#i also primarily read ebooks now so if it's something super old i'll probably need to get a paper copy of it

[maharanis]

Honestly delighted to see someone else who loves Nur Jahan as much as I do. I have been on a book spree recently and just read Indu Sundaresan's novels on her, and meh. It was like Memoirs of a Geisha set in the Mughal times, except that the main character is largely unlikeable and a Mary Sue. The show is pretty bad too. You could try reading Harold Lamb's Nur Mahal, it is fantastic and does better justice, although the language is quite archaic.

hi there - the delight is likewise! Nur Jahan is such an intriguing figure and she (along with other WOCs of history) deserves more attention!

I actually enjoyed Sundaresan’s first novel (The Twentieth Wife) in terms of it being a good intro for people to start learning more about the Mughal Empire beyond the basis of the Taj Mahal. I read it a few years ago, so I can’t remember having major issues with it off the top of my head - however, I wasn’t a huge fan of the other two novels which make up her Taj Trilogy (especially Shadow Princess - I found the writing style to have gone downhill and the prose less vivid/engaging). 

The show (Siyaasat) was ok, but sort of bland. That said, what I’m actually surprised about is that tumblr didn’t take to it the way it did to Muhteşem Yüzyıl / Magnificent Century. Maybe because it wasn’t compelling or dramatic or westernized enough (even though MC’s melodrama/soap-opera moments did bug me as a viewer)?? 

But thanks for stopping by my askbox & thanks for the book rec too! I’m always looking for more books on the Gunpowder Empires even if it is historical fiction. I’ll see if I can find Lamb’s book on Amazon or something, because I’m a sucker for any content. Like I mentioned in a previous response, I’m really looking forward to this upcoming book by Ruby Lal coming out in July. :)