The Palace of Illusions
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- Create Date：2021-11-14 06:55:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- ISBN：1400096200
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Summary
Taking us back to a time that is half history， half myth and wholly magical， The Palace of Illusions gives new voice to Panchaali， the fire-born heroine of the Mahabharat， as she weaves a vibrant interpretation of an ancient tale。 Married to five royal husbands who have been cheated out of their father's kingdom， Panchaali aids their quest to reclaim their birthright， remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war。 But she cannot deny her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna—or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy—as she is caught up in the ever-manipulating hands of fate。
Reviews
Amala Peri
，
My prior knowledge of the Mahabharata helped me a lot， getting through this book。 The Mahabharata is a huge epic。 Every character has their own stories and it's like a web that just never ends。 The author did a wonderful job containing it。 It was fun everytime I came across a line in the plot that reminded me of its respective story， making me aware of the insane expanse of the Mahabharata universe。 Beautiful book。 My prior knowledge of the Mahabharata helped me a lot， getting through this book。 The Mahabharata is a huge epic。 Every character has their own stories and it's like a web that just never ends。 The author did a wonderful job containing it。 It was fun everytime I came across a line in the plot that reminded me of its respective story， making me aware of the insane expanse of the Mahabharata universe。 Beautiful book。 。。。more
Ooi Ghee Leng
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Absolutely brilliant retelling of Mahabharata！
Azita Rassi
，
Beautiful。 I am eager to attend the book club discussion on this book to find out if my Indian friends find the tale as mesmerizing as I do even though they learn the story details with their names？
Lindsey
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Simply captivating。
Prashanth Bhat
，
Palace of illusions - chitra banerjee divakaruniಮಹಾಭಾರತ ಎಂಬುದು ಸಾಗರ ಇದ್ದ ಹಾಗೆ。 ನೂರಾರು ಲೇಖಕರು ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗು ಹಾಕಿ ತಮ ತಮಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಮುತ್ತುಗಳ ಹೆಕ್ಕಿ ತಂದು ಮಾಲೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ。 ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವರು ಅವನ್ನು ಬಗ್ಗಡದ ರಾಶಿ ಎಂದು ತಪ್ಪಾಗಿ ಭಾವಿಸಿ ಹಾಗೇ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ。 ಅವರವರ ನೋಟ。ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಬಹಳ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಿ ಪಡೆದಂತಹದ್ದು。 ಇದು ಇಡೀ ಭಾರತವ ದ್ರೌಪದಿಯ ಕಣ್ಣಿನಿಂದ ಮರುನಿರೂಪಿಸುತ್ತದೆ。 ಗಟ್ಟಿ 'ಫೆಮಿನಿಸ್ಟ್' ಭಾವಗಳ ಹೊಂದಿದ ಕಾರಣ ಈ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಿ ಅಂತೀರಾ？ ಇರಲಿಕ್ಕಿಲ್ಲ。 ಯಾಕೆಂದರೆ ಕೊನೆಯ ಕೆಲವು ಪುಟಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಕುರಿತಾದ ಭಾವದ ತೀವ್ರತೆ ಸಾವಿರದೆಂಟು ಸಲ ಓದಿ ಕೇಳಿ ಕಥೆಯಾಗಿ ರಕ್ತದಲ್ Palace of illusions - chitra banerjee divakaruniಮಹಾಭಾರತ ಎಂಬುದು ಸಾಗರ ಇದ್ದ ಹಾಗೆ。 ನೂರಾರು ಲೇಖಕರು ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗು ಹಾಕಿ ತಮ ತಮಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಮುತ್ತುಗಳ ಹೆಕ್ಕಿ ತಂದು ಮಾಲೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ。 ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವರು ಅವನ್ನು ಬಗ್ಗಡದ ರಾಶಿ ಎಂದು ತಪ್ಪಾಗಿ ಭಾವಿಸಿ ಹಾಗೇ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ。 ಅವರವರ ನೋಟ。ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಬಹಳ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಿ ಪಡೆದಂತಹದ್ದು。 ಇದು ಇಡೀ ಭಾರತವ ದ್ರೌಪದಿಯ ಕಣ್ಣಿನಿಂದ ಮರುನಿರೂಪಿಸುತ್ತದೆ。 ಗಟ್ಟಿ 'ಫೆಮಿನಿಸ್ಟ್' ಭಾವಗಳ ಹೊಂದಿದ ಕಾರಣ ಈ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಿ ಅಂತೀರಾ？ ಇರಲಿಕ್ಕಿಲ್ಲ。 ಯಾಕೆಂದರೆ ಕೊನೆಯ ಕೆಲವು ಪುಟಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಕುರಿತಾದ ಭಾವದ ತೀವ್ರತೆ ಸಾವಿರದೆಂಟು ಸಲ ಓದಿ ಕೇಳಿ ಕಥೆಯಾಗಿ ರಕ್ತದಲ್ಲೇ ಬೆರೆತು ಹೋದರೂ ಮತ್ತೆ ಭಾವವ ಉದ್ದೀಪಿಸುವಂತಹದ್ದು。 ಅಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆ。 ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಗದ್ಯ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಸರಳವಾಗಿದೆ。ಕಥೆಯ ನಿರೂಪಣೆಯಾಗಲೀ ದ್ರೌಪದಿಯ ಸ್ವಗತಗಳಾಗಲೀ ಅವಳ ಮನ ಹೊಕ್ಕು ಹೇಳಿದಷ್ಟು ಪರಿಣಾಮಕಾರಿಯಾಗಿದೆ。 ಇದು ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧಿ ಪಡೆದದ್ದರಲ್ಲಿ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ ಇಲ್ಲ。ಆದರೆ。。。ಆದರೆ ಅದು ಮಹಾಭಾರತ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲದವರಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ！ಯಾಕೆ ಹೇಳಿ？ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ದ್ರೌಪದಿಯ ಮನಸು ಸೋಲುತ್ತದೆ。 ಗುಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಆಕೆ ಒಬ್ಬನ ಇಷ್ಟಪಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ。 ಆತ ಯಾರು？ಕರ್ಣ！ಇಲ್ಲ。ರಹಸ್ಯ ಒಡೆದದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇಸರ ಇಲ್ಲ。ಫೆಮಿನಿಸ್ಟ್ ಗಟ್ಟಿ ದನಿ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರಲ್ಲಿ ಪರ ಗಂಡಸರ ಸಹವಾಸವನ್ನೇ ಅದರ ದ್ಯೋತಕ ಎಂಬಂತೆ ಬಿಂಬಿಸುವ ಒಂದು ಚಾಳಿ ಇದೆ。 ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲ ಚಂದದ ರಂಗೋಲಿ ಕರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಡಿಸಿದ ಹಾಗಾಗಿದೆ ಇದರ ಕಥೆ。ಮಹಾಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಿದವರಿಗೆ ದ್ರೌಪದಿಗೆ ಕರ್ಣನ ಮೇಲಿದ್ದ ಸಿಟ್ಟು ，ದ್ವೇಷ ರೋಷವಾಗಿದ್ದದ್ದು ಗೊತ್ತು。ಲೇಖಕಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ。ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದಿ， ' ಅರೆ！ ಇಂತಹ ವಿವಾದಾಸ್ಪದ ವಿಷಯ ಯಾಕೆ ಗಣನೆಗೆ ಬಂದಿಲ್ಲ ' ಎಂದು ಹುಡುಕಾಡಿದೆ。ತಮಾಷೆ ಅಂದರೆ ಇಂತಹ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಗಳ ಪಾಶ್ಚಾತ್ಯ ಓದುಗರು ಇದನ್ನೇ ನಿಜ ಅಂದುಕೊಂಡಿರುವುದು。ಮಹಾಭಾರತ，ರಾಮಾಯಣ ಎಲ್ಲ ಇಂಡಿಯನ್ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಲೇಖಕರ ಕೈಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿ ಛಿದ್ರ ವಿಚ್ಛಿದ್ರವಾಗುವ ಹೊತ್ತಿದು。 ಪುರಾಣಗಳ ರೋಚಕಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಹಪಾಹಪಿಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ಅಮಿಶ್‌ನಂತಹ ಲೇಖಕರು ಒಂದು ಕಡೆ，ಪುರಾಣಗಳ ತಲೆ ಬುಡ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲದೆ， ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯಿಂದ ಹೇಳಿ ಪುರಾಣಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನ ಮಾಡುವ ದೇವದತ್ತ ಪಟ್ಟನಾಯಕ ತರಹದ ಮುಠ್ಠಾಳರು ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಕಡೆ。ಇದನ್ನು ಬರಿಯ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಆಗಿ ಓದಿದರೆ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆ。 ಆದರೆ 。。。 ಮಹಾಭಾರತವ ಓದುವಾಗ ಹೀಗೆಲ್ಲ ಮನಸಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂತು ಎಂದು ಅವರೇ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಂಡದ್ದು ಓದಿದಾಗ ಕೆಡುಕೆನಿಸಿತು。ಅಂದ ಹಾಗೆ ಈಕೆಯ ಇತರ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿವೆ。 ಓದಿದವರಿಗೆ ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗುವ ಶೈಲಿಯದ್ದು。 。。。more
Pema Thinley
，
No， sorry
Gayathri Jayakumar
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A fresh perspective into the thoughts and experiences of Paanchaali， something classic， but human。 This shows intricately and precisely what storms of emotions would this epic heroine would have gone through and paints the entire tale Mahabharata in a new light， a more "human" light。 A fresh perspective into the thoughts and experiences of Paanchaali， something classic， but human。 This shows intricately and precisely what storms of emotions would this epic heroine would have gone through and paints the entire tale Mahabharata in a new light， a more "human" light。 。。。more
Radha
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A particularly interesting insight on Draupadi’s view of Mahabharat。 I like how the author tells us her pre story and post war story。 Definitely a good read especially for those who have read/watched the original Mahabharat。
Sree Ammu
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Historical stories are not only about wars， this is about people's choice！ That makes MAHABHARATA an epic which in the point of PANCHALI is for her feelings towards the palace！。。Reading an epic in the view of PANCHALI was mesmerising！ Never realised the pain and happiness in panchali's part in movies and other shows ！ 。。This was an amazing experience to know a part of women in history ❤️！ Historical stories are not only about wars， this is about people's choice！ That makes MAHABHARATA an epic which in the point of PANCHALI is for her feelings towards the palace！。。Reading an epic in the view of PANCHALI was mesmerising！ Never realised the pain and happiness in panchali's part in movies and other shows ！ 。。This was an amazing experience to know a part of women in history ❤️！ 。。。more
Shashank Kachhara
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Magical realism， that's what grab attention to the last page。 Protagonist was not a perfect character and that's what made it interesting and relatable。 Magical realism， that's what grab attention to the last page。 Protagonist was not a perfect character and that's what made it interesting and relatable。 。。。more
Ashutosh Chandekar
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Review - Book No。 23 for 2021。Another good book from a female author for the year。 As soon as I read the book summary， I found it interesting because I have never read this genre before; although it can’t exactly be called mythological since it is a re-telling of one。 It didn’t disappoint though， to most extent。 It was good to read through the events from a different perspective。 It feels like it was rushed a lot at different points of the story but Mahabharata story in itself is quite intriguin Review - Book No。 23 for 2021。Another good book from a female author for the year。 As soon as I read the book summary， I found it interesting because I have never read this genre before; although it can’t exactly be called mythological since it is a re-telling of one。 It didn’t disappoint though， to most extent。 It was good to read through the events from a different perspective。 It feels like it was rushed a lot at different points of the story but Mahabharata story in itself is quite intriguing so it didn’t affect overall reading experience much。 In between I kept feeling that it would have been good to get someone else’s perspective too but shouldn’t really complain。 Been generally going through a slow reading phase otherwise this seems like an easy read as well。 Good read if you are interested in this genre， so give this a try！ 。。。more
Preetisagar Talukdar
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Its beautifully written， the character development and structure are very well defined。 Loved to read a different perspective， that too from the view of Drapaudi。
Kavya Bhardwaj
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The Mahabharata was an absolute mystery to me until this read。 Ugly cried towards the end。 A great narration by a strong， feminine， self aware and reliable character。
Divyani
，
Sometimes you find the right book， at other times the right book finds you。 In this case， it was the latter。 This book found me in a café I wasn't expecting to find books in and as I started reading， I found that I couldn't stop。 Brilliant retelling of one of the best stories India has to tell through the eyes of an often misunderstood woman。 Sometimes you find the right book， at other times the right book finds you。 In this case， it was the latter。 This book found me in a café I wasn't expecting to find books in and as I started reading， I found that I couldn't stop。 Brilliant retelling of one of the best stories India has to tell through the eyes of an often misunderstood woman。 。。。more
Magdelanye
，
What if there were， in truth， worlds upon worlds， invisible to ordinary mortals the way stars are in the daytime？ What if the gods did come down from time to time， to live among us and guide our destinies？ p157Were the stories that we told each other true？ Who knows？ At he best of times， a story is a slippery thing。 Certainly no one had told us this particular one， though it was the tale we most needed to know。 p15Ambitiously conceived， scrupulously researched and lushly written， CBD straddles m What if there were， in truth， worlds upon worlds， invisible to ordinary mortals the way stars are in the daytime？ What if the gods did come down from time to time， to live among us and guide our destinies？ p157Were the stories that we told each other true？ Who knows？ At he best of times， a story is a slippery thing。 Certainly no one had told us this particular one， though it was the tale we most needed to know。 p15Ambitiously conceived， scrupulously researched and lushly written， CBD straddles mythological history with the immediacy of familiar detail， revisioning the ancient text from the point of view of the overlooked women of the Mahabarta and expanding our definition of love。Perhaps that is the miracle of stories。 They make us realize that we are not alone in our folly and in our sufferings。 p278 。。。more
Ramesh Menon
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 When i started this book ， honestly i wasn’t as excited considering there numerous books out there in the market in which the Mahabharata is narrated from a perspective of a character 。 But the author has interwoven this tale so beautifully in this book ， the words are precise and sophisticated。 Some of the phrases in the chapter feels very poetic and esoteric to nature and life。 I like the archetypes of each characters was so， that of people we may encounter around us in real life Arjun （ Alpha When i started this book ， honestly i wasn’t as excited considering there numerous books out there in the market in which the Mahabharata is narrated from a perspective of a character 。 But the author has interwoven this tale so beautifully in this book ， the words are precise and sophisticated。 Some of the phrases in the chapter feels very poetic and esoteric to nature and life。 I like the archetypes of each characters was so， that of people we may encounter around us in real life Arjun （ Alpha Male ）Karna （ Sigma Male ）Draupadi （ Feminist ）Beeshma （ Red Pill Man ）Kunti （ Traditional Woman ）Yudhishthira （ Traditional Male ）Bhima （ Beta Male ） The interaction between these character mapped to their roles plays out perfectly like how the real world works。 I am glad that no character in the story is portrayed as white ， including Lord Krishna who also has his moments of outburst。 I am really glad to have read this book and would recommend others too。 。。。more
bingereader
，
This book is well written not gonna lie but， the plot， not unlike the original， was frustrating。 I had to read the original in class 7 or 8 for school， and all through out all i could wonder is how frustrated and helpless the women would have felt during the ordeal。 To read the book from their perspective was refreshing。 I would definitely want to read more books authored by Chitra Banerjee。
Raghav Sharma
，
The book applies modern day feminism to ancient India。 For example， skin tone was not an issue in Indian society until British colonialism。 Hindus worship Kali Ma and Krishna （both are dark skinned） and Draupati was one of the most beautiful women in Hindi texts （she was also dark skinned）。 As far as not teaching women the art of war goes， that too isn’t applicable to ancient India。 Sita was an able warrior as she could lift and string the bow that Lord Ram broke。 Kaikey （Ram’s stepmother） was a The book applies modern day feminism to ancient India。 For example， skin tone was not an issue in Indian society until British colonialism。 Hindus worship Kali Ma and Krishna （both are dark skinned） and Draupati was one of the most beautiful women in Hindi texts （she was also dark skinned）。 As far as not teaching women the art of war goes， that too isn’t applicable to ancient India。 Sita was an able warrior as she could lift and string the bow that Lord Ram broke。 Kaikey （Ram’s stepmother） was a great warrior that saved his father’s life in battle。 More research could have been done on the Hindu texts themselves instead of applying modern day issues to it。 There is also the love story between Karna and Draupati that makes no sense。 The titular character also comes off as immature as she is constantly talking about how others are attracted to her。 The tension between Kunti and Draupati is like a modern day “sass-bahu” drama。 This book is below average and is pseudo-intellectual when it comes to ancient Indian thought。 Making excuses for Draupati’s flaws （rejecting Karna based on caste） or just outright changing the story （as when Dryodhan falls in the pond， it is a maid that mocks him vs Draupati herself） does not progress feminism。 The original Mahabharata does not intend to forgive Duryodhan for what he did to Draupati as his revenge crossed the line of Dharma。 A woman’s flaws do not make it ok to humiliate her in such a way。 When you make Draupati flawless， you take away that aspect of the original。 。。。more
Sachi
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I loved this book， 5/5！Even though there were some things I didn't like， I still think the book was entertaining and fun read！things i liked- There are so many adaptations that show Krishna/Paanchali as fair skinned that I forgot that they are actually very dark in the original text。- The story of Shikhandi， a female turned male。 Hinduism could have been much more progressive if it weren't for colonialism。 - Paanchali had no maternal instinct and barely cared for her kids （I don't think her not I loved this book， 5/5！Even though there were some things I didn't like， I still think the book was entertaining and fun read！things i liked- There are so many adaptations that show Krishna/Paanchali as fair skinned that I forgot that they are actually very dark in the original text。- The story of Shikhandi， a female turned male。 Hinduism could have been much more progressive if it weren't for colonialism。 - Paanchali had no maternal instinct and barely cared for her kids （I don't think her not wanting kids was an option because of the societal mindset at the time。 I don't think her or any other women in the story realize they have an option）。- Paanchali questions the Gods。 - Her attraction to Karna and Krishna 💕things i wasn't a fan of- The whole power struggle between Paanchali and every other women in the story。 There are: her v Draupad’s other daughters， her v Draupad’s wives， her v Kunti （mother-in-law）， her v her husband’s wives （Subhadra & Hidimba）， her v Duroyodhan’s wife （Bhanumati）， her v Virat's Queen （Sudhesha）。 I think Paanchali wants to be equal to men - not fight for equality for all women。- Paanchali doesn't have ANY control。 She wants to change the course of history and have a legacy， but she isn't and doesn't do anything to do that。 Things happen to or for her。 - She also sacrifices herself A LOT for the men in her life and defers to their opinion。 Her feelings for Karna and Krishna govern her。 。。。more
Suvekshya
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Such a beautiful retelling！！
Purva Anand
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Creative liberty with an epic like the Mahabharata usually puts me off， quite like Amish Tripathi messes up in the Shiva Trilogy。 If something happened in a particular way， there have to be reasons behind it so the whole Draupadi-Karna angle was annoying to say the least。 Three stars for coming up with such a unique idea though。 Commendable in itself。 Only so much justice can be done to a voice never heard before。
Priya Gupta
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"Wait for a man to avenge your honor ， and you'll wait forever。"I have always hated the epic saga' Mahabharata' with all my being。 Once an ignorant（ read male chauvinist） colleague berated Draupadi for being the cause of the greatest war in the history of India， I couldn't keep shut。 Mahabharata didn't happen because of Draupadi。 It happened because of what was done by men to Draupadi。This reimagining of Mahabharata from Panchaali's POV can be best described as ummm。。 interesting。 I was really e "Wait for a man to avenge your honor ， and you'll wait forever。"I have always hated the epic saga' Mahabharata' with all my being。 Once an ignorant（ read male chauvinist） colleague berated Draupadi for being the cause of the greatest war in the history of India， I couldn't keep shut。 Mahabharata didn't happen because of Draupadi。 It happened because of what was done by men to Draupadi。This reimagining of Mahabharata from Panchaali's POV can be best described as ummm。。 interesting。 I was really excited to read a Female's take on this epic but was left disheartened。 At almost all the places， author has tried to imply that women have to be cunning to be heard， which could be true based on the prevailing times。 。。。more
Leanne Hale
，
3。5 stars， and the lower rating reflects me experience， not the book！ This is a beautifully written retelling of a Hindu myth。 I love a mythology retelling， but I know enough about Greek and Roman mythology that I go into those with a good bit of background。 I can't say the same about Hindu mythology， and it showed！ Many characters had multiple names， and I often couldn't tell if what was happening was real， a dream， or a vision。 I had to concentrate so hard that I think it took away from my enj 3。5 stars， and the lower rating reflects me experience， not the book！ This is a beautifully written retelling of a Hindu myth。 I love a mythology retelling， but I know enough about Greek and Roman mythology that I go into those with a good bit of background。 I can't say the same about Hindu mythology， and it showed！ Many characters had multiple names， and I often couldn't tell if what was happening was real， a dream， or a vision。 I had to concentrate so hard that I think it took away from my enjoyment of the story， which was compelling。 I loved the character development of the protagonist。 So I do recommend this， but have the time and focus to really give it the attention it needs and deserves。 。。。more
Urvashi Wangu
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I picked this one up intrigued by the fresh take from a woman's point of view of a saga we have been familiar with since young age。 And am glad I did because this one has left me mesmerised especially with the ending that it had。 A thoroughly enjoyable journey into the epic of Mahabharata！！ I picked this one up intrigued by the fresh take from a woman's point of view of a saga we have been familiar with since young age。 And am glad I did because this one has left me mesmerised especially with the ending that it had。 A thoroughly enjoyable journey into the epic of Mahabharata！！ 。。。more
Ashna Gupta
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A fascinating retelling of a story that I’ve always wanted to read - Written beautifully and from the point of view of a strong female character。 The whole story had me thinking about how to define / wrestle with the good and bad characteristics of humans and what makes someone good or bad。
Pooja Gupta
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Truly a magical read！ The story of Mahabharata unfolding through the eyes of Draupadi provides a fresh perspective to the events。 It was almost as if I was standing right in the middle of the Kurukshetra field and living the experiences。 The book has subtle ways of teaching you about life and emotions。 Loved it！
Bibliophile
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5 stars for the audible version！！ I loved the narration！ The story itself is of the ancient Indian Mega Epic - The Mahabharata， told from the perspective of the princess 'Draupadi'。 It's an ancient story， in a time of thousands of years ago， yet had a modern feel to it， esp in the thought process the author created for Draupadi。 A must read/listen for everyone who wants to know more about the epic， and doesnt have time to read it。 Ofcourse it does not talk about all the stories within the actual 5 stars for the audible version！！ I loved the narration！ The story itself is of the ancient Indian Mega Epic - The Mahabharata， told from the perspective of the princess 'Draupadi'。 It's an ancient story， in a time of thousands of years ago， yet had a modern feel to it， esp in the thought process the author created for Draupadi。 A must read/listen for everyone who wants to know more about the epic， and doesnt have time to read it。 Ofcourse it does not talk about all the stories within the actual epic， but it covers a lot of ground。 Do not take everything you read here to be factual （per the Mahabharata）， but it does give the reader a lot of food for thought。 The writing style is beautiful and flows easily。 I thoroughly enjoyed it - Audible is specially recommended。 。。。more
Bookashbutterfly
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𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞: 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬。𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 @𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 @𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 @𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐣𝐞𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐢🔖𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧🔖𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬~ ⭐⭐⭐⭐🔖 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲， 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡， 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥。 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐥𝐢， 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭， 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞: 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬。𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 @𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 @𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 @𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐣𝐞𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐢🔖𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧🔖𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬~ ⭐⭐⭐⭐🔖 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲， 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡， 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥。 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐥𝐢， 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭， 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞。🔖 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫！ 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤， 𝐈 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫， 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠。 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝。𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫。 。。。more
Manvendra Shekhawat
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The Palace of Illusions – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni I had presumed many things about this book。 At first， I was absolutely unaware of it being based on the Mahabharata， later I thought it to be a feminist take on the great epic。 It felt like a good time to let go of those inhibitions。 The cover image of City Palace， Jaipur had piqued my interest at some point of time and I had recently finished Gurcharan Das’ take on Mahabharata， So I was naturally inclined to read more on the epic。 This is a fi The Palace of Illusions – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni I had presumed many things about this book。 At first， I was absolutely unaware of it being based on the Mahabharata， later I thought it to be a feminist take on the great epic。 It felt like a good time to let go of those inhibitions。 The cover image of City Palace， Jaipur had piqued my interest at some point of time and I had recently finished Gurcharan Das’ take on Mahabharata， So I was naturally inclined to read more on the epic。 This is a fictional work but at no moment I deemed it necessary to treat it as such， it felt more like an interpretation of Mahabharata by a person through the looking glass of one central character of the story， Draupadi/Panchali/Krishnaa/Yajnaseni。 Mahabharata is a unique story in the sense that it doesn’t have one or two central characters although it looks like 5 brothers are the focal point of it but that isn’t really the case。 Thrown in are figures like， Karna， Bheeshma， Drona， Kunti， Duryodhana， Krishna， Vidura， Dhritarashtra， Gandhari and the central figure of this story， Panchali。 These characters and several other make the epic what it truly is and even the 5 brothers are a curious mix of personalities。 Although they remain together through thick and thin each one of them thinks differently。 Then come the question of right and wrong， moral and amoral， Dharma and Adharma， and these questions have plagued the epic throughout。 Each time I am brooding over an incident of the epic I am faced with a dilemma of deciding which side to take。 The answers are difficult to come by。 Dharma isn’t that simple or how Das liked to call it “Subtle”。 Panchali’s plight and the misdeed committed over the women of the epic were and are not that different from what women have been made to face in our 21st century world。 Yet it seems highly unlikely how that can be true。 No men are bound by the vows or promises by which men in the story were bound by， no woman is going to get married to 5 husbands at the same time， no one is going to start a Mahayuddha over such insults。 It is not the heroic things which are to be taken literally from the epic but the more subtle forms of discrimination。 Such treatment continues unabatedly。 What are we to make of that？ The nature of man hasn’t undergone significant changes in the past thousands of years？ It would become a bitter debate to have so I’ll casually shed my responsibility off of it。 （Do excuse me） The author wants you to look at Draupadi and not feel pity for her but just think about for once the way our society has been governed and ask some hard-hitting questions to not just men but women too。 This might not be an issue of Gender only。 And women aren’t the only victims of it too。 It looks incredulous on the surface。 Reading certain lines in the epic are bound to provoke an unsettling feeling in your gut。 When Panchali asks Yudhisthir in the assembly hall “Whom did you lose first， yourself or me？”， it left quite an impression on me。 Das has analyzed the nitty gritty of the legal dispute involved in the wager of Yudhisthir along with discussing about the moral nature of such an action。 And yet I can hardly come to any conclusion on the matter。 When Bheeshma didn’t rise up in defense of Panchali， you realize the faults even the greatest of great can have。 Everyone has their weaknesses and their drives; it is wrong to impose our set of morality on those characters and yet it is wrong to commit acts which everyone has accepted to be amoral。 I have at multiple occasions despised Krishna for all his trickeries and yet whenever I sit for once and think about the Poem Ramdhari Singh Dinkar wrote I am shown my true place。 The beauty of Mahabharata will continue to grow and it seems apt to describe it the way Nehru described India in his book as “an ancient palimpsest on which layer upon layer of thought and reverie had been inscribed， and yet no succeeding layer had completely hidden or erased what had been written previously”。 This book makes the story of Mahabharata more accessible and entertaining。 This one was told from the words of Panchali and one can certainly imagine how it should be if told through the eyes of each and every character of the epic。 Each trying to defend his/her actions。 And yet the moral dilemmas would remain。 Like they always do， even in the real world。 。。。more
Hotaru
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I have never read the Mahabhara and I am unfamiliar with the classical myths recounted in the Palace of Illusions through the voice of Panchaali。 Thus， this review is that of an ignorant Westerner。 To me， the book started at a 4-5 stars level， with the story focusing on Panchaali herself， a princess from a myth， born out of flames， and prophetized to have five husbands。 I loved this part， and all the others where the author truly brings Panchaali's voice to life as a woman with wits， hopes， fear I have never read the Mahabhara and I am unfamiliar with the classical myths recounted in the Palace of Illusions through the voice of Panchaali。 Thus， this review is that of an ignorant Westerner。 To me， the book started at a 4-5 stars level， with the story focusing on Panchaali herself， a princess from a myth， born out of flames， and prophetized to have five husbands。 I loved this part， and all the others where the author truly brings Panchaali's voice to life as a woman with wits， hopes， fears and longing for unattainable things。 The audiobook version's narrator does a fantastic job， making you believe that Panchaali is right next to you， recounting her life's story。 However， as the story went on and merged with the "classical" parts of the Mahabhara， the book took a different turn， increasingly focusing on all the male heroes， their deeds and their misdeeds， their collections of curses and boons， and their special weapons gifted by the gods。 While the characters dominated the story in the first half， the story clearly dominated the characters in the second half， despite the author's liberal use of tricks such as closing chapters by sentences like "if only we had done so&so， we would have been spared many terrible pains later on"。 A shame。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Palace of Illusions
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Palace of Illusions&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft