The Palace of Illusions

Acclaim for Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's

“An exotic escapist tale.… With
The Palace of Illusions
… Divakaruni has proven that her storytelling talents put her right up there with the best.”

—The Miami Herald

“Divakaruni, renowned for her skillful take on women's relation ships, creates a very believable character in Panchaali, a queen who must choose between making history or following her true desires.”

—
The Oregonian

“A lyrical tale imbued with the scent of ancient incense yet… rooted in modern day relevancy.”

—
BookPage

“Full of wonders.… Draupadi is a complex, impassioned heroine with a wry sense of humor, and the women who surround her are fierce and uncompromising.”

—
The Onion A.V. Club

“Introduces Western readers to an ancient mythology—this time with complicated, strong, memorable heroines.”

—
San Antonio Express-News

“Divakaruni has taken a male-centered story and breathed new life into its female characters, giving us a rich tale of passion and love, power and weakness, honor and humiliation.… Entertaining, insightful, and suspenseful.”

—
The Union

“A novel look at [an] ancient Indian epic.”

—
New York Post

“
The Palace of Illusions
is not only an exciting, action-packed read, but also an educating one, and will likely encourage those curious enough to delve into the original Mahabharata.”

—
The Toronto Star

“As grand and tragic as the epic poems by Homer.… Divakaruni's best work yet.”

—
Bookreporter

“[Divakaruni's] women are desperate, wonderful, complicated, lyrical, memorable, even magical.… Daring.”

—
Vogue India

“
The Palace of Illusions
is unique, amongst Divakaruni's very best.… A creative, illuminating feminist work that compels us to re examine the original text.”

—
India Currents

“Imaginative.… Poignantly told.”

—
Hindustan Times

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the author of the bestselling novels
Queen of Dreams
,
The Mistress of Spices
,
Sister of My Heart
, and
The Vine of Desire
, and of the prize-winning 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.

www.chitradivakaruni.com

Queen of Dreams

The Vine of Desire

The Unknown Errors of Our Lives

Sister of My Heart

The Mistress of Spices

Arranged Marriage

Poetry

Leaving Yuba City

Black Candle

For Young Readers

The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming

The Conch Bearer

Neela: Victory Song

Abhay

Anand

Murthy

Who is your sister? I am she.

Who is your mother? I am she.

Day dawns the same for you and me.

From
Innana's Journey to Hell,
3rd Millennium BCE,
translated from Sumerian by N. K. Sandars

My deepest thanks to:

My agent, Sandra Dijkstra, and my editor,
Deb Futter, for guidance

Antonya Nelson and Kim Chernin
for encouragement

My mother, Tatini Banerjee, and my mother-in-
law, Sita Divakaruni, for good wishes

Murthy, Anand, and Abhay for love

Baba Muktananda, Swami Chinmayananda, and
Swami Vidyadhishananda for blessing.