Retelling of a great epic like the Mahabharat is in itself a feat. Vaishali Patel does an incredible job in painting the prose from the point of Goddess Ganga of the epic. Overarching theme of duty and justice paves the path of the characters and their role. The great war that was and the lessons that humanity must gain from these actions. A thoughtful read and reflection.
Fitting in the side events and each character's back story is an overwhelming task and Vaishali does a great job of this.

Huge thanks to @netgalley for advance copy

After reading about 15% of this book, I decided to DNF. I just couldn’t seem to get into it or feel connected to it in any way, and it started slow which didn’t encourage me to continue. This author and her previous novel are well-loved, but I don’t think this type of novel is for me. Thank you NetGalley and Redhook for the arc.

The Mahabharata is one of my favorite epics. It's a story that I heard from my grandmother during bedtime. Later I read the abridged edition, then the translated adaptation and finally numerous retellings from various character POVs. I've watched the Hindi television series as well. I know the story very well. But each time I read another retelling from a different perspective, It feels like I am reading an entirely new tale.

Goddess of the River was captivating - It was a bit slow in the beginning but I absolutely loved how Ganga was portrayed, how all the familiar characters had different nuances, how the same story can seem so different when looking from another point of view. It was a bit grating to see some of my favorite characters in such unflattering descriptions but that didn't stop me from loving this book. I'm so glad we got to see Bhishma's POV too. He's always been one of my biggest concern in the story and I've always wanted to see things from his side.

4.5 Stars

This is a follow-up, though not a sequel, to Patel’s earlier novel *Kaikeyi*. In that, Patel took a relatively minor player in the greater epic of the Ramayana and retold things from her perspective. Here, Patel does the same trick; this time, it’s the goddess Ganga (otherwise known as the river Ganges) in the Mahabharata epic. As in *Kaikeyi*, I am totally ignorant of the source material. I know nothing at all of Hindu mythology, so I approached this book purely as a novel. Patel talks in her endnotes about the things she changed, but I’m not going to get into that - she can speak for herself. No doubt someone who is less embarrassingly ignorant on the topic would have a different perspective on the book than me.

The title character of the book, as I said, is the goddess Ganga. She doesn’t involve herself much with humanity directly; she’s more of a passive observer when the book begins, and not a particular fan of these short sighted, destructive humans building their cities on her banks. However, she is cursed to live as a mortal for a time, and marries Shantanu, king of Hastinapura. With him, she conceives a son that will later be known as Bhishma. The dynastic strife in the kingdom of Hastinapura, with Bhishma very much in the middle of it, is the focus of the Mahabharata.

Through most of the story, Ganga remains primarily an observer, though one who empathizes more and more with humanity despite herself. She loves her son deeply; he is a good man with a strong moral compass, but caught by an oath he swore as a young man to support the Kauravas during the dynastic struggles against the more righteous Pandavas. In the latter part of the book, time is mostly split between Ganga’s point of view and Bhishma’s.

The story told is rather bleak and depressing, as the rivals for the throne of Hastinapura tear the kingdom apart. Bhishma does his best to keep things together, and pursue a path of peace, but ever and again he is helpless (or so he tells himself) to stop things because of his oath of loyalty to the Kauravas. Shiva and Krishna also play a part in events, Krishna rather more directly (and Ganga doesn’t like Shiva very much at all). And while Bhishma struggles with despair and to figure out what the right course of action is, Ganga can’t do much besides offer him love and comfort.

Overall, it’s an excellent book. I enjoyed *Kaikeyi* quite a lot, and consider this one a step up even from that.

There was one moment I want to mention, that made me seriously consider putting the book down and walking away. The critical bit of context I was missing for those who don’t want spoilers (and thanks to fellow /r/Fantasy mod /u/RuinEleint for providing it) is that it’s a not-uncommon trope in Hindu mythology for someone to have to die to escape a curse, which makes sense given the centrality of reincarnation. For those who want more details, here are some 2,000 year old spoilers: >!When Ganga was cursed to live as a mortal, there were 8 minor gods cursed the same. Ganga was to be their mother, and could return to her immortal form after giving birth to all 8. The first 7 she drowned in the river Ganges shortly after birth, freeing them of their curse to live a mortal life and returning them to their divine forms. Shantanu - who was ignorant of all this, and of Ganga’s true identity - stops her before she can drown the 8th, Bhishma. Reading about a mother lovingly, tenderly drowning her newborn baby was … challenging.!< Luckily it’s a short part of the story, and once I was through that it was clear sailing.

Strong recommendation. Looking forward to Patel’s next.

I fell in love with Patel’s story telling with Kaikeyi and loved being immersed in her writing once again. This was a beautiful story that I gave five stars. I liked that this novel was structured differently from her previous one with the dual timeline and multiple pov while not sacrificing any of the character development. The story is more character driven than plot driven and she is able to make me feel deeply for characters that are both strong and at times flawed. I love that there was a nod to her previous work, but it didn’t require reading it to understand this one. Ganga is another wonderfully written strong female character that even as a goddess feels the sting of misogyny and it was a joy to see her grow and rise above it. With this book, Patel has easily become an auto buy author for me and I can’t wait for its release so I can purchase it. I will add links to reviews closer to the release date.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley.

I tried very hard to get into it because I absolutely loved reading Kaikayi but this story did not get me interested. Maybe it was the characters or maybe it was because I was simply more interested in reading more about a retelling of Ramayana more than Mahabharata. I had to dnf it almost half way through.

It has nothing to do with the writing of course, because Vaishnavi Patel is most definetely an amazing storyteller and I am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I am always a fan of a retelling that is derived from something I am not familiar with, especially outside of my normal genre. I think this had a great main character who was captivating and interesting to follow. This was a book filled with beautiful prose, something I noticed from the very first page. While I loved the beginning and was immediately captured, I do feel like it got a little bogged down after the first third, which slowed my reading and enjoyment, but it did pick up at the end and finished strong! Overall, it was a beautiful story and one I would recommend!

This is the second novel I have read by Vaishnavi Patel. I enjoyed Kaikeyi so much, so I was very excited to read this one.

This is another retelling of the Mahabharata focusing on the Goddess Ganga. Patel's writing is so lush and serene. I loved the flow of the book. At times, there were many characters introduced and it became a little difficult to follow but as I kept going, I was able to connect everyone. And I believe a family tree will be added into the book and that should make it much easier.

I am not familiar with the Mahabharata but still found this so interesting to read. It is captivating. And if you love reading Greek mythology retellings, then you'll probably love this too! I truly enjoyed this one.

This is the second book I've read by this author, and I've loved both of them. Patel's style of writing is lovely. It's descriptive and a little flowery but is done in a way that kept my attention the entire time. Goddess of the River is such a lovely book. I will say that I am not familiar with the story this was based on, so everything was new to me and I can't compare it to the source material.

There's a lot of complexity to this book. A lot of moral ambiguity. I really love when books are able to handle difficult perspectives, and I think this was done very well.

Ganga is a fascinating character, and her journey throughout the course of the novel was beautiful. I loved her development and the way her character was utilized. This did not take the direction I expected (again, I was not familiar with the story this was based on) but I really enjoyed where things went. This wasn't a fast read or an easy one. There were moments that dragged but I felt they served a narrative purpose and furthered the development of the main characters.

Bhishma's perspective contrasted nicely with Ganga's - I enjoyed seeing their differing thoughts and how the actions of one character in one POV could impact others in a different POV.

Now, my complaints:

I struggled to keep track of some of the characters. The beginning section has what feels like a very narrow focus, but then the second part introduces a LOT of new characters which was a little overwhelming - especially when some of them have more than one name! I realized I probably should have been taking notes, because I think I missed a few things... but that just gives me something to look forward to in a reread.

The middle portion of this was slow. I still enjoyed myself, but this took a while to read because I wasn't as motivated in the middle section.

Overall, I really liked this. I think Vaishnavi Patel is a strong author and I will definitely be checking out her future works (and buying a hard copy of this book!)

While a reimagining of Mahabharata could easily be made into an overly long, sweeping epic, Patel delivers readers something better—A lush, yet comparatively succinct retelling. She takes a complicated story of divinity and makes it human (so very, very human).

We follow Ganga, goddess made human, as she struggles with going from a passive observer to an active participant in the world. And with that shift, Ganga grapples with consequences that unfold through the generations. Bhishma, her cursed son, strives for honor while muddying the waters between morality and immorality.

There is motherhood, war, morally grey characters, and love. And on that note of love, I appreciate, as a reader who feels inundated by the current romantasy trend, that the love in this book is not sexual. This is love as we often experience it in reality, with nuance based on our with ourselves as much as the other person. It is flawed and it hurts. It’s not just love between partners, but a love for a child or the world or an idea.

A content warning is featured as well and is important to read before deciding if this book is for you or not. The main aspect that hurt my mother’s heart was infanticide. And yet, it is a story of motherhood and finding agency in a complicated world.

My only qualm—let’s hope the final version has a character chart or list. Wowza. There are a lot of people to keep track of in this boo

absolutely stunning, fantastic fantasy read with epically interesting and dark motifs. an amazing indian myth retelling from the author of kaikeyi (also amazing). (thanks for the ARC)

What an absolutely beautiful story. This is by far one of the most beautiful mythology retellings I have ever read.

This is a reimagining of the Mahabharata from Ganga's perspective and the affects her choices have on herself and the mortals under her charge. But it's also a story about humanity, about what it means to be a mother, and what really defines a righteous and just life.

After Ganga is cursed by a sage wielding Shiva's power, she must go through a mortal life and birth multiple children to release them and herself from the curse. But she gets more than she bargains for when she understands what her children must go through in order to be free and has to make a terrible choice, over and over again. But when her last child is born and she is unable to take the same course of action, she must decide where her mortality and humanity begin, where being a God ends, and how she can do right by her children and the human world while also retaining Godhood.

The beginning of this story was absolutely incredible. It did slow down a bit in the middle for me but picked up again near the end. Being said, I still read the entire book in two days and I'm in love with it. This was such a beautiful story, and Ganga is such a wonderfully written character. This is definitely a must read for fans of Psyche and Eros and When the Moon Hatched. Absolutely brilliant story-telling that tries to address some of humanity's age old questions-- what does it mean to be just? What is right? And who gets to decide that for us?

Please read the content warning at the beginning of the book!! There is a significant amount of child death, however it is not in the "normal" sense of the idea, but it is a major plot point for the story and Ganga's emotions around it are extremely potent.

Thanks to Orbit books US, Redhook, and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

I was excited when I saw that Vaishnavi Patel had a new book coming out because I was a huge fan of Kaikeyi. Like Kaikeyi, Goddess of the River takes a traditional story and gives it an expanded perspective from one of the women, here the River Ganga.

I enjoyed this tale of meddling gods and misguided humans. The pride of men leads them to a war that could have been avoided if only they would compromise. It is a classic tale that many Americans will recognize from the Greek epics.

Those more familiar than I with the Greek epics can draw all sorts of interesting comparisons between the gods present here and those meddling in The Odyssey and The Iliad. Having read both recently, I found the tales similar.

The perspective of Ganga gives a unique flavor to the tale as she takes human form at times, and gives an outsider view on humanity. She and other mothers in this tale watch on with anxiety as their children fight in a war. We rarely see how the mothers react to war in most fantasy novels.

While there is lots to love, I give this four stars because I felt the characters were not differentiated enough, which made the plot hard to follow at times. With names that are sometimes very similar and a large cast of characters, I rely on context to keep track of characters and that was missing.

If you enjoy retellings of myths then this is a great introduction to the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The notes at the end give readers great options to dig deeper into the scholarship on the epic for those who feel inclined.

I struggled with the pacing of this and the timeline jumps, especially not being able to follow what was happening in the Bhishma POV sections without the background. I assume this was done to follow the original mythological text but I'm not sure, and I wish background knowlege weren't necessary to follow the story. On pacing, I felt like we rushed through the portion of the story where the goddess is human and then moved more slowly when she returned to the river. The first third or so is very engaging and the middle third felt very slow. Prose is lovely as with Kaikeyi.

A beautifully written story on what it means to be human and part of a larger ecosystem, be it mortal or divine. Ganga is a captivating main character, and Vaishnavi Patel’s prose is gorgeous and emotionally powerful. While framed around war, human politics, and conflict, I appreciated that the story focused primarily on family and the personal cost of war. The pacing is slow at times, but the characters are richly developed, and the story comes together with a satisfying emotional ending.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read this after Kaikeyi.

Goddess of the River is a retelling of the Mahabharata, from the perspectives of Ganga and Bhishma. For context, my previous exposure to the story was via a TV show that was several seasons long.

I would have loved this book to be 2-3x as long. The original story is vast and Patel does a good job in this book of the highlight reel. I want more from her voice and wouldn’t have minded more characterization of the Pandavas especially.

I did think the book did a great job struggling with the thematic and philosophical elements of the original myth, which concern what it means to be a good person. Is it keeping your word even when you know there would be negative consequences? Or does the end justify the means? She adds in an intersectional perspective. How does following the rules of society affect marginalized populations (women, people with disabilities, marginalized castes). Is it better to uphold the letter of the law, or to fight against it? Patel does not shy away from portraying beloved characters when they make mistakes. I appreciate that.

The Mahabharata encompasses so much and if you’re unfamiliar with the story, this is an excellent read. It introduces all the characters as well as the philosophical questions in a compact book. I won’t pretend I didn’t want a thousand more pages, but I think most readers will be very happy with the trade off.

"Do a person's wishes matter? Or is it their actions on which they should be judged?"

Goddess of the River is a rich retelling, of the often glossed over, tale of Ganga and her mortal son. From the epic of the Mahabharata, Patel's retelling feels heavy and course with the navigation of love and oath.

This is my first exposure to a Mahabharata story so I am by no means an expert lens in which to view Patel's retelling, so I will solely focus on the execution through a fantasy lens. Patel is a gifted storyteller: her creation of strong characters really shines in Goddess of the River. A dialogue and historical heavy hitter with little focus on the traditional fantasy notes (romantic love, sex, violence). Certainly for fans of heavy political drama.

What I do enjoy about Patel's writing that she had echoed on her own social media channels is her rejection that every fantastic novel needs to involve a romance. I thought it is a very potent rejection of what the current publishing trends are and commend her for sticking to her literary guns.

A dense read but I feel better for reading it. 3.9/5 stars.

After finishing KAIKEYI, I would tell anyone and everyone I knew that they had to read it. When I saw that Vaishnavi Patel had chosen to take on a truly monster sized project. –– the Mahabharata–– I was ELATED! Goddess of the River is a condensed version of a 2000 word epic poem, and yet, manages to capture each emotion, each character, each facet of the story, so beautifully. This is a retelling done right, a retelling that takes the original work and challenges your perceptions of the characters, picking them apart limb by limb. I am always so curious about author's processes, and yet, Vaishnavi Patel relies on academic studies and the source material itself and has this extraordinary vision. She sees BEYOND the surface of the characters, putting herself as an author, a woman, a friend, a daughter, in the character's body. This book pushes limits like no other Mahabharata retelling I've seen before, and it truly encapsulates every important detail in the original story, while still only being around 400 pages. In case you can't tell, I loved this book, and I think future readers will too.

“But a mother could not protect her children from all pain, no matter how she might try”

This was a beautiful story about what it means to be human and how hard it is to be one. I don’t know a lot about Indian/Hindu mythology, so reading a story about myths from this culture was so interesting. I was so gripped by the story and strife of Ganga that I finished the entire story in a day. The writing and the way Patel intertwines all these characters stories was absolutely beautiful. If you’re a fan of any kind of historical fiction and want to diversify your reading I would definitely recommend this story.

I am genuinely so upset with how much this book disappointed me. Kaikeyi was one of my favorite books last year and an easy five star read. Goddess of the River did not give me the same feeling Kaikeyi did. The prose in this book was very lush and that was probably my favorite thing about it. While it is clear that Patel shines when it comes to writing, the pacing and length of this did not work for me. The first third was beautiful and I couldn’t put it down; everything after that was a slog to get through. So many characters were introduced after 40% that I couldn’t keep track of who was who. This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and I am SO upset that it just didn’t work for me. I found myself speed reading through the last 40% because I just wanted to be done.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.