It also brings us to fascination of Panchaali with Karna, The most powerful (though a victim of fate). The modern time tug of war between a newly married girl and her authoritative mother-in-law ( Kunti ) has been impressively incorporated in this modern fiction version of the epic. It takes the reader to a journey of Draupadi or Panchaali (as she is addressed in the novel ) from her magical birth to the time she is dramatically married to the five Pandavas, from living in the grandest palace a queen can ever desire to long years of exile in dense forests and a devastating war between cousins.ĭivakaruni has narrated the epic through the eyes and heart of Draupadi who fell in love with Arjuna, the undefeated one, but had to reluctantly marry his four brothers also. The book deals with the soul of Draupadi as we know her, the historical character from the epic – The Mahabharata.

And the book that has recently been going to bed with me is The Palace Of Illusions, written or actually, wonderfully written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the author of famous works like Sister of my Heart, Mistress of Spices and many more.

Somebody has rightly said that a person who reads never goes to bed alone.

The palace of illusions