The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee originates from the Indian mythology’s famous tale Mahabharata. This is another retelling of the great heroic Mahabharata. However, the point of view taken this time is of Draupadi's than anyone else’s, like Karna, Pandavs, etc. The story tells the anecdotes of Draupadi's struggles and her insatiable thirst for love all her life. The lead character is intellectual, strong and poignant; and sadly does not grow with time. But then, may be that is why the Mahabharata happened. The best likeable part is the edgy relationship between Kunti and Draupadi, the author does not try to make it all ideal and keep it relatable. The different angle involved is the author's take on Draupadi's relationship with Karna. Read it just for the beautifully weaved story of these two. The only thing that does not fit is the order to cover all the tales of Mahabharata, some such stories are also told from Draupadi's viewpoint th...
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