My Rating - 5 out of 5 stars
Publisher - Picador
Genre - Mythological Fiction
Publishing year - 2008
Language - English
ISBN - 978-0-330-45853-5
Pages - 360
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is based on the Indian epic the Mahabharata, written by sage Vyasa. In this book, the story is narrated from Panchali's perspective, also known as Draupadi, wife of five Pandavas, and mistress of the breathtaking and stupendous palace.
Panchali was headstrong but an egoistic and restless woman. Her harsh words led to the end of an era, but it was entirely not her fault. She was just a pawn or instrument in God's play. The women were considered their husband's property.
Publisher - Picador
Genre - Mythological Fiction
Publishing year - 2008
Language - English
ISBN - 978-0-330-45853-5
Pages - 360
Book Review -
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is based on the Indian epic the Mahabharata, written by sage Vyasa. In this book, the story is narrated from Panchali's perspective, also known as Draupadi, wife of five Pandavas, and mistress of the breathtaking and stupendous palace.
Panchali was headstrong but an egoistic and restless woman. Her harsh words led to the end of an era, but it was entirely not her fault. She was just a pawn or instrument in God's play. The women were considered their husband's property.
They have to do whatever they told them to, which leads Panchali to a lifelong shame when her husband Yudhisthir loses their kingdom, his younger brothers Bheem, Arjun, Nakul, and Sahdev in a gamble to his cousin brother, Duryodhana in Hastinapur.
On that sad day, Yudhisthir crossed all the limits and played a gamble on Panchali and lost her too. Duryodhana and his brother Dussasan humiliate her in front of everyone. No one comes to her rescue except Krishna.
All of her husbands stay still and watch the disgraceful act, including the great warriors like Karna, Drona, and Bhishma. The age-old rivalry between Pandavas and Kauravas played out in the ground of Kurukshetra, which is considered the end of Dvapar Yug.
Mahabharat is one of the most intriguing read. It has hundreds of stories, all interconnected. My favourite characters from this epic are Karna and Abhimanyu. The Palace of Illusions is a short version of Mahabharata; one can learn all the specific facts by reading it.
Mahabharat is one of the most intriguing read. It has hundreds of stories, all interconnected. My favourite characters from this epic are Karna and Abhimanyu. The Palace of Illusions is a short version of Mahabharata; one can learn all the specific facts by reading it.
Panchali and his brother Dhristadyumna were born from the Yajna fire. She craves true love, but all she gets is humiliation. Even after being married to five men, her hidden feelings for another man were a cause of her inner turmoil and suffering.
She was considered the reason for millions of widows and fatherless children, but she didn't care. She wants vengeance, no matter what the cost. She lost all her loved ones in the end and died alone. Her husbands were so engrossed in their journey that they couldn't return to the woman who stayed with them in their troubled times.
I am so glad that I picked this book, as I already knew most of the stories, but reading it from a female perspective is a new thing. I love the cover page. The language is straightforward.
I've loved this book. Mythology was never my forte but this book intrigued me to and I started liking mythology based fiction books
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know. I love mythological fiction books. Enjoy reading!!
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