The Mountain of Light
A Novel
-
-
4.0 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $15.99
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
From the internationally bestselling author of The Twentieth Wife, a novel based on the tumultuous history of a legendary 186-carat diamond—originating in India—and the men and women who possessed it.
As empires rose and fell and mighty kings jostled for power, its glittering radiance never dimmed. It is the “Mountain of Light”—the Kohinoor diamond—and its facets reflect a sweeping story of love, adventure, conquest, and betrayal. Its origins are the stuff of myth, but for centuries this spectacular gem changes hands from one ruler to another in India, Persia, and Afghanistan. In 1850, the ancient stone is sent halfway around the world where it will play a pivotal role in the intertwined destinies of a boy-king of India and a young queen of England—a queen who claims the Mountain of Light and India itself for her own burgeoning empire, the most brilliant jewels in her imperial crown.
The Mountain of Light is a magnificent story of loss and recovery, sweeping change and enduring truth, wrapped around the glowing heart of one of the world’s most famous diamonds.
Customer Reviews
Slow and muddled plot line
Typically, I love Sundaresan’s writings. I truly enjoy historical fiction; fact mixed with a bit of imagination where there are gaps. And generally, she does this well. However, this particular piece is painful to read. Her writing seems scattered and her characters are underdeveloped. The second the reader immerses himself in a plot line, she shifts entirely to a new set of characters and circumstances with no common thread connecting the stories. Midway through the book I feel I’ve read a series of short stories, all
somehow loosely connected to the kohinoor diamond. I understand that the reader needs to dedicate some time to developing the characters and plot lines however half way through the book we should start to see the connections.
I am disappointed in this piece. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve failed to finish a book, but I don’t have the patience to sit through Sundaresan’s disjointed storyline this time.