Bibliophile's view

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin

PALACE OF ILLUSIONS: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Most of us know the fact that there are three main sacred books of the Hindus, The Mahabharat, The Ramayan and The Bhagavad Gita, where, The Mahabharat is defined as the greatest epic of the Bharat dynasty. It is the longest poem known.

This book describes the story of Draupadi or Panchaali (means the one from the kingdom of Panchaal). She is the wife of the Pandavas (Yuddhistir, Bheem, Arjun, Nakul, Sahadev). Pandavas were the descendants of Pandav, Kunti and Madri.

The story begins with the birth of Draupadi, her childhood and marriage. After the wedding the Kauravas offer the Pandavas a barren land in which the Pandavas build a palace named Indraprastha and turn the land into a flourishing place. Moving on, in a game of gambling Yuddhistir ends up losing all his assets including Draupadi. That’s how Draupadi Vastrapaharanam takes place, leading to become one of the important reasons for Kurukshetra war.

Just as we cast off worn clothes and wear new ones, when the time arrives, the soul casts off the body and finds a new one to work out its karma. Therefore the wise grieve neither for the living nor the dead.

There on the story unfolds about the details of the onset of war, and the Kauravas and Pandavas after the war. The author has drafted each and every detail of the war which keeps you griped throughout the book. This book is beautifully penned down in a simple language so it helps the beginners also to read with an ease. Even if you are not fond of mythological stories this does not make you feel like one.

This book also advises us a few things about revenge and friendship of Arjun and Lord Krishna or be it Karna and Duryodhan.

NIGHTS IN RODANTHE: NICHOLAS SPARK

People who are familiar with Nicholas Spark would undoubtedly know his expertise in drafting a love story.

The story involves about two people Adrienne Wills and Paul Flenner, who play the protagonists. Adrienne and Paul are unhappy with their respective lives and they eventually end up in an Inn in Rodanthe and fall head over heels in love with each other.

“People want pretty much the same things: They wanted to be happy. Most young people seemed to think that those things lay somewhere in the future, while most older people believed they lay in the past.”

Adrienne is a divorcee and a mother of three kids, also Paul is a fifty-four yeard old father who has recently divorced his wife. When the storm sets in they end up being alone in the Inn. And as they spend time with each other they find compassion. When they both are stranded they find the purpose of their lives. That’s how the story unravels itself about what

happens to them and where do they go once the storm settles down.

The book is pretty easy read but few words are bit tricky. I still remember reading this book about two years ago and it still stays with me. I could not get over the book for a very long time. Once you read it, you would not regret.

I hope you find the reviews useful and please do read them.