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The Palace of Illusions:

A Novel
Front Cover
110 Reviews
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Feb 10, 2009 - Fiction
Taking us back to a time that is half history, half myth and wholly magical, The Palace of Illusions gives new voice to Panchaali, the fire-born heroine of the Mahabharat, as she weaves a vibrant interpretation of an ancient tale. Married to five royal husbands who have been cheated out of their father's kingdom, Panchaali aids their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war. But she cannot deny her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna—or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy—as she is caught up in the ever-manipulating hands of fate.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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User ratings

5 stars
18
4 stars
27
3 stars
26
2 stars
28
1 star
11

The prose is gorgeous. - Goodreads
Writing a mythology based fiction is really difficulty. - Goodreads
Divakaruni's writing style is crisp and fluid. - Goodreads
From a plot standpoint, there is nothing new here. - Goodreads

Review: The Palace of Illusions

User Review  - Shweta Ganesh - Goodreads

An interesting retelling of the Mahabharat through Panchaali's eyes. A riveting first-person account of the epic war and the events that led up to it through Draupadi's eyes. The novel starts from ... Read full review

Review: The Palace of Illusions

User Review  - J. Wootton - Goodreads

Well-told, very interesting, very Indian. Would have been improved by an inclusion of the myth this story is based on, for those of us less familiar with the Hindu-Buddhist folklore tradition. Read full review

All 108 reviews »

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About the author (2009)

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the author of the bestselling novels Queen of Dreams, Mistress of Spices, Sister of My Heart, and The Vine of Desire, and of the prizewinning story collections Arranged Marriage and The Unknown Errors of Our Lives. She lives in Houston, Texas, and teaches creative writing at the University of Houston.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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