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What is your review of Palace Of

Illusion?
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Meenakshi Sundaram · Follow

Reads a lot of books · 1y

The Palace of Illusions is a novel written by Chitra

Banerjee Divakaruni. The plot of the book is
reimagining Mahabharata through the views of
Draupadi, one of the central characters in the Indian
epic. First, lets skim through the pros and cons I
found in the book.

Pros:

1. The author’s writing style is inexorable

and persuasive. Reading her book before
knowing more about the epic, I was
convinced that the book conveyed the truth.

2. Exotic cover page. This was the main

reason why I was pulled towards the book.

Cons:

1. The plot, which was supposed

Continue Reading to be the
asset of the book. Anyone having a rough
Upvote · 7

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Upvote · 1.1K

Shruthilaya Hariharan · Follow

Book Lover · Updated 3y

I came across this book in Goodreads and I was

immediately intrigued. Mahabharat, from Paanchaali’s
point of view, sounds heavenly! But after I read the
book, I was mostly disappointed. I had mixed feelings.

These are a few things I liked about the book :

1. Draupadi’s relationship with Krishna, Dhai

Ma and Dhri(Dhristadhyuma): Her
interaction with them made her character
more real. To be honest, Dhri, didn’t even
strike me as a main character (except for
killing Guru Drona) until I read this book.

2. Bheem: To be honest, Bheem was soo

starstruck with her and that warmed my
heart so much! I loved his adoration for her.

3. The Ending: The last few pages of the book

made me cry. I liked how she described her
journey to paradise/ Himalaya and her final
conversation with Krishna.

And, a few things I didn’t like (at all) :

1. Her love for Karna : As a person, who has

always seen Draupadi being completely
devoted to her husbands, I found it extremely
difficult to digest her love for Karna.
However, a quora reader here gives some
evidence for the might have been’s I felt: The
book “The Palace of Illusions” says Karna
confessed his feelings/love for Draupadi to
Bhishma Pitamah. Is it mentioned in
Mahabharata? Even though she was smitten
by him in the books, I felt that all her actions
were done to get his attention, which
reminded me of a teenager-crush.

2. Portrayal of Kunti/Pandavas : Kunti was

shown as an arrogant mother in law while
Arjuna… *sigh*. Yudhishtir was cold and
Nakula/Sahadev were very briefly mentioned.
As an attempt to make all the character real
and grey, I felt that the author stripped them
the morales I thought they had. Draupadi
constantly whined about them and it made
the read very tiring and extremely childish.

There were parts that made me cringe at Draupadi’s

actions but also made me understand the dynamic of
the Pandavas. To anyone who’s planning to read the
book, my advice would be, take it with a grain of salt.
Cheers!
3.4K views · View 23 upvotes

Upvote · 23 1

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Upvote · 17

Saloni Garg · Follow

Commerce Graduate · 1y

The book is a well written Mahabharat in verse of

Panchali. From her birth till the end journey, covering
all stages of her life. It depicts the role of women , her
feelings that she always hides , her roles as a
daughter,sister,wife,mother,queen.

The novel is written in a very engrossing way, i

couldn't leave the book before completing.

Some things seemed to be Little changed from reality,

but I enjoyed every bit of it. Every story , chapter is
beautifully depicted. While reading, the story ran in
front of my eyes. The struggle
Continue in every character's
Reading
life, their fights and Krishna's lessons that
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Upvote · 151

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Praneetha Yenduri · Follow

3y

I think the problem with the book is its trying to fit in

the modern world problems into the great
Mahabharata something which i believe to be the
history of India and not just mythology.The author is
trying to view at the characters and situations which
occurred in a completely different time through a
westernized and pseudofeminist lens.First of all did
Draupadi really feel all of that? Is there any testament
to the emotions she felt at that time as conveyed by
the author..I think more than Mahabharata from
Draupadi’s point of view..this
Continue book is the author’s
Reading
version of Mahabharata..She has c
Upvote · 21 1

Bhawna Gupta · Follow

Works at Axtria · 6y

I had heard a lot about this book online and it grabbed

even more of my attention when I saw a girl reading it
in the metro.(Metro readers always fascinate me.)
That was the day when this book made it to my
reading list. Soon, I was able to check off the item
because I have a special corner for mythological
books in my heart.

Almost all of us have heard about the epic story of

Mahabharata, but we have only seen it through the
perspective that we are always made to see. We have
many a times jumped to the conclusion: ‘Draupadi
should have controlled herReading
Continue tongue. She spoke too
much. Thousands of li
Upvote · 50 5

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Upvote · 17

Vaishnavi M Bhat · Follow

3y

Could it BE more disappointing?

Palace of illusions is like a half cooked gulab jamun.

Coated with sugar syrup, very appealing from outside,
but disastrous inside. The author has coated a
fancfiction with some good english and created the
so called Draupadi's view of the Mahabharata. (No,
I've read better fanfictions) The only time in my life
that I bought a book because of it's cover. I should've
stuck to "don't judge a book by its cover" . Leave
Draupadi's pov, it isn't even near to 'what could have
been Draupadi's pov'.

The most horrendous part of the book is the never-

happened Draupadi and Karna love story. How can a
woman like Draupadi love someone who instigated
her disrobing and called her unchaste?

And about Draupadi rejecting Karna in her

swayamvara, it never happened. He missed the
target. It was removed from the BORI critical edition
as a later addition.

And the typical indian serial mother-in-law Kunti! God!

Kunti from starplus's Mahabharat was waaaaaay
better..

Chitra Banerjee divakaruni's Draupadi is a lovesick ,

unfaithful woman in contrary to the strong, kind and
faithful Draupadi from Vyasa Mahabharat. The
Pandavas are made to look like clowns and Karna a
devdas. Sigh.

I would not recommend this book at all. Out of the

retellings and shows of Mahabharata, I like Starplus
Mahabharat's Draupadi, B R Chopra Mahabharat's
Draupadi and Sweety Shinde's Draupadi from "Arjun:
without a doubt".

Two things which i liked about the book-

1) The cover. It's beautiful.

2) While sending the Pandavas to Khandavaprastha,

Dhritarashtra says to Yudhishthir, "After all, it's now
your duty to govern your new subjects." To which
Bheem replies, "Which subjects does he mean? The
cobras or the hyenas?"

Personally, I feel that Palace of illusions could’ve been

a good novel if it was about a storyline inspired from
The Mahabharata. The author has just distorted
everything. Had bought the book with great
expectations but it turned out to be a huge
disappointment. Couldn't read it without cringing,
especially towards the end.

To sum up my answer in a meme,

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Upvote · 17

Kabir Ahuja · Follow

Read over 50 Novels! · 3y

I will rate it 4/5

I just read this novel and I was completely amazed by

the way it was written. It is written by the famous
author Chitra Banerjee, who is known for her novel
Mistress of Spices.

The Palace of illusions is an uncompromisingly candid

novel which walks through the timeless epic
Mahabharata in the same vein, but through the
perspective of one of the greatest queens of her time,
Draupadi. A first person narrative which marvels at
the life of Draupadi, who is shown as a rebel at best,
with a stamp of femininity. She is portrayed as a
Continue Reading
headstrong woman, who had a certain elan, but a lo
Upvote · 5 4

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Upvote · 209

Preeti A · Follow
Have read various versions of Mahabharata, A f… · 6y
of Vyasa
Originally Answered: What is your opinion on the book “Palace of
Illusions”?

The language is nice but the story is rubbish. Just like

Mrityunjay by Shivaji Sawant. Both are fan fictions
where the author builds a fake narrative using
Mahabharata as base to tell a story from the point of
view of their favorite charachter. Only difference
between both is Mrityunjay glorifies Karna with fake
stories and POI demeans Draupadi with fake stories
Upvote · 38 2

Bhargavi Pujari · Follow

IT Analyst at Tata Consultancy Services (compa… · 5y
y) (2015–present)
Originally Answered: What is your opinion on the book “Palace of
Illusions”?

This book is something very different from the other

versions of Mahabharata . It is the entire story from
the eyes of Draupadi.

The author , Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has made

sure that all the characters are more humanly and I’m
not sure whether it’s intentionally imposed. Her
depiction of minute things from the name of Draupadi
to the insult Draupadi had in sabha are very thought
provoking and questions us on how patriarchal the
society is and was.

The whole story is centered on Draupadi only but the

other characters are also depicted
Continue Reading very elegantly. The
other thing which I liked about the b
Upvote · 7

Ranit Saha · Follow

3y

I don't think anything more needs to be said. It's a

great book and a must read for anyone who is even
remotely interested in the myths.
Continue ReadingMakes you see the
Mahabharata under a different light .
Upvote · 1

Ipshita Biswas · Follow

NITS, IIMK, Artist, Marketeer, Dancer · 8y
Originally Answered: Reviews of: Palace Of Illusion

★★★★

Reflections over the way ‘The Palace of Illusions’, a

fiction by Chitra Banerjee has been portrayed…
It’s a complete story of Mahabharata with the
difference of being narrated in first person in the
voice of none other than the most misunderstood
character of the epic.
After having read ‘Arjuna’ earlier, a reader would be
well acquainted with the detailed storyline. But, ‘The
Palace of Illusions’ stands out in every aspect. Be it
the realistic portrayal of the characters, the reasons
that led to the Great War, the lessons each event
preaches, and most importantly
Continue the relationships
Reading
between
Upvote · 17

ShriRanjani Narasimhan · Follow

B.E. in Electrical Engineering, Sri Venkateswara … · 2y
ollege of Engineering (Graduated 2020)
“The palace of Illusions” is a fine novel. This isn’t the
actual Mahabaratha but just a fiction based on the
epic. The author’s choice of words through out the
novel is really to be appreciated. The first part of the
novel, till the childhood phase or at least before the
swayamwaram, I was totally able to comprehend
Draupadhi’s feelings, her longingness to be loved, her
curiosity and her willingness to learn, to be prepared
for being the best Queen.

Starting from swayamwaram, or to be precise, right

from meeting Karna, I was Reading
Continue unable to connect with her.
If Draupadhi is portrayed as “empowered wo
Upvote · 8

Bhavya Gupta · Follow

B.A.(H) in Economics, University of De… · Updated 2y
i (Graduated 2021)
The book Palace of Illusion is based on the epic of
Mahabharata but the author has altered many
incidents and gave it a new angle. The major detail
that was altered was that it romanticizes Karn and
Draupadi.

It is special as it brings out the feminine point of view

of the tale as it is written from Draupadi's
perspective.

The writing style is great yet I was irked at the way

Draupadi was portrayed. When I first saw Mahabharat
I fell in love with her fierce character as she was
courageous, never afraid to speak up her mind, and
was aware of her rights and power.
Continue Reading
The author, on the other hand, sho
Upvote · 3

Moni · Follow
Studied at Jadavpur University · 4y

'Illusions' this is the word by which I was attracted

towards this novel. People say don't judge a book by
it's cover but they never told not to judge a book by
it's title.

So, finally I bought this book. Only then I got to know

that it's based on Mahabharat from the point of view
of Draupadi. Well! feeling excited? I was too. I
expected it to show the power and perspectives of
Draupadi. I was expecting to see the spark of a
woman who changed the future of (then) Bharat. But
to be true I was disappointed. Throughout the
storyline, the only Continue
thing that was highlighted was, how
Reading
manipulative and se
Upvote · 3

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