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The Twentieth Wife Audiobook

The Twentieth Wife Audiobook, by Indu Sundaresan Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Sneha Mathan Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 9.33 hours at 1.5x Speed 7.00 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: July 2009 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781483065571

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

21

Longest Chapter Length:

79:16 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

21:14 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

40:10 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

5

Other Audiobooks Written by Indu Sundaresan: > View All...

Publisher Description

An enchanting historical epic of grand passion and adventure, this debut novel tells the captivating story of one of India’s most controversial empresses, a woman whose brilliance and determination trumped myriad obstacles and whose love shaped the course of the Mughal Empire.

Skillfully blending the textures of historical reality with the rich and sensual imaginings of a timeless fairy tale, The Twentieth Wife sweeps listeners up in Mehrunnisa’s embattled love with Prince Salim, and in the bedazzling destiny of a woman, a legend in her own time, who was all but lost to history until now.

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"Great 15th century Indian historic fiction! Engaging and fast read. Story of the Emperor's decades long love affair who finally becomes his twentieth wife; his only marriage arranged out of deep and passionate love instead of political arrangement. Need to check out the sequel next."

— Kate (4 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “[Sundaresan] regales us with a wonderfully plausible story shimmering with saffron and splendor. Sneha Mathan’s rich voice, with its depth and variety of accents, tinged with a hint of British India, sweeps us into this exotic world…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.

    — AudioFile
  • “The narration is splendid, and the large number of exotic-to-Western-ears Hindi words, names, and phrases shine in Mathan’s deep, rich, beautiful voice with a British inflection.” 

    — Kliatt
  • “Sundaresan writes in the great tradition of the Indian epic, an art she carries forward with grace and brilliance…A remarkably readable book.”

    — Library Journal
  • “A sweeping, carefully researched tale of desire, sexual mores, and political treachery set against the backdrop of sixteenth and seventeenth century India…describing life in the royal court in convincing detail and employing authentic period terms throughout.”

    — Publishers Weekly
  • “Mathan smoothly indicates the sophistication of Mughal Empire royals and the few who are qualified to serve them. Her range deepens resonantly when reading the male characters; she is especially convincing in the role of Prince Salim, who is worshiped by the bold and witty Mehrunnisa. Mathan also does a good job with the many Indian words that comprise the text.”

    — Booklist

Awards

  • Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award

The Twentieth Wife Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.86046511627907 out of 53.86046511627907 out of 53.86046511627907 out of 53.86046511627907 out of 53.86046511627907 out of 5 (3.86)
5 Stars: 11
4 Stars: 19
3 Stars: 11
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 2
Narration: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 (5.00)
5 Stars: 2
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 (4.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 2
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    — 1/15/2025
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    — 1/15/2025
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Beautifully written! Sundesaran weaves the story with such vivid detail. I felt like I was there! Would highly recommend this book. "

    — Naila, 2/20/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This book was given to me by a friend and recommended. Once I got into the book it read really quickly. It's your typical historical fiction with a heavy romance thread. I have to admit I think the book's title gives the eventual ending away, so there's not much suspense. Still the world of the book, 15th century India, full of harems, emperor's, jewels and fighting is an interesting one, richly and lushly detailed in the book. It's a fun read. "

    — Simone, 2/18/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This was a really wonderful and easy read. Lots of entanglement, suspense and interesting characters. However, it went on and on. If the author had brought it to a conclusion earlier, I would have rated it much higher. "

    — Sheri, 2/13/2014
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " The characterization was lacking, so I stopped reading this. "

    — April, 2/3/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Fascinating historical fiction about early India. "

    — Jan, 2/1/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Fascinating glimpse into harem life in ancient India. "

    — Lynda, 1/27/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Really enjoyed this book. Love this author's style of writing! "

    — Maryam, 1/23/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This book is really great but the second one is even better. "

    — Whitney, 1/20/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Loved this book. Good way to learn some history and read a great novel at the same time. "

    — Anjali, 1/20/2014

About Indu Sundaresan

Indu Sundaresan was born in India to a long line of storytellers. After an undergraduate degree in economics, she came to the United States for graduate school at the University of Delaware, where her passion for writing soon took over. Her first novel, The Twentieth Wife, was awarded the 2003 Washington State Book Award.

About Sneha Mathan

Sneha Mathan is a voice actor and audiobook narrator. Her audiobook work has received several Earphones awards, and she is a three-time Audie Award finalist. She lives in Seattle.