The Henna Artist
Ratings45
Average rating4
15
Ratings45
Average rating4
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK "Eloquent and moving...Joshi masterfully balances a yearning for self-discovery with the need for familial love."--Publishers Weekly Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman's struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel. Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist--and confidante--to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own... Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow--a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.
Featured Series
3 primary booksThe Jaipur Trilogy is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2020 with contributions by Alka Joshi.
Reviews with the most likes.
“If I had learned anything from them, it was that only a fool lives in water and remains an enemy of the crocodile.”
Lakshmi and Radha are sisters, one older and a well-established henna artist in Jaipur, the other much younger and in need of a home after their parents passed away. Big city Lakshmi takes country girl Radha under her wing, but the two of them are stubborn and clash more than they act as sisters. Radha stumbles her way into rich family drama, and the two have to overcome differences in upbringing and strong personalities to make peace between them.
I had such high hopes for this book in the first half! The detail is rich, the characters interesting, and the idea of following a henna painter around the rich families of Jaipur was super intriguing. Lakshmi had built quite a following amongst the elite of Jaipur, and I was interested in reading about family drama or caste problems or something of that nature. The author delivered in spades initially!
Where it ended up losing me a bit was the focus on Radha and (SPOILERS HERE) getting pregnant and the emphasis on baby drama in the last half. I thought the story of the sisters was a great one, I just wish there had been another way to insert drama between them than the way chosen by the author. I've got nothing against it, I just can't relate.
Still, the detail and writing style were both fantastic, and it was a fun read regardless.
3.7 - very good story... I listened to this for something different. I hadn't read something like this before but it was very enjoyable.
Interesting plot, poor delivery. When I think about the storyline, the customs, and the culture itself, I can appreciate it, but the clinical writing style made it a slog to get through. The extra pages in this book were exactly that. Extra. Character index, glossary, explanation of the caste system, history of henna, recipes. It was a lot. I had to put a post-it on the first page of the glossary just so I could flip to it when necessary. It felt more like a textbook on Indian culture than a novel. I‘m not a fan of books that have an unlikable main character, but great support characters. Lakshmi was either completely unfeeling or simply too dense to understand the people around her, yet she was able to strategize and climb her way up the good graces of the ladies above her caste placement. It seemed disjointed. Malik and the Maharani Indira we're my favorite characters. I would love to read this book through Malik's perspective.
Beautiful and heartbreaking! But it also taught me so much about Henna symbolism, herbal medicine, castes, and Rajasthan. Love this book.
