Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen

by Kavita Kané

Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen tells the extraordinary story of Karna, the unsung hero of the Mahabharata, through the eyes of his wife Uruvi, bringing his story to the reader from a unique perspective.

An accomplished Kshatriya princess who falls in love with and dares to choose the sutaputra over Arjun, Uruvi must come to terms with the social implications of her marriage and learn to use her love and intelligence to be accepted by Karna and his family. Though she becomes his mainstay, counselling and guiding him, his blind allegiance to Duryodhana is beyond her power to change.

The story of Uruvi and Karna unfolds against the backdrop of the struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. As events build up leading to the great war of the Mahabharata, Uruvi is a witness to the twists and turns of Karna's fate; and how it is inextricably linked to divine design.

A splendid saga from the pages of the Mahabharata, Karna's Wife: The Outcast s Queen brings its characters alive in all their majesty.

Genres: Mythology, Fiction, India, Indian Literature, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance

310 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

A senior journalist with a career of over two decades, which includes working for Magna publication and DNA, she quit her job as Assistant Editor of Times of India to devote herself as a full time author. A self-styled aficionado of cinema and theatre and sufficiently armed with a post-graduate degree in English Literature and Mass Communication from the University of Pune, the only skill she knows, she candidly confesses, is writing.
Karna's Wife her debut novel, (2013)was a bestseller. Her second novel - Sita's Sister (2014) also deals with another enigmatic personality - Urmila, probably the most overlooked character in the Ramayan. Menaka's Choice(2015) ,another best-seller, is about the famous apsara and her infamous liaison with Vishwamitra the man she was sent to destroy. Lanka's Princess (2016) is her fourth book based on Ravan's sister, Surpanakha, the Princess of Lanka who was also its destroyer...
Born in Mumbai, a childhood spent largely in Patna and Delhi , Kavita currently lives in Pune with her mariner husband Prakash and two daughters Kimaya and Amiya with Chic the black cocker spaniel and Cotton the white, curious cat.

Reviews

[Mythbreaker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kavita Kane writes in her Preface - that urged by her mother, this book was written in an impulse. In the entire novel, this is perhaps the most sane, logical and honest statement.

My review might come across as unfair to an author and his hardwork. But after reading "Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen", I felt a few things needed to be said.

In the past, many literary geniuses have written novels on 'anti-heroes' of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Using 'creative liberty' and 'fresh perspective', they have tried to depict how wronged their protagonists are. Some have done this wonderfully and won accolades. The best thing about these fictional renditions is, they satiate the dissatisfaction we have with the canon narrative. Karna, particularly is the most interesting subject, now carved into public memory as the quintessential 'tragic hero'. His grey nature makes him an intriguing character to write on. Despite it all, what makes me resent THIS particular book is, it appears to have been written not to tell the story of Karna's wife, but rather to justify Karna and degrade every other character around. Karna's wife Uruvi is merely a tool to achieve this.

Now, honestly, I might have overlooked this approach, if the execution was skillful and poignant. But sadly, the writing has ZERO subtlety. The author uses forced and contrived arguments to dismiss certain characters as inferior going against what is clearly written in Vyas' text, extensively plays the sensational caste-card without having a fair understanding of the social structure of Dwapar Yuga, and even misinterprets some shlokas of the canon text. However, what I find particularly disturbing are the double standards while dealing with this book's heroine Uruvi and that of Vyasa's epic, Draupadi, and the unsettling views surrounding the latter. More on that later.

First, what I LIKED:
1.) Uruvi in the first half. Her characterization is decent.
2.) Honest admission of Karna's active and abominable role in Vastraharan, which most authors writing on Karna tend to sugarcoat.
3.) The author's understanding of the plight of all women in the epic, and a happy ending.

What I DID NOT LIKE:

1.)The narrative style:

One of the first things that every storyteller learns is: "SHOW. DON'T TELL". But we hardly find that here. In the entire book, we are merely told how Karna is great, virtuous, selfless, extraordinary, innocent, etc, by Uruvi, Radha, Kunti, etc but barely "shown" his greatness convincingly through his actions. This is made worse by over-justification, repeated references to same incidents, unnecessary insertion of side stories and a language, that is not pedestrian but extremely tedious. It takes great patience to finish the novel, unless one is a huge fanatic of Karna and loves reading long, boring conversations that extol and exaggerate his virtues. Also, there are characters and names lifted from other works, aka Vrushali (brainchild of Shivaji Sawant's Mrityunjay) without disclaimers.

2.) Character Sketches: the biggest letdown.

URUVI, DRAUPADI & KUNTI: The author seems to have been angry when she wrote the book. Really angry that Draupadi had rejected Kane's hero Karna (an incident which has been identified as a later insertion into Mahabharata, and removed from the Critical Edition) and married his rival Arjun instead. So, in a vengeful spree, she carves a similar, feisty heroine in her novel, Uruvi, and makes her reject Arjun and rebelliously marry Karna in a fictional Swayamvar which is an exact replica of Draupadi's from Vyasa's text (minus the fish task)!

And here comes the double standards. Kane applauds Uruvi for exerting her choice in marriage, while simultaneously deriding Draupadi for doing the same. She vilifies the kings who try to attack and kill Uruvi for choosing a non-Kshatriya, and yet carefully avoids to elaborate how Karna too, along with these very same kings had shown the same atrocity with Draupadi during her Swayamvar. Kane is a feminist when it comes to Uruvi but somehow doesn't apply the same tenets of feminism, where Draupadi is concerned. The worst, however, is yet to come.

Kane's Draupadi (an opposite of what she was in Vyas' depiction) is hopelessly in love with Karna, and so, forgives him for goading her molestation at the dice-game! *facepalm* This "love saga" that originates from much later folk-cultures and is non-existent in Vyas' Sanskrit text has been taken to unbearable and undignified heights in this novel.

Then of course there's Kunti. Now, I don't mind a grey-shaded Rajmata, but a dumb one with no self-respect? Vyas' Kunti who was extremely critical of Karna and others for their behaviour towards her beloved daughter-in-law at the dice-game gets a 180 degree makeover in this novel. Here, Kunti (of all people) justifies not once, but twice how Karna is 'technically' right in calling Draupadi a whore, because apparently the scriptures say so! Firstly, the author's interpretation of the particular shloka in the said scripture is incorrect. And even if that is the case, why did Kunti allow Draupadi to be pushed to such miserable fate knowing the scriptures well? Oops, it was her "oversight". Well, as per Kane.

ARJUN, DURYODHAN & OTHER MEN: One can debate whether Vyas' Arjun was flawed or flawless. However, what is beyond doubts is the fact that he was known for his calm and controlled behavior. The author renders Arjun to be weak, inferior and hot-headed to contrast with her version of "wiser" and "noble" Karna. In this book, Duryodhan, Shakuni, Dushasana, Pandavas, Drona and most other men are bad. Except of course, Karna who is forever looking for attention, and occasionally muses "Pandavas never gave me a chance." Why the Pandavas were obligated to give a "chance" to a random stranger like Karna to fight for glory without reason is never quite explained.

3.) Warped morals of the story:

I felt uncomfortable at some of the opinions that Kavita Kane wishes to impress upon the readers through her book, and this is what prompted me to give it 1 star. One of the biggest problems with this novel is, it does not extend the same moral standards to its protagonists, what it expects from other characters. Worse still, is the manner in which Karna's mistakes are justified at every step.

It appears as though, the author knows deep down what happened at the dice-game is unjustifiable, but she does not wish to admit it to herself. So, throughout the novel, she makes at least 20 references to Karna's discomfiture by Draupadi, bringing it up every now and then to rile up sentimental readers. Throughout the book, the verbal insult of Karna is continuously equated and equalized with molestation + physical assault of Draupadi in a very matter-of-fact manner, to remind the reader again and again and again that since Draupadi rejected him for his birth, Karna "only" retaliated by getting her molested, and his behaviour was merely an innocent "outburst" and thus, "justified". The most dangerous part is where Uruvi's mother expresses her joy that her daughter rejected Arjun for he failed to protect his wife from molestation, and in the very next line, applauds her for choosing Karna instead, who was one of the perpetrators of the said molestation!
A similar treatment is meted out for the much-known statement "Andha Ka Putra Andha" which is NOT part of Vyasa's Sanksrit epic but the figment of imagination of a much later playwright.

Final Verdict:
I wish to write more, but the review has already become too long. The reason why this book is a bestseller is because most Indians have not really read the unabridged, canonical text of Mahabharat and thus are unfamiliar with the subtle details from Vyas' Sanskrit version. This book simply plays safe with popular interpretations of Karna, and oils the general fanaticism that exists around him. Needless to say, such sensational renditions written with juvenile understanding of the epic win people's hearts instantly. Pick up the book only if you'd like to read a saas-bahu version of Mahabharata.

[Uma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A part of me is in the battlefield of Kurukshetra where Karna met his glorious end. I am writing this review hoping that it would get rid of the lump in the throat that has not disappeared since I finished the book.

While this is a story of Uruvi, Karna’s wife, I thought the main character was Karna, through the eyes of Uruvi.

The word that comes to my mind is “Sthitapragnya”, which according to Krishna was the ultimate human being that the Gita was purported to create.

According to Lord Krishna :
“When a person gives up all desires in his mind, when he is satisfied in the self, by the self, then he is called a person of steady intellect. One who is without agitation in sorrows or happiness, free from longing, free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a quiet person of steady consciousness. He who is without affection towards both auspicious and inauspicious, neither thrilling nor despairing, his consciousness is established. When such a man withdraws his senses from their objects as a tortoise withdraws its limbs, his consciousness is established. The sense objects turn away by not feeding on them by the embodied, although the taste may not be given up. Even the taste goes on seeing the supreme.
Courtesy: http://akwri.webs.com/G117Sthp.htm

This story, brings to the foreground, Karna’s evolution as a Sthitapragnya. It is easy to say how a person should be a Sthitapragnya, but very difficult to become one. One might argue that Yudhistra was one, but in my head, Karna surpasses Yudhistra in this field. He goes through rejections his whole life – first by his mother, then by his gurus and then by the society. Yudhistra was beloved of all. He had the support – of his mother, his brothers and wife, Krishna and the society. At no point was he rejected. Yet I believe that he did not take on the responsibility for his actions in the game of dice. He bleated his righteous arguments of how his wife was his to wager. He (and the other brothers) found no clause in their so called Dharma that would help them protest against what was happening to Draupadi.

Arjuna was supposed to have no equals in archery. One way of ensuring no equals is to be the best and the second way is to get rid of anyone else who is the best. Karna was the former and Arjuna was the latter.

I was happy to read in this story that Draupadi forgave Karna more readily than her husbands. She equated the disrobing act to the insult she offered him during her swayamvara and understood the shame that he must have felt.

Karna knows that Duryodhana was wrong and was on the path of self destruction, yet his loyalty is unwavering because of the acceptance and dignity the latter gave him. Some might see it as the behavior of an insecure person, and may be it is. But what human being doesn't go through the insecurity of not being accepted by others. How many of us feel bad about being rejected for our virtues because some other external factor (color, caste, race, or gender) overshadows it? Karna went through all this and more. Yet he accepted his mistakes. “I have no justifications to offer” is a statement that can be made only by a person who is convinced of what is right and what is wrong and that he was siding the wrong. His longing for acceptance, his love for his adopted family, wife and sons, his passion for Uruvi whom he calls his conscience, are beautifully captured. On the eve of the battle, Krishna and Kunti, separately, try to dissuade Karna from fighting for Duryodhana and reveal the secret of his birth. He goes through hell because of this revelation and yet does not swerve from his path of loyalty. After his death Krishna says that Karna could be killed only if he gave up righteousness and Kunti and he attempted to do just that by revealing the story of his birth. His evolution from a person who is angry with Draupadi for the insult during her Swayamvara to a person who says “I know I will be killed tomorrow, but I am willing to meet my fate” and goes smiling to the battlefield and fights hard even though he knows that he is doomed is to me what a Sthitapragnya is all about.

Thank you Kavita Kane for this beautiful book.

[Paromita Bardoloi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not an easy task to choose a character from the Mahabharata and do justice to it, especially when you are picking up someone like Karna. Karna is our first Greek tragic hero. He rose above his destiny. Arjuna conquered the Kingdom, Karna stayed in our hearts. Whenever we think of Karna, a tragedy strikes our heart. Even after losing everything, Karna lived on.

This book is about Karna through the eyes of his wife Uruvi. Uruvi was the Kshatriya princess who chose Karna the ‘Sootaputra’ which was already an act of defiance. Though it was already known that it would be Arjuna her childhood mate whom she would choose. The moment she chooses Karna, there comes a veil between her and Hatinapur. Yet, she stands by Karna. She watches Karna’s first wife and children and grows into the household.

The love story of Karna and Uruvi is used as a backdrop of the whole Mahabharata playing in the fore. Karna’s loyalty to Duryadhana, Duryadhana’s undying love for Karna, Karna’s relationship with the Pandavas and Draupadi, and his birth shrouded with mystery: all these themes are explored in this book. Karna is a man trapped in a doomed destiny. He refuses to be ‘Kuntiputra’ and is comfortable being called ‘Radheya’ son of Radha his foster mother. He rises about his destiny and is known forever as ‘Daata Karna.’

Kane takes us through Karna the friend, the husband and the tragic hero through Uruvi, who becomes his friend, counselor and even tries to warm him of Duryadhana and his brothers. Each character and incident is played very poignantly and each shade is grey, even Duryadhana with all his pride and flaws looks human and not the anti-hero. Karna also falls from grace when he was also a participant in the disrobing of Draupadi, for which Uruvi could not forgive him, even when Draupadi does.

‘Karna’s wife’ is a poignant saga of dreams and ambition, of human effort and destiny, jealousies and heroism and above all of human flaws. Kane is a flawless storyteller who has beautifully beaded an old story in a new string. When Karna lies in the battleground, the reader would want to sit next to him and weep a river. That is the power of storytelling Kane has used while telling the story of Karna from the perspective of an extremely lesser known character- his wife.
A powerfully told story of a woman, who loved a man who was destined to doom. A must read.

[Shinde · Rating 1 out of 5]

Regressive, Masochistic and screechy.
The protagonist woman argues she ought to have a choice in selecting her husband. Then she spends the entire book married to a man who abuses, molests and insults another woman for exerting the very same choice!

The protagonist's idol Kunti is a woman who bedded 5 men, and this Kunti loftily proclaims how the same man is 'Righteous' for declaring her 5-husband daughter-in-law as a whore!

In the climax, these two women fall into each other's arms mourning the death of above mentioned abuser male.
Oh by the way, the author is a woman. Ironic? Yes. Logical? No.

[Divya Sarma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love reading PoV versions of Mahabharata, and since Karna is a very intriguing character, I thought this PoV from his wife would be great. But the author simply seems to have read a couple of PoV versions like Mrityunjaya, Palace of Illusions etc and done some general online reading on Mahabharata interpretations, and simply rehashed it. I mean even some of the words sound the same as what I have read on several online discussions of this epic.

The problem with this book is that there is no attempt to create an internality to Uruvi, Karna's wife, or for that matter any of the characters. It is like a third person story, which is simply conveniently written up as a PoV. Just an example, Karna is sharing with Uruvi the secret of his birth, and who his birth mother is. Dont you think he would just get to the point of the conversation. But no, he meanders on and on about how Krishna came with Satyaki and took him in a chariot and they drove somewhere and he asked Satyaki to go away and yada yada. Its like the author saw the BR Chopra serial or perhaps read Rajaji's Mahabharata and is simply making Karna describe the situation which was described in third person in that book. I mean do you really think a man who has been told the secret of his birth and who is wrestling with the fact that he is going to war with his own brothers is going to come and describe the story in this way to a wife he respects. Similarly, with Karna's death, Ashwathama goes on and on and on about the battle that we never really get a sense of the tragedy of his death for his wife. If this was really a PoV, then shouldnt the wife be focussing more on her loss rather than attempting to describe the battle scene. This kind of PoV versions smack of Lazy writing. The author has made no effort to actually get engaged with the character who is narrating the story, but simply using her as a mouthpiece.
For some truly interesting PoV, one should read Bhmsen by Panicker, which is based on the malayalam book Randamoozham. I have not read the original and Panicker stresses that his is not a translation, but you can see the author make an effort to actually narrate a story from Bhima's perspective. It is his story. Even the fights he engages in are narrated from within his mind. We understand what he thinks of his wife, his mother, his brothers.
There are numerous other places, where it is obvious that the author cant be bothered to demonstrate something through the story, and simply states it. For instance, at one point Uruvi says Karna has a good e sense of humor. But not once is anything related to that ever described.
Draupadi's unrequited love for Karna is pretty much a lift off from Palace of Illusions. Uruvi even hints at the same reason for Draupadi to dismiss his suit, as has been described by Divakaruni in her book. But pray on what basis did Uruvi realize this truth. It is natural that she may guess another woman loves her husband, but how can she randomly assign a reason for why that woman then rejected this man.

PS : I thought I was too critical in the review and flipped through the book again. There are some sections which are nice. Kunti finally gets her comeuppance through Uruvi's repeated castigation of her. But Kunti's reasons for hiding Karna's birth remains very obscure and her repeated requests from Uruvi to stop censuring her seems very unlike this strong woman, who made her choices aware of the consequences and probably took full responsibility for her actions. And then I stumble on more bits of lazy writing. After Karna's death, in the battlefield, Uruvi is beholding her husband and the Pandavas and Krishna come and Krishna says Yudhishtra wants to light the funeral pyre, and will she allow it. Uruvi says Karna wanted Krishna to do it. Krishna says he is aware of it, because that was one of the boon he asked of Krishna before his death. SO if Krishna is aware of Karna's desire, why is he even asking Uruvi if Yudhishtra can light the pyre and telling her that it is his right as a brother? These kind of logical inconsistencies ought to have been picked up by an author or competent editor at least.

[Bharath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read Kavita Kane's books since long, and finally have started with Karna's Wife. Karna’s Wife represents imaginative Indian historical fiction writing.

Mahabharata is an epic of immense complexity. While the summary rendering is that of the fight of good vs bad/evil, the situations and moral dilemmas which the characters face is extremely complex. A situation and dilemma which the Mahabharata raises, has found no easy solutions even today - what if those at the highest seats of power do not have the right values / behaviour and lead the entire kingdom to disaster (as Duryodhana / Shakuni and the Kauravas did), dragging many upright and moral citizens (such as Dronacharya, Bhishma, Karna and others) in the flow.

Karna is a character who is one of the most fascinating in the epic. He fights an uphill battle right from birth – is given away and brought up by poor parents (his father being a charioteer) at a time when your parental heritage mattered a lot. He is up against a lot – his upbringing, devious friends and being bound by loyalty, blunders due to feeling mistreated since long, others seeking to disarm him by taking advantage of his generosity…..

The story is told from the eyes of Uruvi, who is Karna’s second wife. This is a character you do not encounter in mainstream narration of the Mahabharata. Though of royal heritage and also close to the Pandavas, she chooses to marry Karna – impressed by his personality and skills. This is not exactly an ideal situation – being a second wife (Karna’s first wife being Vrushali), and more importantly a man scorned as one not worthy of intermingling in the highest circles. While she loves him deeply, she watches helplessly as she sees their life entering turbulent times. Especially after Karna’s taunts Draupadi leading to Duhasana’s attempt to disrobe her. Uruvi is wild with Karna – how could a man for whom righteousness of conduct was important, do something like this, despite the fact that Draupadi insults him during her Swayamvar. Each person is the sum total of his experiences – Karna bears the brunt of discrimination right from his birth. Uruvi realizes, as does Karna, that war is certain to follow, which will almost certainly mean Karna’s death, standing by the one friend Duryodhana who gave him the respect almost everyone else denied.

There are portions which deviate from mainstream narration – Uruvi’s character & marriage to Karna itself, Kunti’s characterization, Bhishma’s motivation for keeping Karna away from the battlefield, and aspects of Draupadi’s character, and her relation with Karna. I was a little disappointed at some of the characterization – especially Kunti’s, and also Arjuna & Draupadi.
And yet, the book largely maintains the ethos of the epic. The writing is good, as is the strong buildup of Uruvi’s character. Some of the characterization on the Pandavas side could have been better. Krishna’s advice to Arjuna and his finding his balance could have found mention as well.

If Indian historical fiction interests you (specifically the Mahabharata), this is a great book to read.

My rating: 4.5 / 5.

[Shriyala · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't help but fall in love with Karna. Not once, not twice, but many a times throughout the book. Karna was a righteous man in a wrong place, and at a wrong time. He knows that his love and loyalty towards Duryodhana will eventually lead to the inevitable,yet he never abandons his friend. This book makes you smile when you read about Uruvi and Karna's love for each other, at the same time you can't help feeling sad cause you know what's in store, right from the beginning.
I would have liked to give a rating of 3.5 for this book, but there's no half option, and 3 would have been too less. So, 4 it is!

[Swathi Sridharan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really poorly written.The book will do a good job of getting you to dislike Karna if you happen it like him already.None of the personalities of the characters are properly developed,in fact there is not a single likeable character in this book.For every question asked of Karna,the sole reply he has for every logical argument put across is "duryodhana is my friend". The author beats around the bush for most part of the book,repeating the same things over and over again.I only bared through this book for my otherwise liking for the character but I sincerely recommend one NOT to touch it. Reviewed it just to put across that it was one of the not at all good books I have ever read.

[Avanthika · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was so special about this book was it penetrated into Karna's soul through Uruvi's eyes.
I was wondering why the author chose fictional Uruvi over Vrushaali, who was the actual mother of all nine sons of Karna including Vrushakethu.
And then came the answer, the chapter that had the suyamvar. When everybody expects Uruvi to garland Arjuna, she walks past him to garland Arjuna's ulimate rival, Karna, creating traumatic murmurs. It actually tamed my pulse to a greater extent even though it was imaginary, for it nullified the astringent remark Panjaali made on her Suyamvar. :D
Karna. <3
A born-Kshatria with glittering Kavas-Kundals he was deprived of the education which he longed for by Dronacharyar. Portrayed as a Dharmic person supporting wrong people, there are numerous debates on his actions. Well, the root to all his unrighteous choices he made is very evident. He was subjected to parental rejection. He woke up every morning in the same town with his mom, as adopted son of sutaputra despite of being Suryaputhra, looking at every elderly women down the street and wondering who could be his mom.
He had a turmoil in choosing between dharma of friendship and the dharma of righteousness. Having faced rejections all through his life, he did not get the recognition that he longed for. Not until his death. He took Duryodhan's side although his morals where right, for Duryodhan was the only person who supported him when the rest of the world walked away belittling him. Even after becoming a king, he couldn't do AnnaDadham because people refused to eat in a Sutaputra's house.
Radheya has always been a rebel against caste and the social hierarchy,' her mother-in-law said, after a brief pause. 'He has constantly been cruelly reminded that as a sutaputra, he cannot aspire to more than he deserves, but he believes in his own worth.
Uruvi tries her best to bring him back in track. She begs him time & again to leave Duryodhan's friendship. The conversations between Draupati and uruvi are well crafted. When Karna confessed his love for Draupati to Uruvi, I found pangs of jealousy in me. The climax of this book left me with a lump in my throat. Seriously, the most DEFAMED character in Mahabharat is Karna. Benevolent Karna is bad mouthed throughout the epic although he was dharmic. I was as devastated as Uruvi. She sometimes wished she was more thick-skinned, so that she could see nothing, feel nothing. I understood the need to have thick-skin when I went through those pages that described Karna's death. Seriously, Karna's death doesn't mark his ultimate end. There were situations where he died slowly, inside him, before his actual death. First time was when Kunti dumped him. Then comes the three curses, first by his guru Parashuram, second by Bhooma Devi & third by the angry Brahmin. Then came Indira, who deprived Karna by getting his Kavach & Kundals paving way for the glory of his son, Arjuna. Finally, before his final death, after keeping mum for years, Kunti reveals the secret to Karna, just before the war. Very thought of confronting his own brothers in the war should have killed him literally. After all these difficult situations, he should have felt bitter to fight. There was nothing left after that. Everything stood ominously still. I could feel the void, darkness and agony. I could sense the loss Duryodhan went through after Karna's death. Duryodhan, who stood undisturbed in the battlefield even after the death of his 99 cousins, couldn't bear the death of Karna. He weeps like a kid to Uruvi.
Through Kavita Kane's words, I lived the life of Karna's wife. Even after finishing the book, I could feel the hangover of the words used. The world is not going to witness one another benevolent loving man like Karna ever again.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It will take time and so many retellings to outdo this book! My poor heart can’t handle the pain and grief of the main character. No, it’s not the wife but Karna. The epitome of sacrifices. I will grieve for the character forever.

The writing is bewitching I would say! I just can’t put down a book ever from the author once I start reading them and this one is no different. This shook me the most. Now I am completely drained of my soul. I wish I could just let him understand that I understand his pain.

[Shyam Sundar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-telling of the greatest epic mahabharata on karna's Perspective . This book explores multiple facets of karna ! As a King , a husband , a friend , a son , a father , a brother , an enemy ! As an epitome of moral righteousness . An unsung hero of Mahabaratha !

Have been bought up by listening various stories of mahabaratha on pandavas , this gives another unique perspective of uruvi , a kshatriya princess who choses Karna over arjuna . The story of Karna and Uruvi is used as a backdrop of the whole Mahabharata playing in the fore. Karna’s loyalty to Duryodhana, Duryodhana’s undying love for Karna, Karna’s relationship with the Pandavas and Draupadi, and his birth shrouded with mystery: all these themes are explored in this book. Karna is a man trapped in a doomed destiny.

A classic retelling which narrates the events of Mahabharata with great detail and different perspective. The conflict within her between her unconditional love for Karna and his inconsiderate behavior towards Draupadi at the dice game in the palace of Hastinapur has been well portrayed.

A powerfully told story of a woman, who loved a man who was destined to doom. A must read for mythology lovers.

[MidnightOil · Rating 1 out of 5]

A view of my favorite story of all time from ‘the other side’, by a fictional character no less! It sounded very promising, not to mention tantalizing, as it would mean a close and romantic look at Karna! But alas! A few chapters in and the utter ‘bad writing’, because there’s no other polite way to put it, had broken all my Illusions about this one. There were too many editing mistakes to count, the language was pedestrian at best, and the story meandered like a directionless blind drunkard! Uruvi was supposed to be married within a short time after the Rangbhoomi, but then her swayamvara is held after Draupadi’s, a lapse of at least 7-10 years, for no discernible reason. In fact its never mentioned! Then there’s Draupadi! Her qualities are taken and given to Uruvi, leaving a very strange, almost alien-like creature in her place. She’s so blasé about her ‘humiliation’, and regards it as a ‘personal moment’ between Karna and herself. I reread that part to be sure I had read it correctly! A man calls a respectable woman a whore publicly, humiliates her in vile language, tells another to strip her naked who then proceeds to try doing just that, and it’s a ‘personal moment’ between the two! Uruvi was far angrier and moved by the episode than Kane’s Draupadi! It was surreal. By this time reading the book was akin to watching a train wreck, but you can’t look away! And lo and behold! Kane delivers the next gem! Uruvi’s parents, who had been against her marriage to Karna, are ‘glad’ and ‘thankful’ she chose Karna over Arjuna after Draupadi’s humiliation! Yes, you read that right. Why? Because Karna only humilated another man’s wife; had Uruvi married Arjuna she would’ve been the one humiliated! It’s like saying you’re better off being in a family of criminals because you’re safe from their crimes, being in the family! My expectations from the book had plummeted past zero by this time, so I continued reading to see just how bad it could get. Kane took it as a challenge, it seems, and switched her soul with Uruvi. Then Kane/Uruvi went about righting the supposed wrongs of history done to her dear Karna, and harrangued every character from Kunti to Bhishma till they said sorry and extolled the virtues of the noblest of noble souls to ever walk the earth, namely Karna. When the book ended I was almost sorry, because I had so gotten used to the convoluted nonsense of it. Bad books make me angry, but this one was so bad it made me laugh with tears running down my cheeks. If Karna were to come alive he would be in a dilemma; should he just kill himself or marry this woman who obviously loves him very much and then kill himself for her bad writing! I would vote for killing himself right away to save him the torture of reading this book. Read only if you don’t expect logic, story, plot, good characterization etc, you know, the ordinary things you expect when you pick up a book. Otherwise, it’s just perfect.

[Prajakta Athavale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zero.

Makes Palace of Illusion seem like a work of pure literature. This is just an author indulging herself by creating a fictional Karna's wife just to retell a very twisted version of Mahabharata with some added commentary to suit the non-existing plot. It lacks depth, insights and any internalization of events or people and is peppered with a slew of heavy dialogues with distorted facts to make Karna the hero. Karna is the perfect anti-hero with forty shades of imperfection, which is the most appealing quality of his character. Kane killed it by glossing over the bad and the ugly while gilding the good.

I wish instead, we had spent more time on Vrushali who was actually Karna's wife and not this fictional female. Last but not the least, it was despicable the way the author equated Draupadi's disrobing with the public rejection of Karna during the swayamwar to justify Karna's actions. No. Sexual assault and verbal assault can never cancel each other out.

[Nameeta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Growing up, Sunday mornings were reserved for watching the Mahabharat on Doordashan and I remember Karna being on the side of the Kaurava's and overall not a very good person. But reading interpretations of the Mahabharat in recent times Karna seems to have been a character who was a victim of his circumstance so I was interested to learn more about him and his wife in this story (fictional though it maybe). I honestly did not have very high expectations but unfortunately even those failed to deliver.

There were a few good things about the book and one of those is the main protagonist Uruvi. It was quite refreshing to hear a feminist voice in the Mahabharat setting where most of the women were used as pawns and play things. But she was also extremely naive. A woman who was lost in her own love story and blind to the world and her husband's fault till it was too late. She also gets a little screechy and annoying at times.

The story also shows that the Pandavas may not have always been right or good. And the same goes for the Kaurava's. I wish the author had delved into Duryodhana and his family a little more. Kunti is portrayed as plain calculative and power hungry. I enjoyed the politics and the family history and dynamics.

And then of course Karna. A man who was righteous but on the wrong side of the war. From the beginning Karna knew this but his friendship and loyalty to Duryodhana trumped everything for him. The author does wonder that if his birth had been acknowledged right at the start then maybe the war would not have happened. But then the explanation given was that this was necessary for dharma to prevail, to learn what is right from wrong although I doubt any of the lessons learnt are applicable at this day and age.

Now coming to what I did not like, the most important being that the story was way too long. For the matter it tried to convey entirely too many pages were written. The editing could have been better and so could have been the story telling. The narrative has too many flash backs which are not incorporated well. Also the same rehashing of how great Karna was was not needed in every other chapter. Also the dialogues spouted but the characters was just plain annoying at times.

Though it could have been much better overall not worth the time spent reading it

[Aditya Choppa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only thing good about this book is the plot (which happens to be NOT ORIGINAL). I relived the memories of reading Twilight while reading the initial chapters as Uruvi pines for Karna (She'll definitely give tough competition to Bella on how much one cab get obsessed about a guy). Once you get used to the blatant sexism(can be excused as it is set in a patriarchal society thousands of years ago) you are bombarded with psycho-analysis of Uruvi. The analysis presented is nothing new. For anybody who has seen the movie about Karna (an old Telugu movie) or the TV-series(used to air on Doordarshan)the points the author makes are moot. Though the central character is Uruvi and we hope to get the perspective of this princess, what we get is the authors analysis(which is also NOT ORIGINAL)thrust upon us as Uruvi's analysis. Only, thing new to me was the severe criticism of Kunthi.

Read it only if you are ignorant about Mahabaratha or haven't heard the version sympathetic to Karna or you have lot of spare time.

[Neha · Rating 1 out of 5]

The affected writing is the book's undoing. I started reading it with much exhilaration, only to be severely disappointed with the author's presumptuous storytelling. One sentence is repeated as many as six-seven times in a span of as many paragraphs. It made me feel as if the author has little regard for and confidence in the reader's imagination and intellect. It would have been so much nicer to have the story guided by subtlety rather than verbosity.

To make matters worse, the story itself seems poorly strung together. If you like the character of Karna, be prepared to cringe every now and then. The author seems to have pieced threads from multiple retellings of the epic into a 'well-rounded' narrative, which is anything but. Such a waste of a beautiful storyline.

[Kamakshi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I put off reading it after about 50% of the book because I didn't care about it at all. I like Mahabharata. I actually love it. And I liked the author's other book, Sita's Sister. But this one didn't capture my interest.
And I absolutely don't want to read about a made up character when there are so many suppressed voices in the epic itself. Fir example, the actual Karna's Wife who was a low-caste queen among the others and definitely must have felt like an outsider?

Whatever. I closed this book and never wanted to read it again. I guess that says a lot.

[Lakshmi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the read. Impressed by her other books like Menaka's Choice and Lanka's Princess, I was intrigued to read this.
Moral of the story is No matter how good and righteous a person is, if he sides with the wrong then he will be doomed come what may! This can be put in a very simple way with unnecessary discussions. I liked the way how story was built but this book tested my patience with never ending and painfully prolonged conversations between characters.

[E.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
a) Fresh thoughts ✓
b) Unexplored character ✓
c) Show not tell ✓
d) Authentic and credible voice ✓
It is a disgrace that fake masala fiction like The Palace of Illusions is the most popular book on Mahabharata in the last decade. And I am surprised that such books keep coming. Highly recommended.

[Ishani · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s just a retelling of Mahabharata ....

This book is on the similar concept of Chitra Banerjee’s ‘The Palace of Illusion’. But unlike Draupadi, who had much contribution to the turn of events in Mahabharata, Karna’s wife had nothing at all. She was a mere spectator like us. With or without Uruvi in picture, with or without her marrying Karna, the course of Mahabharata stays the same. So retelling Mahabharata from her perspective in a book other than Mahabharata itself is very futile and boring.

Having said that, the writing style is not that impressive. The book starts with the intention of introducing each and everyone wherever possible with a subtitle: Dhritarashtra, the blind king or Kunti, mother of the mighty Pandavas and widow of king Pandu followed by a flashback on what happened to them before. It makes the readers feel very weary. And as the story progresses the author keeps on injecting short stories telling Mahabharata in every context.

The beginning looks like a love story but later on is a series of endless discussions between Uruvi and others from Mahabharata, each time repeating the same things and events over and over. The interesting parts of Mahabharata could actually have been elaborated more and the unnecessary parts could have been avoided.

Imagining and reading Mahabharata from it’s characters’ perspective is always interesting but unfortunately this book does not stand out in this field. Kunti, Gandhari or lesser researched characters like Vidur or Dhritarashtra would have been an amazing choice !

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the emotional aspect. But so many well known and accepted facts were twisted and that was a sore point for me. Also the same things were repeated again and again, Karnas righteousness, Karnas humiliation which after a time became tiresome. Anyhow was a breezy read almost like a masala Hindi serial.

[Rahul Prabhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! This book is a great example of things told from a different points of view sound very different. The depth given to the non-central characters like Kunti, Shakuni, Bhishma, and Duryodhana is exceptional. I especially loved the way the author has portrayed the other side of Kunti who is traditionally seen as a positive character.

The character central to the plot of course is Karna's wife 'Uruvi'. The author has in a very sensitive way explained what Uruvi goes through by marrying Karna - the chivalrous, generous, just and the highly skilled brave warrior who is regarded by many as the greatest warrior of Aryavrata but is also looked down upon by the majority because of his low birth. This book has not only brought out the various emotions that Uruvi goes through as the wife of one of the most complicated characters in the Mahabharata but has also explained the phenomenon of Karna.

When we look at Mahabharata from the traditional angle, we see skill, glory, bravery and victory. We often fail to see the other side of it which is tragedy, helplessness, and grief. This book does a very good job of bringing forth this view. After reading this book, I've realized that Mahabharatha can be looked at from many points of view and each teaches you something.

[Bookishbong Moumita · Rating 5 out of 5]

কর্ণ - পুণ‍্য জাহ্ণবীর তীরে সন্ধ‍্যাসবিতার
বন্দনায় আছি রত । কর্ণ নাম যার,
অধিরথসূতপুত্র, রাধাগর্ভজাত
সেই আমি - কহো মোরে তুমি কে গো মত: !
কুন্তী - বৎস, তোর জীবনের প্রথম প্রভাতে
পরিচয় করিয়াছি তোরে বিশ্ব-সাথে ,
সেই আমি আসিয়াছি ছাড়ি সর্ব লাজ
তোর দিতে পরিচয় আজ ।

These lines are from a famous poetry of Tagore Karna Kaunti Sanbad . Through this Tagore has picturised the conversation between Karna And Kunti when Kunti opened her dark secret to him .

After reading The Palace of Illusion by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni , I was pinning to know about Karna more and more . There was a particular one Question in my mind , later I found his Wife also had this question . Did Karna Love Draupadi ? Karna himself had answered it !

I wanted to say more about Karna only , but Uruvi , attracted my mind towards her . Yes .The brave lady .
Where Draupadi had immense hunger of revenge Uruvi didn't love the idea of war . She wanted peace .
If you have already seen my previous stories, you know then how much I love the writing style of @kavitakane . Her writing has made me love Karna's eyes 😍

After reading this book I'm feeling like complete a series .

[Aishwarya Beedkar · Rating 1 out of 5]

A badly written fanfic.
Any person who writes a book on any epic must have the consideration to at least read the actual epic. It's not very difficult to get an authentic translation of Mahabharata. This book glorifies a man who said things like 'all women like to have more than one husband' 'Madra women are the dirt of womankind' 'I will give even my wives to the man who shows me Krishna and Arjuna' This is the book that demeans a great woman Draupadi by potraying her as being in love with a man who called her a whore and told her to grant sexual favors to other men. The part where Draupadi justifies her own abuse at the hands of lord Karna made me physically sick. The saddest part is that this book has been written by a woman.
What sane woman would choose Karna over Arjuna anyway? This Uruvi 'loves' Karna when she doesn't know jackshit about the kind of man he is. And any woman did it this is how her life story would be:-
1. Chooses Karna because of his looks
2. Realises how big of a misogynist the love of her life is
3. Regrets her decision as long as she lives

[Gayathri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Karna's Wife is a misleading title. Unlike The Palace of Illusions which focuses on Draupadi's story, Karna's Wife simply uses Uruvi, Karna's wife, as a narrative device. The sole focus of the story is Karna. There is not one dialogue that isn't spoken about Karna or the other men who litter the pages of Mahabharata.
The narrative also keeps moving back and forth. And the author uses various characters to pronounce lengthy monologues to explain the various boons and curses at play. This often leads to a loss of complexity for the reader is led straight to the answer instead of having it slowly revealed.

Disappointing read.

[Srividya Vijapure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Told from a wife's pov, it was extremely superb. Some of the scenes as well as the moments literally brought tears to your eyes. Mahabharata has always been my favorite epic and Karna my favorite character, given his multiple shades. To see his story told from his wife's pov was simply wonderful. Made you realise that life is not all black and white and there are shades of grey in everyone.

[Parul Srivastava · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the WORST books ever written on Hindu Mythology!!! And here are 5 main reasons I absolutely abhorred this drivel:

1) The author spends more than three quarters of the book just beating about the bushes. Her long winded dialogues are extremely frustrating- repeating same things like a broken record over and over so MANY times that you want to pull out your hair in exasperation. Mahābhārata is one of the greatest sagas of all time! There are so many complicated storylines involving so many complex characters with so much melodrama going on in their lives. The author had a tremendous amount of material to work with and yet, this insufferable book is what she comes up with!

2) The protagonist, Uruvi’s character is entirely of the author’s own imagination. There is no such character in the classical text. I fail to understand why any author would create a fictional character (and give her a center stage no less!) when she had an array of remarkable women already at her disposal to choose from. What makes this even worse is the fact that Uruvi’s character is utterly unlikable. The author doesn’t get tired of forcing it down the reader’s throat in almost every other page how beautiful, clever, exuberant, intelligent, feisty and wise Uruvi is but in actuality, she comes across as a selfish little brat who is highly insecure, hypocritical, cheeky and immature. She is like that dumbest person who thinks she is the smartest person. Even the mighty Bhishma Pitamah is cowed by her! What a pathetic joke!!!

3) Karna’s character takes the cake in this travesty of a book. The author’s Karna is a whiny little prick who is also a big time crybaby! All he does in the entire book is mope around telling everyone how unfair the world has been to him and how shabbily he has been treated by people because of his questionable birth. The author fills paragraphs after paragraphs preaching how very kind, generous, loyal, brave and noble Karna is, but she fails miserably!!! She oversells him so much that you end up loathing him instead. Karna of this book seems like one hateful, spiteful, sadistic person with a death wish and inferiority complex in bucket loads. Karna does despicable things in cahoots with Kauravas but the author keeps reminding the reader throughout the book how righteous and wonderful he is!

4) Apart from Uruvi and Karna, the author doesn’t seems to think any other character in the great epic worthy of her attention or praise. The Pandavas, Draupadi, Kunti, Gandhari, Bhishma Pitamah and the rest of the characters in Mahābhārata are pushed into margins and made into dumb caricatures who don’t hold a candle in front of Karna and Uruvi. As if the whole point of the Mahābhārata is telling the sob story of these two! No body else matters. Ved Vyas would be rolling around in his grave!!!

5) The most revolting thing about this book is that it is utterly disrespectful and insensitive towards women who have gone through physical abuse in their life. In Mahābhārata, Draupadi is gambled away in the game of dice by Yudhishthir. She is shamed, molested and stripped in public by Kauravas as everyone watches silently. All this happens at Karna’s instigation. The men at court including Karna are at fault for Draupadi’s cheerharan, but the author keeps pushing the readers to believe that it is justified only in Karna’s case. She makes almost every character go out of their way to defend Karna for what he did. She hammers this argument through all of these characters that it’s okay for Karna to humiliate Draupadi just because she belittled him at her swayamvar. His calling Draupadi a whore and encouraging a sexual assault on her is justified because he is hurt and angry at her rejection! And then, the author goes out and makes the victim herself forgive Karna for his transgressions because she is in love with him and the cheerharan was a “private moment” between them. This NEVER happened in the real Mahābhārata! Why would the author make up such an appalling thing?! And what kind of irresponsible statement is she trying to make?!!

The bottom line: The author appears to be smitten with Karna like a foolish teenager to such an extent that she can’t see anything beyond him (much like the blind Dhritrashtra). This crazy infatuation of hers is projected on the imaginary character of Uruvi. As a result, this book reads like a self indulgent fan fiction not worthy of anyone’s time, money and effort. Please steer clear of this stupid book. I don’t particularly enjoy calling a book stupid but that’s what it is in my opinion.

[Uttara Srinivasan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Karna has long been the character who evokes the greatest sympathy from thousands of readers who lose themselves to the tale of the Mahabharata. For me personally, he has been the unsung hero - the wronghed one, the one who despite being the instigator of the shame of Draupadi and the willing participant in Abhimanyu's brutal killing. So to be the book that almost makes me cringe with annoyance at the man, is some feat.

The book leads us to believe for the most part that Karna is a man with loving (even if adoptive) parents, a brother who looks up to him as his hero, two wives - one who is his friend and confidante and the other (the narrator of this book) the rouser of his passions, friends who remained steadfastly loyal and respected him for his skill and talent without paying much heed to his lineage - and yet cannot look beyond the fact that a few people who he has no reason to attach importance to till much later when the truth is revealed - call him sutaputra. He sounds whiny. And despite his wife and everyone else insisting he is righteous, on specific occasions mentioned afore, he but loses any right to be referred so.

Thankfully, the revelation of his birth and his determination to remain steadfastly loyal to his friend, the unfairness of what his birth mother and Krishna himself ask of him, didn't fail to restore some of my sympathy.

This is arguably the weakest perspective on the saga that I have had the chance to read. The author and therefore her lead protagonist make for a dull reading with tons of repetition (even of phrases and events) and any active engagement. Uruvi while modeled as to Karna what Draupadi was to Arjuna and vice versa, lacks the benefit of the richness of interactions with the mysterious Krishna, the Dharma-abiding often infuriating Yudhishthira, the soft-hearted brute that is Bhima and so many others from the tale. In comparison to Draupadi, she comes across as highly uni-dimensional - a woman who loves her husband to the end of the world and has nothing more to say other than how wrong he was in his choices and how wronged he was in his destiny.

[A H · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF'd at page 230.

[Sri · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the abomination that was the T.V serial 'Karnsangini' which was loosely based on this book, I was a bit hesitant going into it but I soon realized that the book was completely different and way better than the typical 'saas-bahu' drama the makers of the serial had turned it into. Don't scoff. I had to give the show a shot. That comparison, however, does no good when you look at the book individually. This book is supposed to be a retelling of the Mahabharata through the eyes of Uruvi, Karna's wife, if you hadn't guessed from the title already. Uruvi's character has substance but once she marries Karna, her character just turns into another convenient way of narrating Karna's story. Agreed that Uruvi is never mentioned in the original Mahabharata, but it is vital that the readers understand the turmoil the character is going through. The story has to revolve around the main character, who happens to be Uruvi in this case. It focused more on Karna. I've read 'Sita's Sister' one of Kavita Kane's other books and there, the third person narrative was very aptly used. Here? Not so much.

This book offers a good portrayal of Karna, a man who was righteous, yet aided adharma throughout his life. Just a person present at the wrong place at the wrong time aiding the wrong people. Flawed. Again, the vastraharan scene becomes a moot point. This was the part where Uruvi was furious regarding Karna openly insulting Draupadi in the Rajysabha. I talked about my issue with Uruvi being turned into a link who very conveniently connected the different incidents in the story, but one fact can't be denied. Her arguments were all so solid, precise and more importantly, fierce. Kunti, however disappointed me by justifying all the wrong things.

Kavita did a great job offering arguments against the wrongdoings of Karna through one of the characters. In such retelling of the epics, it becomes mandatory to include strong opinions on injustices done to several characters, something I found to be abundant in this book, which is a good thing. Only when I was reading this book did I finally realise how very calculated the steps taken by the characters were. None of them, including Karna, were perfect. Each one had a role to play in the events that lead to the war. That's exactly why I'm drawn to this epic and I'll never get tired of reading the story from the perspective of different characters.

I would have given this book a higher rating had it treated Uruvi as more than a person who was there for the sole purpose of making valid arguments and a source of commentary. This was not what I expected it to be, but insightful nonetheless.