Reviews

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

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shaneli_mirpuri's review against another edition

I really really wanted to enjoy this book - it's a phenomenal idea and huge undertaking to retell the Mahabharata, which is over 1000+ pages in a digestible read AND told from the female protagonist's POV. I know she couldn't change the plot or characters much, but wow - no one is likeable or has any depth. The writing was beautiful and filled with great imagery, but I was literally falling asleep reading it for most of the book - that being said, I really enjoyed the last 30%, especially the very ending.

suhasa010's review against another edition

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3.0

It was...um... okay?

I guess I expected a lot more from this reimagined tale of Draupadi/Panchali in her perspective. After a certain point, her character takes a backseat and things (w.r.t her) kinda stall.

Her impact on the other characters was much more in the first half of the story, than the second half (after the war starts, where it's almost nil). I do not mind the Karna-Draupadi angle, but you wonder whether it added anything to the story except for her own guilt-trip at the end.

It is certainly beautifully written and well-paced but I felt a lack of strong dialogues and something that hooks me. Until the end I did not feel any kind of hook though. Having known the Mahabharata story already, I felt familiarity in the narratives but again nothing extra that could hold my attention.

The author could have done so much more with strong and impactful dialogues. Potential wasted! (I felt it had a lot of potential considering the first few chapters).

I also had to slog through post-war chapters and skip-read them.
Probably won't be reading any retelling/reimagining of Indian mythology any time soon.

Just my two cents. Your mileage may vary.

devanshbargujar's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

kpazulski's review against another edition

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4.0

I wish I had read the Indian myth this was based on before diving in, but I love that she took a male-centric story and told it from the women’s perspective. Filled with love, yearning, selfishness, and obsession with vengeance, a captivating read, though the main character’s musings get a tad repetitive.

smqcv's review against another edition

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1.0

Unfortunately this book lands on my DNF list. I'm 54% finished (just past their visit to the cousin's new palace), and dreading picking it up again. I thought the book started out strong and was intrigued, but it's lost me now.