Book Review: The Palace Of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Image Source: GoodReads

Introduction:

Book Name: The Palace Of Illusions

Author Name: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Language: English

The palace of illusions is a 2008 novel by award-winning writer and writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It was published by Doubleday.


About the Author:

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-American columnist, novelist, and Betty, and Gene McDavid, educator of inscribing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her short fiction compilation, Arranged Marriage gained a victory an American Book Award in 1996, and two of her books The Mistress of Spices and Sister of my soul as well as a brief fiction The Word Love we’re adapted into films. Mistress of Spices was short-listed for the Orange award. Nowadays, sister of my heart, oleander girl, the palace of illusion, and one incredible thing have all been optioned to be earned into films or Tv serials.

Divakaruni works are greatly set in India and the United States and always focus on the hardship of South Asian migrants. She inscribes for children as well as grown-ups has disseminated novels in numerous genres, comprising logical fiction, ancient fiction, mysterious realism, belief, and fiction.

Divakaruni resides in Houston with her spouse, Murthy. She has two sons, Anand and Abhay. Divakaruni set herself through graduate school by assuming odd jobs, doing as a babysitter, a store registrar, a bread slicer in a bakery, a laboratory deputy at Wright State University, and a feasting hall servant at international House, Berkeley.


About the Book:

A story so influential that it has exceeded thousands of years, the Mahabharata is a timeless epic. Related and honored, every Indian is as aware of its wide construct as the western nation is with the Bible. It invades courage to mess around with something this spiritual and Chitra Banerjee has achieved a lovely nice job at fulfilling barely this.

She doesn’t remake the tale, nor does she give an alternative culmination, but rather she gives a raw new viewpoint. Comprehend discerning it through Draupadi eyes- the woman who began it all. 

For those unfamiliar with the epic, Draupadi was the spouse of the five Pandavas brother, the leaders of Hastinapur. She joins the central cast of identities in Mahabharata when Arjun, the dashing Pandava Prince, achieves her as his bride in a Swayamvara, a modern-day bachelorette if you will.

Uniting into a royal household already in exile and then being asked to bed Arjun’s four brothers is not precisely the marriage most princesses fantasy of. Banerjee endeavor to tell anthologies concealed stories behind these circumstances and give mouthpieces to the women of Mahabharata.

The narrative beginnings from her birth in king Drupad’s house and plays between flashbacks and current time, digging out tales of the yore and building out personalities. Banerjee princess is a youthful rioter, a tomboy appetite for her father, Drupad’s, notoriety. 

She is inferred to leave a mark on this nation. Always in confrontation with her elders on her normal role as a princess and a woman, she learns satisfaction and relief with her fellow and companion, Krishna, King of Dwarka.

Draupadi attempts hard to battle the social configurations around her. But from very ahead on in her life, she has to bow down to elevated importance – like conserving one’s household honor and preference for the tremendous welfare of the kingdom.

It begins with her swayamvar, where she encompasses her heart intention and picks Arjun over Karna. Next, when her mommy-in-law, Queen Kunti inquires her to marry all her five sons, she acquiesces. We see her development from a youthful, courageous girl to an emperor of the times.

Image Source: Pinterest

Banerjee gives a fascinating glance at the dynamic of a distinct connection. By compelling Draupadi to marry all her sons, Kunti does not endear herself to her new daughter-in-law. What’s concerning is how Draupadi establishes a role for herself in the family and increases and implication in the eyes of her spouse.

Banerjee also analyzes the connection between Draupadi and Arjun, often rumored to be her favorite spouse. Arjun matches the bill as the exact prince charming, but their connection falls soon after her wedding to his brothers. In the end, Draupadi is left pining for her private affection for Karna, the half-brother of the Pandavas.

It’s fascinating to remark that there is no actual fantasy between Draupadi and Karna in the real Mahabharata. Karna's personality as the sixth Pandava is indicated very deceased in the story. Banerjee creates outstanding mythology and explores Draupadi's private love as a crucial conspiracy sense in the novel.


My view:

When I started reading the novel, I thought it would give me some insight into one of the most influential and mysterious heroines of all moment. Which it did. I also thought that perhaps she will repay herself for effecting as much difficulty as she did.

My rating for the book is 5/5

Get a copy of this book easily from Amazon: The Palace of Illusions

Written By - Muskan Gupta

Edited By - Anamika Malik