The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Summary from www.goodreads.com

A reimagining of the world-famous Indian epic, the Mahabharat—told from the point of view of an amazing woman.

Relevant to today’s war-torn world, 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.

The novel traces the princess Panchaali's life, beginning with her birth in fire and following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war involving all the important kings of India. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her strategic duels with her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female redefining for us a world of warriors, gods, and the ever-manipulating hands of fate

My Comments : 

Bought this book from BookXcess at Amcorp Mall last month. It was a day before their World Book Day promotion. If I had know earlier, I would have waited for the promotion coz then I would get extra 20% off the shelf price.

Nevertheless, I am glad I bought this book. To me this is indeed an interesting and engrossing read.

But I have to caution you that this book is not for everybody. Some knowledge of Mahabharata is required for optimum enjoyment of the book. Those who have no knowledge about Mahabharata would find it hard to understand some of the things mentioned.

This is not the first book of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni which I have read. All a long I have liked her books but up to now this is the book that I like the most.


The story is unusual as is it being told from the point of view of a woman. It saws Draupadi as a girl/woman/wife with feeling of her own instead of a single dimensional character. Some would say this book is too slow or too much female wails but to me these wails and woes are what made this book interesting.

Overall, I rate this 5 stars out of 5.