was a real pip. Definitely a woman ahead of her time. She transcends from a child in a poor family, who cannot afford to feed her, to one of the most powerful women in the History of India. This is an inspiring and very romantic story. I am sure that Historical Fiction fans, as well as anyone that enjoys a well written and romantic story, will find it truly delightful.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Splendor and love and plain old fashioned storytelling! I loved it!
*by L***C on July 1, 2006*

This historical novel is based on facts of the late 16th and early 17th century rule of the Mughal Empire in India. The main character, Mahrunnisa, was real - a woman who married the Emperor when she was no longer young, and who then ruled the Empire with him. The story is sweeping and romantic. To be honest, I read the first 50 pages of the book and decided not to read any more. It seemed formulaic at first. And I also have a politically correct streak in me about books always being written about empires rather than common people. And so I put the book in my give-away pile. Then I went to sleep and when I woke up I was thinking about the story. And so, I raced home that evening, picked up the book, and read another 150 pages at once, gobbling the book up in big chunks until I had thoroughly read and enjoyed all 396 pages. What a book! What a story! What an interesting history lesson! The Mughal Empire was so vast and so rich that it was inevitable that there would be lots of in-fighting for the throne. The Empire had a harem but only one of his sons could be Emperor. Competition was ugly. Wars were fought. Lives were lost. There was splendor and love and plain old fashioned good storytelling with the violence real but understated, as was the romance. I was totally captivated. I loved it the book so much I am ordering the sequel. Can't wait to read it.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Twentieth Wife: A Novel
- Shadow Princess: A Novel

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-02-26*