This is the first historical fiction book I have read on Rajasthan. A fictionalised biography of Maharaj Kumar of whom little is known except that he was the son of the famous Rana Sangha of Mewar and the husband of Meerabai . Nagarkar has carried out a lot of research into Rajput history of those times and he sets his story against the backdrop of real events. The descriptions bring you to India in 1600. The writing is smart, fun and captivating. The author has chosen such a topic for his novel that is not very common in the history of fiction. To know the historical characters we do have to rely upon the history books or documents preserved in the libraries. That too sometimes seems boring. But Nagarkar has taken the boring and tough job and made his way to that bygone era. The novel is a work of fiction but sometimes he has taken literal liberties but that are too to suit his purpose of writing.

The story revolves around Maharaj Kumar. Married to a wife who loves someone else, he struggles to rescue Chittor from hostile elements - both internal and external. Maharaj Kumar is a brave warrior and a forward thinker who plans many grand and innovative schemes like a water and sewage system for the fort, a brilliant tactician who prefers to watch his enemy in action and then plan an attack as opposed to the straight on confrontation preferred by Rajputs of those times, who ultimately becomes a victim of his circumstances. Politics, scheming, spies, romance, affairs, eunuchs, concubines, cheating wives – everything is there in this novel. I felt transported to Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh and it was as if I had been there, the colours of Chittorgarh all coming alive in front of my eyes. It is an absolute page turner and is a must for people who are in love with Rajasthan and its splendour. There is a lot of research that has gone into this book and it is evident in the manner in which he describes the war strategies and the mechanism of gathering intelligence about enemy position etc. of those times. There is ample attention to detail and one feels as if one has known the characters personally for a long time.

I wish we could have more of such books which talk about the grandeur as well as the history of Rajasthan. To be honest I was looking for more of Ranga Sanga and Meera bai. And i felt drag in parts.

Interesting Read.

I am unsure, at the end of this delightful tome, who it is about. There is no reasoning with the majnoo. A brutal story.

This book has entirely too many words…

When I first started reading Cuckold I didn't really like it all that much. It took a while to grow on me but eventually I fell in love with it simply because it was rooted in history.

History has always been one of my favourite subjects and to read about a prince about whom very little is known about historically was well, interesting. Cuckold is the story of Maharaj Kumar or Bhojraj as he is known (the eldest son of Rana Sangha of Mewar) and more popularly known as the husband of Mirabai (a Hindu mystic poet & saint who considered Lord Krishna as her husband).

Cuckold is a fictional story with history as its base. While most events are true, they are embellished by the author to create a sweeping masterpiece of powerful Hindu kingdom in the 14th century. It is a challenging book to read. Not because it is over 600 pages but because you'll find yourself using google to cross-reference all the historical things of note. And there's a lot to research - people, places, delicacies, monuments. The story itself is engrossing and entertaining. Safe to say, if you are a history buff, this book's a treat.

Delightful reading! I'm very surprised at actually enjoying this one so much.

What a brilliant piece of literature! This book had me in its throes, dragging me back to its side, no matter where I was, making me talk about it, think about it and not rest in peace till I finish it.

I loved the narration, the plot, the pace of the story, each of the characters for all their strengths and weaknesses and the story told.

Exceptional English literature like this on subjects like history are the reason why I read books, for the time travel I get to do.

I was in the palace at Chittor under the Parijat tree inhaling the breeze. I felt the dread as the ten thousand soldiers of Gujarat are massacred. I got scared for the Little Saint and her life. I felt the disgust at Rani Karmavati.

I felt for the Maharaj Kumar every time the circumstances made him a cuckold and I loved him for what he was, a flawed yet strong human being, a smart and great warrior, doomed lover, the forever son-in-waiting yet the courteous one. He felt like both the hero and the anti-hero, a character I haven't imagined too!

I felt every thing all the characters went through and I tasted adrenaline through the wars and smiled through the light moments.
I haven't read something this engrossing, larger than life and all-encompassing in a long time.

This is probably one of the best books I’ve read this year. It was funny, intense, dramatic, romantic and everything else. I loved the beginning and the middle and the ending. I fantasised about Greeneyes and I could somehow relate to the innermost thoughts of the Cuckold. I wanted to read more about Kausalya and Leelavati, a bit more about the Little Saint, but I made my peace with that nice ending Kiran has given to the story.

I generally judge Indian authors differently from Western authors and give them more leeway. This book shook my perceptions on Indian writing and my biggest joy was that this was written by an Indian with literary flair.

This is one of the best books I have read in the recent past and like some earlier reviewers mentioned, I found it sad towards the end as I didn't want it to end.

The book was an extremely well-written historical novel portraying the memoirs of the Prince of Chittor and the husband of one of India's most favourite saints, Meera Bai. I had visited all the places mentioned 2 years ago and could literally feel as walking through the times and turmoils of the prince as he described the story.

The plot shifts from his internal issues with Meera as well as very vividly portrays the scheming political situation of the Mewar Kingdom. Historically accurate about the cultures at that time, what blew my mind was the writing. I had read other Indian novels about our history including the Moghuls one but everyone else concentrated only on a few aspects and the language structure was very modern like reading a Chetan Bhagat book.However this book felt like a modern translation of the prince's memoirs.

The book also had many symbollic moments and many philosophical discussions which represented the Prince's thoughts. These parts also made for very interesting reading since they provided a context and then hit you with very hard ideas so that it was easier to relate to them.

Do yourself a favour and read this book as soon as you can grab your hands on it.