The Palace Of Illusions
Author’s Name : Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
No. of Pages : 315
Genre : Fiction / Indian Mythology
Target Audience : Women , Indians , People who have read or would be interested in the Mahabharata
Age Rating : 16+
Approximate Reading Time : 7-8 Hours
Publisher : Picador India
Goodreads Rating : 4.2/5
Amazon Rating : 4.5/5
“You could also call it waking,’ Krishna continues. ‘Or intermission, as one scene in a play ends and the next hasn’t yet begun.”
― Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Palace of Illusions
Important : Before you start reading or want to buy this book, consider watching reading
“The Mahabharata”. It is an Indian epic on which the book is solely based. Without having
considerable knowledge about the same, you will not be able to understand the book at all. If
you already have done so, continue reading the review below.
This book has received critical acclaim from various authors , newspapers and magazines
and is an international bestseller.
This book is about Panchali, (Draupadi) who was the wife of the Pandava brothers and
narrates the tale of Mahabharata in the ‘Palace Of Illusions’. Through her, the author has
tried to present a female point of view of the epic to the readers. The main idea of the book is
to show people how a woman must have felt at that time living in a patriarchal society. It encourages women to stand for their own selves.
The story begins with Draupadi being born out of the fire and focuses on her point-of-view throughout
the book. The book is completely written in first person narrative, clearly making it Panchaali’s
Mahabharat in the true sense. It includes stories, conversations and dreams through which Draupadi
understands her purpose in life.
The author’s writing style and the way she has portrayed a new version of Mahabharat make this
book a must-read for everyone. Even if a beginner wants to try reading a long book, or if someone
wants to view Mahabharata through a completely different – a softer, female perspective, it is their
read. This book stays in your heart for life.