Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Genre: Fiction, Mythology
Rating: 4 out of 5
Pages: 360
Date Started: 20 February 2023
Date Finished: 28 February 2023
My book club selected this as the 'Book of the Month,' and I had the pleasure of revisiting it, having first read it in April 2013. Stories featuring the strong female characters of the Mahabharata have always held a special fascination for me, and this book was no exception.
The narrative delves into the life of Princess Panchaali, tracing her remarkable journey from her birth in fire to her role as a woman with five husbands who are determined to reclaim their father's kingdom. Throughout the story, Panchaali gracefully maintains a delicate balance as she stands by her husbands through years of exile and a harrowing civil war that involves the most prominent kings of India. Alongside these grand events, the story never loses sight of her strategic battles with her mother-in-law, her complex friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, and her clandestine attraction to the enigmatic man who poses as her husbands' most dangerous adversary.
Draupadi, or Paanchali as she is known, is an incredibly intriguing character, navigating the complexities of having five husbands and enduring the challenges of her upbringing as a princess. Her ability to analyze every situation and every individual she encounters throughout her life keeps readers thoroughly engrossed in her story.
This novel does an outstanding job of redefining the world of warriors, gods, and the ever-manipulating hands of fate through the fiery and compelling character of Panchaali. It's a captivating journey that anyone with an interest in epic tales and strong, dynamic female protagonists will appreciate.
Favorite lines from the book:
What is the most wondrous thing on earth? Each day countless humans enter the Temple of Death, yet the ones left behind continue to live as though they were immortal.
Let the past go. Be at ease. Allow the future to arrive at its own pace, unfurling its secrets when it will.
The humiliated enemy is the most dangerous one.
“A situation in itself,” he said, “is neither happy nor unhappy. It's only your response to it that causes your sorrow.
Expectations are like hidden rocks in your path—all they do is trip you up.
That seemed to be the nature of boons given to women—they were handed to us like presents we hadn't quite wanted.
“In righteous war, you fight only with men that are your equal in rank. You don't attack your enemies at night, or when they're retreating or unarmed. You don't strike them on the back or below the navel. You use your celestial astras only on warriors who themselves have such weapons.”
“And who decided that a woman's highest purpose was to support men?”
She who sows vengeance must reap its bloody fruit.
Time is the great eraser, both of sorrow and of joy.
