If you like reading mythology, I am confident you will be taken by this book as I am
A Palace of illusions is the story of the great Indian epic, Mahabaratha as seen from a completely different perspective - one of Paanchali Alias Draupadi, who was the very reason for the great battle of Kurukshetra.
The story begins from the birth of Draupadi and her Brother Dhriystaduma from the fire. The story of the various characters in her life and her own story have been beautifully juxtaposed by the author. The entire novel is a narration of how draupadi feels about things that happen in her life, how she believes herself to be no ordinary girl , how women in generally feel helpless many times and how she is determined to make a mark in history.
Draupadi feels she is wronged when she is not allowed to learn the skills her brother Dhri gets to practise everyday. She hopes, like any other girl to find love in her life. So when her father decides to arrange her marriage by promising her hand to someone who can prove his skill in archery, she is furious that she is a mere pawn in this whole game. She is less than excited when she discovers that she is to be shared as wife among 5 brothers ( pandavas). She blames her mother-inlaw Kunti for such a garish proposal and for the fact that her real husband Arjun does not even have the courage to stand up for her.
She goes through her life and slowly begins to realize her dreams when she gets a palace of her own in Indrapastha. - the palace of illusions. Her good companion since birth has been Krishna, whose talk throws more riddles than her own life. Yet he is her companion when she needs help the most. The rest of the story goes through how she is defamed by her husband's cousins, the Kauravas and how this goes about bringing the worst battle in history of Bharat - Kurukshetra.
A very interesting point in this entire novel is Draupadi's secret desire for Karna , who is the eldest brother of the Pandavas, but by circumstances befriends the Kaurava head Duryodhana, thus becoming an enemy to her and her husbands. When you finish reading the book, you cannot escape this clandestine desire that transpires between these two ( At some point, Karna also confesses his love for Draupadi to someone else). A very well deserved twist in the tale, that I found very captivating!.
The book is really beautiful and I found it very difficult to put it down every night. I have read the Mahabaratha earlier and I love it.. but this is even better. Yes it is a figment of the author's imagination, but isn't Mahabaratha Vyasa's imagination as well?
Are you still reading my blog?! C'mon, go and grab this book now and you wont be disappointed:)
A Palace of illusions is the story of the great Indian epic, Mahabaratha as seen from a completely different perspective - one of Paanchali Alias Draupadi, who was the very reason for the great battle of Kurukshetra.
The story begins from the birth of Draupadi and her Brother Dhriystaduma from the fire. The story of the various characters in her life and her own story have been beautifully juxtaposed by the author. The entire novel is a narration of how draupadi feels about things that happen in her life, how she believes herself to be no ordinary girl , how women in generally feel helpless many times and how she is determined to make a mark in history.
Draupadi feels she is wronged when she is not allowed to learn the skills her brother Dhri gets to practise everyday. She hopes, like any other girl to find love in her life. So when her father decides to arrange her marriage by promising her hand to someone who can prove his skill in archery, she is furious that she is a mere pawn in this whole game. She is less than excited when she discovers that she is to be shared as wife among 5 brothers ( pandavas). She blames her mother-inlaw Kunti for such a garish proposal and for the fact that her real husband Arjun does not even have the courage to stand up for her.
She goes through her life and slowly begins to realize her dreams when she gets a palace of her own in Indrapastha. - the palace of illusions. Her good companion since birth has been Krishna, whose talk throws more riddles than her own life. Yet he is her companion when she needs help the most. The rest of the story goes through how she is defamed by her husband's cousins, the Kauravas and how this goes about bringing the worst battle in history of Bharat - Kurukshetra.
A very interesting point in this entire novel is Draupadi's secret desire for Karna , who is the eldest brother of the Pandavas, but by circumstances befriends the Kaurava head Duryodhana, thus becoming an enemy to her and her husbands. When you finish reading the book, you cannot escape this clandestine desire that transpires between these two ( At some point, Karna also confesses his love for Draupadi to someone else). A very well deserved twist in the tale, that I found very captivating!.
The book is really beautiful and I found it very difficult to put it down every night. I have read the Mahabaratha earlier and I love it.. but this is even better. Yes it is a figment of the author's imagination, but isn't Mahabaratha Vyasa's imagination as well?
Are you still reading my blog?! C'mon, go and grab this book now and you wont be disappointed:)
14 comments:
Wow Peeps! Makes me want to read it immediately!
You're making me feel guilty - as usual I started my blog but ....
Peeps,
How do you get time to read a book with a 14mmonth old and your hubby out of town for most of the week! You are turing out to be one of those soooper dooper moms!
Lassi
Anu, I open your blog EVERYDAY to see if you have any updates. So there is one reason you should write more!
Lasso... good to see you read my blog:) I used to open your blog everyday too when you first began writing it.. U shoudl start again.
Re reading a book : dad is here now illa, so there is sometime. weekends srik is in town and these days he manages to stay in Austin every other week.
Interesting. Love the books with the history twist.
Wll read this.
Just finished a book called Karma and Other Stories by Rishi Reddi. Wholesome and nice. Read it.
you just gave everything away...what is the point of reading this book now? :)...I like the twist though...
yeah and to continue on that q someone else asked...you are a sooper dooper moms eh?...LOL!
yeah rite.. u should know better than that sug!:)
The book : its interesting to read, even with the twist given away.. that's just not like a thriller plot that I told you:) The entire book is kind of interesting
If I remember right, Karna also goes to the archery swayamvara but is not allowed to participate because he is not Kshatriya. Is that where she falls in love with him?
Yes Preetha karna does.
She actually looks at paintings of prospective kings before the day of Swayamvara.. at this time , she looks at karna and is taken by him. She initally thinks its arjun.
OK...you have convinced me enough to put an hold on it at the library..so if I dont like it you know who needs to run for cover :)Will come back with my comments later after reading it.
Peeps, HAD to read this after reading your blog, and I got it from my library pretty fast, and finished it in 4 days! :o) Made an interesting read (had that 'know-the-story-but-can't-put-it-down' thing in quite a few chapters), but the characterisations were pretty much as I expected. There was no new 'twist'....I mean, you always expect the lead character in women-centered stories to be against or trying to break the stereotypes, illa? But I still want to read some of her other books. I like her style... And was wondering if my patti read this, what she'd think.... ;o)
HEy Vikku
I agree, but I was not expecting a twist when I tool this novel. I was just intrigued about reading Mahabaratha, from a different angle. The twist for me was her love for Karna;)...
Liked her other book: Sister of my heart.. the rest of her collections are only so-so
Hey -
Ok..got it and finished it in 2 sittings straight!I totally loved it too ! It made a gr8 read really.I wasnt sure what to expect from Chitra (her other books dint exactly leave a mark with me ),but it was such a pleasant surprise that this one totally blew me away.It was damn creative of her to weave a tale around the oft-repeated epic.I loved the "Gone with the wind" kinda melancholy between her and Karna and enjoyed the "Gladiator " like ending to it :)My impression of Draupati(which was pretty much that of the dreaded Rupa Ganguly on TV :)) has defintely changed now !
Thanks for the reco re !
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