Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Kaikeyi

By: Vaishnavi Patel
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $30.41

Buy for $30.41

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

“With a graceful, measured elegance” (The New York Times), this lyrical novel reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the ancient epic the Ramayana, giving voice to an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.

I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.

So begins Kaikeyi’s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on legends of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.

Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.

But as the evil from her childhood tales threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak—and what legacy she intends to leave behind.

PRAISE FOR KAIKEYI

"A powerful, feminist retelling of the epic...Patel resets the balance of power, creating an unforgettable heroine who understands that it isn’t necessarily kings or gods who change history."The Washington Post

"Easily earns its place on shelves alongside Madeline Miller’s Circe."Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Utterly captivating from start to finish." ―Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch’s Heart

"Brave, compassionate and powerful." ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

"A lyrical and evocative retelling, full of power and grace." ―Ava Reid, author of The Wolf and the Woodsman

"Compulsively readable and infinitely compassionate." ―Roshani Chokshi, author of The Gilded Wolves

"A thought-provoking, nuanced new look at one of humanity’s most foundational stories." —Shannon Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK • "MYTHIC RETELLING AT ITS BEST." (R. F. Kuang, author of Babel)

©2022 Vaishnavi Patel (P)2022 Redhook
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"A powerful examination of a woman maligned by myth and men. Patel’s imagination takes a hammer to the image of a stonehearted villainess and reveals the woman within, whose choices sparked immortal legends. Compulsively readable and infinitely compassionate, this is the story I’ve been yearning for all my life." (Roshani Chokshi, New York Times best-selling author of the Aru Shah and Gilded Wolves series)

"Patel’s mesmerizing debut shines a brilliant light on the vilified queen from the Ramayana…. Readers familiar with the source text will be wowed by Patel’s reimagining, while those new to the story will be won over by its powerful, multilayered heroine and epic scope. This easily earns its place on shelves alongside Madeline Miller’s Circe." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“The novel is compelling and rich, drawing on the source material while furnishing its characters with new complexity and motivations. Fans of Madeline Miller's Circe will fall hard for this story about a woman determined to do what’s right for her kingdom and its women, walking the fine line between rebellion and convention.” (Booklist, starred review)

What listeners say about Kaikeyi

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    354
  • 4 Stars
    134
  • 3 Stars
    60
  • 2 Stars
    20
  • 1 Stars
    12
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    342
  • 4 Stars
    95
  • 3 Stars
    43
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    14
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    324
  • 4 Stars
    111
  • 3 Stars
    56
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    14

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So moving

I never take time to write a review but this book was so so beautiful. The story telling was simple yet so moving. The story itself was filled with so much joy, heartbreak, and wonder. I recommend this book 100 times over!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good book, but…

This a very good book. I enjoyed the story; it had an almost Gaiman-esque development of a classic heel character of the Ramayana into a babyface.

What I did not enjoy was the narrator - she sound that she was on the verge of bawling her eyes out. Either that emotion or a gruff masculine voice when voicing a male character. There was no in-between.

Rama was portrayed as a misogynistic power-hungry male a$$h*l€ - a rude awakening for his followers; how can a near divine man be this way?

Vaishnavi Patel bring to light a flawed woman and her equally flawed human sons. Good job!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

a new backstory for an ancient tale

I enjoyed the story and the author's invention of a backstory to explain many things in the classic take. I found the performance of Kaikeyi's voice to be too dramatic too often, almost melodrama. that became tiresome for a character so strong
overall very compelling audiobook though. I was always excited to learn what came next.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

perspective changing

reminds you of how different perspectives can change the color of a story. audio book voice is robotic though

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

Transported into a beautiful retelling of Ancient Stories with a unique perspective. Perfect narrator! This story had so many levels to it, it is just amazing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely fantastically!

Love this version of the great story I grew up with. The feminine voice was refreshing. Did not want this story to end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

David and Absalom

I love the story, and the ability to enter a different culture and time. There were simply too many times when I could see the main character and her son, one of them anyway, mirroring the relationship of David and Absalom. A kingdom/queen-dom crumbles, because we don’t want to see people as they are. I know I know they often like to say love is blind. Perhaps it is, I I do wish for a better ending for main character. I look forward to more stories and perhaps a series the author might develop, or similar stories. Great debut novel!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

so incredibly beautiful

my heart ached the whole time but in the best way. This book will stay with me, and I'm glad for it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perspective is Reality

I have heard this story as a child in the Caribbean but the change of perspective made me appreciate balance. This work is timely in our current public discourse where persons with privilege must consider and be sensitive to how their privilege impacts others. What was previously seen as 'normal' and 'natural' is challenged beautifully. It also underscores that if you are doing the right thing for a reward you will always struggle to do the right thing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love.

For anyone that struggles with the black and white nature of Valmiki’s Ramayan, this retelling is for you. Kaikeyi is reimagined beautifully here, and the story seems to deal with many complicated aspects of Dharma and fate without being too heavy handed about it. Kaikeyi comes off as strong, intelligent and capable, instead of the usual one dimensional portrayal of her as simply evil that is so popular. Great read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!