At our last book group meeting, one of the members used the word “turgid” in a condensending manner to describe out next book (which was particularly funny because she did not know that it was our next book).  Now that I have finished the book, I thought that I would look up the definition:

turgid     
1. Distended beyond the natural state by some internal agent, especially fluid, or expansive force.
2.  (of language or style) Tediously pompous or bombastic.

This is my new favorite word.  This is my word for the book! I  really enjoyed reading the book, but to some extent, it came across more like a science fiction book, where they have a created a society (like Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders Series).

I don’t have great knowledge of the great societies of the 1600’s, but some things just did seem right. So, I did a little research (what did I ever do before Wikipedia?) on the Taj Mahal.  A few things fit (the relationship between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal), other did not (after the death of their father Jahanara and Aurangzeb were reconciled).  It seems that there may even be a better story around Jahanara’s jealous younger (by 3 years)  sister Roshanara who was never mentioned.  "She was a brilliant woman, talented poetess, and the mastermind behind Aurangazeb's accession to the Mughal throne and one of the most notorious women in the Mughal kingdom by the time of her death in late 1671." She seemed quite evil – to bad she was not included, it would have made for a great sequel!  There also seemed to be some rule against marriage for the Princesses (again, not jiving with the story)

So, a good turgid story, just don’t mind the details regarding historical accuracy.