Relevant to today s war-torn world, "The Palace of Illusions" takes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly magical. Narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the legendary Pandavas brothers in the Mahabharat, the novel gives us a new interpretation of this ancient tale.
The novel traces the princess Panchaali's life, beginning with her birth in fire and following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war involving all the important kings of India. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her strategic duels with her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship withthe enigmatic Krishna, or her secretattraction tothe mysteriousman who is her husbands'most dangerousenemy. Panchaali is a fiery female redefining for us a world of warriors, gods, and the ever-manipulating hands of fate."