Kaikeyi is the story of a vilified Indian queen. These are just my thoughts with that in mind. Though I’m half Indian, my family are Muslim so I don’t have much sway there! I’ve read reviews from own voice reviewers stating they dislike what the author did, and also one’s saying they loved it.
I have to state I am not familiar with the epic that this story is based on. If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #Kaikeyi #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning Special thanks to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK, Orbit, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review. Overall, it is a retelling worth all the praise and the attention! I look forward to reading and listening to more stories from Vaishnavi Patel’s creation! As in the original story, Manthara is also present in the story, present in the key moments of Kaikeyi’s life, and constantly switching between the roles of mother, counsellor, teacher, confidante, and motivator. Through her bravery on the battlefield, thirst for knowledge, and determination, she starts building the foundation blocks which will change how women are viewed and treated in society, much to the disapproval of the sages and those who follow her closely.
Narrated in the first-person narrative format, the novel follows Kaikeyi from her early years, and all the way through becoming one of King Dasharath's wives and mother of his children. Unlike in the original Ramayana storyline, in Vaishnavi’s novel, the story starts with the birth of Kaikeyi and her twin brother. **“I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions-much good it did me.”** Similar to the original book, Kaikeyi is presented as a powerful and influential woman of her time, a world where men rule and women are bound by sage traditions to carry out the lives in the shadows of their husbands and sons. “Kaykeyi” by Vaishnavi Patel is a beautiful retelling inspired by the Queen with the same name from the Indian epic “The Ramayana”.
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