Book Bearings
Cover of The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Palace of Illusions

  • 372 pages ยท about 6 hours
  • First published 2008
  • 3 editions

Bookshop.org links may earn us a commission. It supports independent bookstores and costs you nothing.

1 About this book

A reimagining of the world-famous Indian epic, the Mahabharat--told from the point of view of the wife of an amazing woman. Relevant to today's war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly magical.

Narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the legendary Pandavas brothers in the Mahabharat, the novel gives us a new interpretation of this ancient tale. 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.

  • India

2 About Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Born 1956

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born Chitralekha Banerjee, 1956) is an Indian-born American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her short story collection, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award in 1996. Two of her novels (The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart), as well as a short story (The Word Love) were adapted into films.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

3 Similar books

Find a book that fits your moment