Customer Reviews:
 Don't buy it! It's all in Sanskrit! No, I'm just kidding. September 23, 2007
This is actually in English and is a pretty good book. I mean, these old epics tend to get wordy and lose the story, because the writers at the time had no knowledge of storytelling but just wanted to impart rules and ideas to the people who read the book. The author cuts a lot of that out, meaning it's shortened down into a very readable piece.
 disappointing February 22, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
i love r.k.narayan's narrative, but the way he retold the great epic is disappointing. he relies on the power of his narrative and forgets to stick to the epic style. the book captures most of the ideas, but it disregards the beautiful and magical details that embellish the epic, just like they embellish the culture it belongs to. the retold mahabharata may be a good read for those who want to have an idea of the epic, but then the idea can be obtained from the internet and for free.
 Useful as first introduction only January 20, 2001
35 out of 37 found this review helpful
This book is only useful for those who want a very basic introduction to the Mahabharata, and only want to invest a minimum of time doing so. This book will give the reader the basic outline of the Plot, but does not dwelve into the many important Philosophical portions of the Epic, and the "outside stories". The book is well written. I like the style of R.K. Narayan. As an introduction this book is much better than that of Buck, not only because Narayan is a better writer, but because he had a better knowledge of the Epic, Hinduism and Sanskrit Literature. If you must get an introduction, I recommend the one by C.V. Narasimhan, which based on selected verses, and brings the reader much closer to the Mahabharata.
Good book for new readers December 20, 2000
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
This is a good book for those who do not know Mahabharat story. The reason it is good for the beginners is that it is concise and flows through the subject quickly. So it would be a good book for new readers who can quickly get a sort of overview of Mahabharat.If you already know Mahabharat plot and story, try and get a little advanced book.
 A Great Epic November 11, 2000
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
This shortened prose version of the Mahabarata by R. K. Narayan presents the engaging adventure of the five Pandava brothers' efforts to reclaim their empire. The story itself has nearly everything anyone could want in a good book: edge of your seat action and edge of your mind inspiration. In addition to celebrating the Pandavas' super-human strength and feats of daring, the book also catalogs many types of human relationships: mother-child, sybling-sybling, husband(s)-wife, king-courtier, mentor-apprentice, even writer-reader..... Long after you finish reading this book, you'll be realizing why Hindus recognize it as one of their two most sacred books---it's got everything! And yet it rarely stoops to the level of being preachy. (Narayan also has a shortened prose version of the other sacred Hindu book---The Ramayana.)
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