A classic tale told through the eyes of a pivotal (and my favorite) character like Panchali was a treat to read. I didn't expect much going in, but Chitra's evocative writing and characterization humanized the larger than life people I grew up reading about. We mostly remember Panchali as the scorned woman who vowed to wash her hair with the Kaurava blood, but here we get a surprising amount of depth and dimension to her right from her birth from fire to her death at the mountain, all weaved in a colorful tapestry.