The Palace of Illusions: A Novel

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Paper Book, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

813/.54

Genres

Publication

DDC/MDS

813/.54

813/.54

Description

The Palace of Illusions takes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly magical. It is told by Panchaali, wife of the Pandavas brothers, a fiery female redefining for us a world of warriors, gods, and the ever-manipulating hands of fate. 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.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member richardderus

I'd give it six stars if I could.

Peak reading experiences come all too seldom in life. I think one knows it's a peak when it's almost too painful to endure that the book is ending, but almost too painful to endure to put it down and turn out the light. Then the book comes to you in your dreams, the

characters and the situations work their magical way into your receptive dream-mind, and make not only waking hours painfully happy with the reading or anticipation of reading but the sleeping hours more vivid and more real and more alive than ever.

That's what happened to me as I read The Palace of Illusions. I've dreamed of its characters, I've lived vicariously its plot and its many eventful twists for a month of nights, and I truly can't express to you how much pleasure it's given me to do so. I wish for everyone that experience, if not with this book then with another, and soon. It makes a whole new level of appreciation come, or come back, to you when you come across one of these books.

I have had the life-changing experience twice before, and I still treasure those memories. I will treasure this one equally. I suppose the idea of the book, retelling a classic Indian foundational myth called Mahabharat from the point-of-view of a female character, is in keeping with today's popular trend of reimagining myths from all angles and stances. I certainly am aware that telling any Indian myth from a female point of view is a departure from the cultural norms of that society, and to be applauded for that reason alone; but what Divakaruni wrought in doing this is nothing short of creating a new foundation myth on the stones of the old one.

I think a woman who has five husbands wished on her as she comes into this world from a fiery column is worth hearing more about; so did Divakaruni; and thus the tale told here. The myth merely mentions her in passing, which is a curious piece of patriarchal doublethink that never ceases to amaze me when I encounter it. A little like Eve's untold story in Christian myth, and the odd absence of Hera stories as separate from Zeus and his philandering. Extraordinary men need extraordinary women, and simply not telling me-the-reader about them doesn't make them not exist; it merely hides them in deep and scary shadows until a woman with the right eyes comes along, sees the real story, and sets about telling it.

We are all of us readers the richer for Divakaruni's gift of this book to us. I do not, however, recommend it to all readers; I don't think its power is in its broad appeal but in its complete appeal. I suspect that some whose reading preferences are more aimed at comfort and at the satisfactions of reinforcement and reassurance would find this an unpleasant book to read. But I truly wish for each of you that you give it a try, let it at least make a start on working its beautiful enchantment on you. I hope it will be able to speak its way into your dreams the way it did mine.

Show Less

20 more

LibraryThing member cameling

Anyone familiar with The Mahabharata may find this an interesting angle to the famous Indian epic.

The tale follows the life of Panchaali, or Queen Draupadi and her part in the lives of the Pandava princes and the battle that ended the Third Age of Man.

A sage she visited had this to foretell:
"You

will marry the five greatest heroes of your time. You will be queen of queens, envied even by goddesses. You will be a servant maid. You will be mistress of the most magical of palaces and then lose it.
You will be remembered for causing the greatest war of your time.
You will bring about the deaths of evil kings - and your children's and your brother's. A million women will become will become widows because of you, Yes, indeed, you will leave a mark on history.
You will be loved, though you will not always recognize who loves you. Despite your five husbands,you will die alone, abandoned at the end - and yet not so".

There is royal intrigue, magic, vengeance, a plethora of Gods, and at the center of it all, the strong heart of a woman who was like no other. I could not like her all the time, and her pride and stubbornness did bring about unfortunate events, but I did feel sorry for her.

There is a wealth of characters in this book with hidden depths, and even if you aren't familiar with the epic Mahabharata, this is still a good story in and of itself.

Show Less

LibraryThing member London_StJ

In a time of rich spices, jeweled saris, and everyday magic - a time of curses, vengeance, and the power of the heart - a girl stumbles out of the flames that have already produced her twin brother, carrying with her the thread and promise of change. In Divakaruni's masterful hands the myth of

Panchaali takes shape, and the reader leaves behind the contemporary world for a society that carries far too many parallels to our own.

On its own, the narrative is majestic, but it is Divakaruni's character development that truly brings The Palace of Illusions to life. Panchaali herself is capable of invoking a sea of emotional responses, and the power to invoke sympathy, hatred, admiration and condemnation within the space of 360 pages speaks volumes of her author's narrative capabilities. The inhabitants of The Palace of Illusions are far from two-dimensional characters moving through a storyline: they breathe through the pages and welcome the reader into their mysterious world. In short, the novel is simply magical.

Show Less

LibraryThing member jnwelch

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is unlike any book I've read before.. It begins with the main character and her brother being born in fire in a religious ceremony, with it foretold that she will change the course of history, and he will avenge their royal father. Had I picked

up (on Richard's recommendation) a fantasy, or a romance, or some hybrid creation?

Nope. This novel is derived from the Indian epic The Mahabharata, and has a vast scope that Homer would have enjoyed. The author has prized loose the female story threads from the epic and rewoven them into a compelling novel. Although there are many fantastic occurrences along the way, the story is driven by basic human urges - love, ambition, pride, vengeance and resistance to oppression. Princess Panchaali will not be treated as a dependent girl, and mostly successfully insists on receiving a man's education like her brother Dhri. Over time she'll prove the cleverest and most dominating of them all, save perhaps for the divine incarnation Krishna, who cajoles and criticizes her, in a kind way, from a loftier perspective. She increasingly realizes how important his presence is to her, and I always found his appearances in the book uplifting, too.

Important promises are made and broken, a kingdom is stolen by trickery and through weakness, and vengeance is sworn. Panchaali improbably is married to five husbands at once, as is foretold, and finds her way to the dream-like Palace of Illusions created in the desert, beautifully described by the author. Some who are high are brought low, and fight to regain what they had lost. Panchaali balances her own thirsts for revenge with her obligations to her husbands and her people, and struggles with exchanging her ardor and anger for the more tranquil and far-reaching views provided by Krishna. She has a strong voice and develops a prickly reputation because of it. Like a reverse Helen of Troy, her curse on the unrighteous may lead to a massive war. The fight will not be over the beauty of Panchaali, but over the truth and irresistibility of her anger.

Yet we believe in and follow Panchaali for smaller reasons provided by the author - her thwarted love for another, her struggles with male oppression and court politics, her sense of honor, her love for the beautiful palace, her wisdom when faced with difficulty, her recognition of her faults.

"The princess who longed for acceptance, the guilty girl whose heart wouldn't listen, the wife who balanced her fivefold role precariously, the rebellious daughter-in-law, the queen who ruled in the most magical of palaces, the distracted mother, the beloved companion of Krishna, who refused to learn the lessons he offered, the woman obsessed with vengeance - none of them were the true Panchaali.

If not, who was I?"

I was caught up in the same question. And the question of how Panchaali fit within the ethical and religious threads of The Mahabharata woven through the story. Like Homer's Greek poems, this is a brave and bloody story. As epic battles rage, who are the real winners and losers? The finale of the book brings it all into a buoyant and beautifully rendered perspective that flat knocked me out.

Show Less

LibraryThing member fikustree

First I think it is important to mention that I have never read the Mahabharata on which "The Palace of Illusions in Based". I have read various Indian short stories, myths, and teachings including several translations of the Yoga Sutras. I was always intimidated by the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad

Gita because they are written in verse which to me is easier to listen to then read. They are also predominantly about war and battles which is generally not an interest not something I enjoy reading about. I was attracted to Illusion both because it was a retelling of the story which I knew wouldn't focus on battles and from the perspective of the female characters in the book. I know that many will scoff at the idea of this but I feel completely encouraged now to read both Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita because now I will have a context to put them in and an easier time reading the verse.
Reading this book was similar to reading "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West". The story is told from the point of view of Panchaali and she narrates the story starting when she is very young. Whole chapters have other characters telling stories that Panchaali is not involved in as a dialogue between herself and other characters. I especially enjoyed this technique in an early chapter when she and her brother Dhri go back and forth about how their father's generation got into their current problems. Her nanny tells her the story of her birth through fire and other stories come along the way. For the most part Panchaali talks about what she is experiencing and how she feels about things. She starts with very child-like ideas but as the story progresses some depth is acquired.
Overall I loved the story. I was able to keep the many characters straight with no problem even though there was as many as Anna Karenina and only consulted the family tree at the beginning a couple times. I grew to love many of the characters and was really repelled by others. The story moved at a great pace and I stayed up late reading because it was so exciting.
I think many people would really love this book. If you are interested in mythology or Indian History but intimidated by the classic works I highly recommend this book and Ganesha Goes to Lunch. Both are re-tellings of these ancient stories in modern language. I also think that fans of Wicked and the whole genre of seeing an old story from another point of view would really enjoy this book. Finally, I don't think it is at all out of reach for young adults. As a young person I would have adored this book. It was really wonderful, filled with magic, gods, and learning.

Show Less

LibraryThing member vpfluke

I enjoyed reading this novel based on the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. The book is written from the point of view of Draupadi (daughter of Drupad), also referred to as Panchaali. So, it is a distinctive women's story that remains fairly faithful to the original. Panchaali is central to the

epic, as she is the wife of all the five Pandava brothers, Yudhisthir (Yudhisthira), Bheem (Bhima), Arjun (Arjuna), Nakul (Nakula), Sahadev (Sahadeva). Note, the names in parentheses are the more common English renditions of the Sanskrit names. We are taken through her young life, the oddness of her multiple marriage situation, the dispute with the Kauravas (actually somewhat distant relatives) that leads to banishment of the Pandavas, but ultimately to a war whose worth is questioned. Panchaali's relationship with Krishna is explored -- the god-man who pops in and out of the picture almost in a trickster fashion, but whose philosophy is core to much in Hinduism. I think the ending of the book lends greater finesse to the orginal story as I had observed in the Peter Brooks film of a number of years ago. This was an engrossing read.

Show Less

LibraryThing member zibilee

It was with great pleasure that I dove into Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, and upon reading it, I was not disappointed. I have read nearly all of Divakaruni's books, and this is just another in a long line of colorful, magical, and insightful offerings from this author. The

story is the tale of the life of Panchaali, an Indian historical/mythical character from the famous Mahabharat. The book is filled with touches of magical realism and character portrayals that will keep the reader engaged and craving more of the story. The story has much to say about the awful destruction that war wreaks upon its participants, and also contains many illuminating passages speculating the divine in everyday life. The last passages are hauntingly beautiful, and remarkably moving. If you are looking for a flavorful yet unconventional re-telling of some of India's most marvelous stories, you can't go wrong with this gem of a book. Highly recommended.

Show Less

LibraryThing member FrancescaForrest

There were elements of this book, a retelling of the Mahabharata, that were wonderful, which is why I decided to say I really liked it, even though there were other elements that I found problematic.

Wonderful elements: Any parts with Krishna. Divakaruni really has created a believable incarnate

god; I wanted to be in his presence and I was interested in everything he said. He was playful and wise, careless and kind. Inspired.

Vyasa, the sage who is writing the Mahabharata, and who tells Panchaali her future. Great scene where he first creates the hazy smoke she must walk into, and she asks him what it is, and he says, it's a formula for keeping away bugs. Awesome :-)

Panchaali's relationship with her brother. Very sweet.

All the details--food, silk, stone, plants, sounds, scents. Mmmm, blissful.

Elements I found problematic: the [arbitrary:] development of her feelings for Karna. She loves him, loves him, loves him, then hates him passionately ... then doesn't, and in fact, loves him again. This is not inconsistent with human behavior, but for some reason, in this story, I found it hard to believe. I felt--but don't know, as I haven't read the Mahabharata itself, yet--as if the author was trapped by the epic and had to make Panchaali fit with how the tale goes, but it didn't persuade me. I did like, however, the very final vision we get of Panchaali and Karna.

I found that, for me, from the destruction of the Palace of Illusions (and hey, it's built by Maya, the same Maya=illusion in Buddhism, too) through the horrible epic battles, I felt weary. I've never been a big fan of the Bhagavad-gita, so I was interested to see what I'd feel when I read Divakaruni's take on it. The philosophy still leaves me cold, and yet it was oddly moving to read it.

I'm reading through the Mahabharata now (though I don't have it marked down on Good Reads). I'm very glad I read this.

Show Less

LibraryThing member amodini

A retelling of the Mahabharat from a woman’s point of view. This is a very interesting take on an otherwise traditional story, because although there are women in the Mahabharat/Ramayana, their role is secondary, and mostly as honor/child bearers. There are some women who do get their way, but

they are generally “evil”, for example Kaikeyi in the Ramayana. There literally are no strong women, who wield any influence, or can even do as they think. There is Kunti in the Mahabharat, who bears children as an unmarried virgin, but, yeah, what a mistake, she has to give them up, and can never acknowledge Karna as her own. You hear of educated women in traditional texts, but for all their education, very few do little more than birth sons. So among a pantheon of men, hearing what a woman thinks (and speaks) is refreshing to read.

I am not a big fan of Divakaruni’s, but did immensely enjoy this book. She fleshes out Draupadi’s character quite nicely, right from her birth from fire, until the Great War, where she is blessed with the “sight”. And told from Draupadi’s point of view, there are subtle nuances to the story which would never get told otherwise. Yes, it is true that Divakaruni embellishes certain aspects of the story, such as Draupadi’s views on men having more than one wife, or even her feelings with regards to Karuna, but that “embellishment” to me, just made it more interesting.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Berly

I was never particularly drawn to the heroine of [The Palace of Illusions], by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, but I loved to watch her story unfold. As with many great women, she made choices that distanced herself from the masses (and me!), but hers was not an ordinary road. Who else do you know that

was married to five royal brothers at the same time? I have never read the classic Indian tale Mahabharat, on which this book is based, but it was great to read a feminist version of life in the monarchy, with all its political intrigues and the complex weaving of gender roles, birthrights, castes and gods. Told with great imagination and a strong sense of humor. Four stars.

Show Less

LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35

This novel retells the story of the Indian epic The Mahabharat from the perspective of Panchaali, a princess born in fire who marries five brothers and whose actions spur her husbands and relatives toward war. Panchaali makes a great heroine, who experiences life's joys and misfortunes, and who

harbors a secret passion for her husbands' greatest enemy. Invoking a fresh and magical atmosphere, The Palace of Illusions is both legendary and contemporary.

Show Less

LibraryThing member poonamsharma

Mahabharata from Draupdi's point of view. CBD (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni) does stick to facts, however, doesn't hesitate to add a few of her own. Which makes the book interesting and scandalous at the same time. :)

Language is fluid, doesn't take very long to sail through the book. Book is out and

out about How Draupadi led her life, what were her intentions or motivations behind her choices. :)

Show Less

LibraryThing member sudhakrishnan

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is Mahabharata written from Draupadi's perspective. I had wished for this book when I had read M.T. Vasudevan Nair's 'Randamoozham' which is written from Bheema's perspective.

LibraryThing member pbjwelch

Lovely rendering of the Indian classic the Mahabharata but from the unique perspective of one of the female players--Draupadi or Panchaali, as she is also called -- who together with her twin brother Dhristadyumna are destined to fulfill their father's desire for revenge against his sworn brother,

Drona. Such 'unexpected perspective' re-tellings of old stories (Wolf Hall is another example) seem to be all the rage these days, but I must confess that this is a very entertaining, easy-to-read, introduction to reading the actual Mahabharata. Recommended for young readers as well (11 ) given all the classic stories, mythologies, adventure and tales that keep the pages turning.

Show Less

LibraryThing member FrancescaForrest

Show Less

LibraryThing member teckelvik

I should say from the outset that all of the reasons that I didn't give this book five stars have much more to do with me than with the book itself. This is excellent, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Divakaruni is a top-notch writer. Her descriptions are detailed and evocative without

being overwhelming. Her psychological insights are deep, shrewd and compassionately portrayed. The story is complex, but she does a good job of moving it along.

This is a retelling of the Mahabharata from the point of view of one of the supporting cast, Panchaali. And, this is the point where I become a problem. I am aware of the Mahabharata, but I don't know it. This type of story is often a great way of taking a fresh look at something familiar, and I'm not familiar with this story. The amazingly complicated political manouverings lost me early on. As a non-Hindi-speaker, there were too many names that were too similar, and I had a hard time remembering who was on which side of the current dispute. I appreciated the story that I read, but I know that I missed a lot.

I also miss out because I'm not Indian. Choosing to tell this story from the perspective of a woman has meaning. How does this reflect the lives of Indian women? Are they alienated from this national epic, and reclaiming it in this way? Or is Panchaali's bitterness at being always controlled by the men in her life, and her rebellion against her powerlessness something that resonates? Marriage is the central event of most lives, and Panchaali has a complex situation. (For reasons that only make sense in myth, she has five husbands.) What do other Indian women make of this? I simply don't know.

The question that Panchaali asks first and last, is whether Krishna is a god or not. Why is this so important? Is it a theme of the original work? Does it reflect some kind of intra-Hindu debate? As a non-Hindu, I'm only aware of Krishna as a Hindu god. Is there some question about this?

Obviously, this book left me with more questions than answers, in a very good way. I highly recommend it.

Show Less

LibraryThing member lkernagh

Spin me a story that pulls its foundation from an ancient epic tale and I will either be completely enraptured or bored out of my mind. The good news is that Divakaruni’s recasting of the Mahabharata – the epic Indian Sanskrit story – caught my attention right from the start and never let go.

This mystical tale is a rich tapestry of all things that make a story spellbinding: emotions of unrequited love, deception, greed and envy; peopled with sages and other semi-divine beings, wise kings and righteous warriors; a prophesy that foretells a major change, heroic deeds and magical weapons, all told in true epic proportions. I have never read the [Mahabharata] so this review does not provide any kind of “compare/contrast” but I have to say that Divakaruni’s has a wonderful way of taking fantasy characters and making them appear as real, flesh and blood individuals. The setting is beautifully depicted, making it possible for me to glimpse the “Palace of Illusions” in all its wonder. Of course, I am also a fan of epic tales where the lead is a strong female. Draupadi is a dynamic character, even if she does have her moments of self-serving pride and arrogance. The story never lets up, racing the reader along at a steady clip as Draupadi journeys towards her destiny.

A truly epic tale and a very worthy read!

Show Less

LibraryThing member pwaites

The Palace of Illusions draws upon the Mahabharat, the famous Indian epic, to tell the story of Panchaali, a woman with five husbands. Panchaali’s story starts with her as a young princess, born from flames and proclaimed to have a world shaping destiny. Panchaali’s actions will eventually lead

to a war that will bring about the end of an age.

The Palace of Illusions is a story of vengeance. Panchaali’s father vowed to avenge himself upon the man who stole half his kingdom, and Panchaali herself later seeks her revenge for the action that shamed her and took away everything she and her husbands had. Vengeance and pride coil together within Panchaali, giving her no rest. But would vengeance really give her relief?

“She who sows vengeance must reap its bloody fruit.”

Panchaali, with her strong pride and focus on revenge, is not the usual sort of heroine. Her actions might not always be right, but she possesses a fiery determination and a fierce will. The Palace of Illusions is told in first person with Panchaali’s voice, and while I could not always agree with her, I often sympathized.

One thing I could never figure out is why Panchaali was so completely in love with Karna since they barely interacted! She sees a portrait of him, and then speaks barely one sentence to him, but she says she cannot get him out of her heart? Their exchanges continued to be highly limited over the course of the book. My best guess is that Panchaali’s love for Karna is something from the Mahabharat, which I’m largely unfamiliar with. Then again, I’ve heard that The Palace of Illusions has a number of deviations from the original epic.

Although I got a strong sense of who Panchaali was, not all of the secondary characters felt as well developed. In particular, I wish that some of her husbands had more characterization. I never got much of a feeling for who the youngest two were or what they were like.

The prose of The Palace of Illusions is elegant and effective, although it does tend to rely on portentous statements to create foreshadowing. I loved the evocative language and descriptions. However, my interest began to flag towards the end, especially after the great battle.

I don’t really know enough about the Mahabharat to recommend The Palace of Illusions upon that basis, but if you’re looking for an epic tale of vengeance or a story seeking to place a woman at the center of the narrative, this might be the book for you.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.

Show Less

LibraryThing member jyarrow

A marvelous tale, that takes us deep into the Indian epic, 'The Mahabharata,' as told from the perspective of Princess Panchaali. The princess is married to 5 husbands, while secretly in love with someone else, and plays an unsought for but vital role in a war that changes the face of ancient

India. By adding the feminine point of view, the author brings new life to a very old story. Chitra Divakaruni weaves a spell of mythology, history and illuminates the universal themes of duty vs. desire, war vs. peace in her own unique and beautifully written way.

Show Less

LibraryThing member devafagan

I enjoyed this, although I wish I had someone to talk to about it, to unpack some of my feelings regarding the main character's agency (and whether being a tool of the gods/fate/prophecy absolves one of responsibility for the harm one may cause, whether our choices are our own). I did really loved

the mythic feel, the voice, and the grandeur of the story, though! Krishna and his interactions with Panchaali were my favorite part of the book, and I appreciated that it made me think.

Show Less

LibraryThing member bookwyrmm

Too many unformed characters and a lot of telling instead of showing made this myth retelling very boring.

Fewer