Book Description:

From the internationally bestselling author of The Twentieth Wife, a novel based on the tumultuous history of a legendary 186-carat diamond 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 worlds most famous diamonds.

My Thoughts:

First, sorry for the lateness of this review.  Time slipped away from me and now I am trying to catch up.

When offered the ebook for review, I jumped at the chance!  I loved Indu Sundaresan’s The Twentieth Wife!

The Mountain of Light hops around from century to century, so instead of getting into the many characters and period of time, I am just going to give you my opinion.

Some centuries and the character’s within them were captured more fully than ever.  To me, it read more like a book of linked short stories than a novel.  The beginning was glossed over very quickly.  I would just start to get settled in the story and then it jumped. Some parts were more vivid and detailed.  It was the later centuries I that I liked best.

The Kohinoor diamond was really the central character.  Yes, of course it was the plot too.  It was about it’s captivating beauty and worth.  People possessed it and people fought over it.

I love books with settings in India and The Mountain of Light was worth the read, just for that alone.  It did not disappoint.  I would have like to have gotten to know some of the characters better.  I really like character studies but because The Mountain of Light centered around the jewel, it’s self, it was not character driven enough for me.  However, because of the other assets of the book, I still recommend it, especially for those who love settings in India and other Asian lands close to it.

4/5

I received the ebook for my honest opinion.

About Indu Sundaresan:

Indu Sundaresan was born in India and grew up on Air Force bases all over the country. Her father, a fighter pilot, was also a storyteller—managing to keep his audiences captive and rapt with his flair for drama and timing. He got this from his father, Indu’s grandfather, whose visits were always eagerly awaited. Indu’s love of stories comes from both of them, from hearing their stories based on imagination and rich Hindu mythology, and from her father’s writings.

After an undergraduate degree in economics from India, Indu came to the U.S. for graduate school at the University of Delaware. But all too soon, the storytelling gene beckoned.