more real than real

I’m currently reading “The Palace of Illusions” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I only wish I had discovered her earlier, (she is also the author of "The Mistress of Spices") and I plan on catching up on her other works sometime soon.

In "The Palace of Illusions", she sets to "uncover the story that lay invisible between the lines of the men's exploits." It's Mahabharatha told from Draupadi’s perspective – a novel, contemporary view at that.

Few authors -- or characters in the case of fiction -- leave lasting impressions – personalities that remain etched mainly for their determination, perseverance. Draupadi now joins the list of Scout Finch (To Kill a Mocking Bird), Anne Frank (Author(?): Diary of a Young Girl), Kira Argounova (We The Living), Leslie (The Book Thief), Marjie Satrapi (Author: Persepolis)

All of them women - I'd add Vikram Seth for his characterization of Lata Mehra and many more in A Suitable Boy. When I have a bookshelf settled and spacious enough, I’m bringing that huge book back in and filling up the shelf with the rest mentioned here. And with Divakaruni’s “The Unknown Errors of Our Lives” – each story struck a chord, though I felt you need to be uber-sensitive or must have been in a not-always-happy frame earlier to appreciate some of the nuances.

The Bridges of Madison County

“I scribbled something in my notebook the other day for future use, just had the idea while driving along; that happens a lot. It goes like this: ‘The old dreams were good dreams; they didn’t work out, but I’m glad I had them’. “
**
“I mean” – his voice was a little shaky, a little rough – “if you don’t mind my boldness, you look stunning. Make-‘em-run-around-the-block-howling-in-agony-stunning. I’m serious...”
**
“In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once, and never again, no matter how many lifetimes you live.”

‘There are songs that come free from the blue-eyed grass, from the dust of a thousand country roads. This is one of them.’