Book Review 2: The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.








Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, an American-Indian author, has brilliantly rendered the timeless tale - the Mahabharata, in her bestselling novel, 'The Palace of Illusions'. The novel is narrated from the viewpoint of the strongest and the most controversial female character of the epic, Panchali. This feature makes the novel all the more unique.

In the novel, Panchali, the dusky-beauty, has been portrayed as a powerful, independent, and headstrong woman. 'The Palace of Illusions' is a chronicled narration of Panchali's life δΈ€ from 'fiery' birth, to her strange, lonely childhood, her complicated marriage, followed by the disturbing experiences and upheavals which she goes through, to the fate she meets at the end. This mythical tale is full of mystery, magic, intrigue, and politics. The vivid and meticulous description of all the events of her life makes the novel utterly compelling and moving.

The author has given her novel a beautiful humanistic touch which has made it more realistic and relatable, This quality captivates the reader.

All the characters, although inspired by the Mahabharata, has a realistic aspect in each one, which is added by the author. This has constituted a genuine and lifelike vibe in the novel. For example, the beautiful camaraderie between Panchali and her friend, philosopher and guide the enigmatic Krishna has also sometimes eased the intense tone.

 Divakaruni's eloquent and emotional style of writing is deeply moving. The evocative and picturesque account of each event keeps the reader hooked to the book. However,  in some portions the novel proceeds very slowly which might make the reader feel a bit bored.

Overall, this historical fiction is an excellent take on the epic that clearly upholds the rich literary heritage of India. It is truly amazing how the author has beautifully summed up the longest epic in around 360 pages.

This book is a perfect read for anyone who is interested in mythological fictions and Indian mythology.



My rating : 4.5 of 5 stars.
Publisher : Picador.
First Published : 2008
Pages : 360
Price: ₹399/-

Comments

  1. Kabitar Dese5 November 2017 at 18:19

    I have red The Mahabharata, but not the specified book. To me, The Mahabharata is the first Novel, ever written in the history of Universal literature apart from that as a reader of your beautiful slim and silky review I was able to connect myself with "The Palace of Illusion" this is the credit of the reviewer . You know well where to start & where to finish, keep it up. I suggest you to follow the reviews of " The Teleghraph" & "Saptahik Bartama" so that you can make your own way of interpretation. I can suggest you a book to read, which itself is a review of review, that is "The Future Poetry" written by Shri Arobindo Ghosh, First published in 1953. At the end I can tell you that be careful about your GOAL, set your eyes and ..........

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chetana Thakur Chakraborty5 November 2017 at 18:30

      Thank you so much for reading my review and commenting. I will surely read the book that you suggested.

      Delete

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