Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part A

• So a little background:  I was originally going to read a graphic novel about the Ramayana from Sita's point of view as I hadn't read anything about the Ramayana in a while, but when I went to the library I couldn't find the book!  So I looked at the book right after that one which happened to be The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, about the Mahabharata from Draupadi's point of view.  This was the best coincidence of my life as far as I'm concerned right now.  I never really thought about Draupadi that much except to be angry at her for treating Karna so poorly, but this retelling made me more sympathetic.
• In the versions of the Mahabharata that I read, Draupadi and her brother, Dhristadyumna, did not play large roles (except for the aforementioned incident by Draupadi).  This book starts much before Draupadi's famous swayamvari with the Pandavas, so we get to hear a lot more about her childhood.
• It talks a lot about her father, Drupad, and his rivalry with Drona.  I especially liked the chapter "Milk" where the two children come up with stories about why Drupad and Drona hate each other so much, cobbled together from eavesdroppings and vague hints from their nurse.  It was very entertaining to hear how they interpreted certain events to reflect better on their father.
• Dhristadyumna especially doesn't appear in the Mahabharata much even though it seemed like his destiny was much more important than Draupadi's at first.  He was prophesied to help his father kill Drona, and now I'm desperately trying to remember who does kill Drona and what happens to Dhristadyumna (or Dhri as Draupadi calls him).  I'm already so attached!
• I liked when the author mentioned what their names mean:  Draupadi means 'Daughter of Drupad' and Dhristadyumna means 'Destroyer of Enemies'.  Both are pretty appropriate names, haha.
• Krishna also appears a bit in this story.  He comes in and speaks to Draupadi a lot and always tells her the truth about what is going on around her.  He also gave her some much needed confidence about her dark skin color, something I didn't think about when reading the Mahabharata.  Apparently, both Krishna and Draupadi had very dark skin at a time when dark skin was looked down on, but both ended up being thought of as great beauties.  I liked how she showed Draupadi's transformation from timid girl to confident, beautiful woman.
• I am so excited to finish reading this book!  I did not think I would like it nearly as much as I do.

Draupadi and Dhristadyumna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.