The Henna Artist

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi is such a good and colorful book. The author's writing is so descriptive and the characters are well developed. This is a story about India and it's culture. I found this so descriptive and really liked that the author has a glossary with definitions of so much about India and a listing of all the characters and who they are (which is helpful). The main character is Lakshmi Shastri who has escaped an abusive arranged marriage and has been in hiding from her family and village so that he will not find her. Lakshimi doesn't even know that she has an younger sister Radha until she shows up on her door step with the abusive husband. Lakshimi has built a life as a very talented Henna artist in a very difficult culture for a single woman. This story brings you in from the very beginning and holds you until the very end. I am happy that book 2 has been written with the 3 in the series to debut next year! Be sure to read at the end a few chapters of the 2 nd book and also several chapters on many of the subjects of India! I can't wait to continue the journey from this great author! This book in part of the Reese Witherspoon book club.

The Henna Artist is about a woman struggling for independence and voice. Lakshmi is the first-person storyteller who was an accomplished henna artist and herbalist. Her story takes place during the 1950s in India after the country had gained independence, but women were still property. It is not historical fiction but rather an imagined history. Lakshmi left her husband Hari since he beat her, primarily for not having children. Leaving her arranged marriage meant that she also left her family and hometown. She had to reinvent herself and establish contacts where she had lacked the network of relatives from her formative years.Lakshmi, meaning goddess of wealth, employed a young boy named Malik to help her obtain supplies and move her business around to her clients. Malik is an endearing character who matures as the plot develops and portrays to Lakshmi, whom he calls "Aunty Boss," how to use relationships to one's advantage without taking advantage of people. I loved how he interacted with clients, women of a higher class. Privileged women appreciated Lakshmi's talents in painting their hands, feet, and other body parts with artistic personalized henna designs. She also peddled herbal contraceptives; for that business, she had men who purchased her sachets for their mistresses. Additionally, Lakshmi provides fertility and abortion treatments. Her many wealthy clients provide enough income for a house but also put her in precarious predicaments.Complicating her life, Lakshmi discovers she has a thirteen-year-old sister that she hadn't known existed. Since she had fled her family in the disgrace of divorce, she had not known her mother had another child. Her sister Radha shows up courtesy of her estranged husband, and Lakshmi becomes the teenager's guardian and experiences all the angst and responsibility that raising an adolescent brings. Her Life becomes even more entangled and complex as she endeavors to continue her business and try her hand at matchmaking. Though the story is sometimes unrealistic, this talented author delves into bloodlines, power and powerlessness, and caste. There are also poignant running themes about reputation and gossip. Then there is much related to ambition, skill, responsibility, betrayal, and moral grounds. This author is a great storyteller; she made her characters come alive and created a page-turner with this novel.

This was a wonderful, captivating story. I really enjoyed every second reading this book. I am not all that familiar with the Indian culture and the author includes a very handy glossary at the end which is very helpful. I highly recommend this book. You will love it.

I so enjoyed reading this book. I learned of the culture which was exciting to me. Can't wait to start the next book in this trilogy.

Interesting cultural themes and narrating. I enjoyed the character development and flow of this book.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book

I am really enjoying The Henna Artist. It's a good opportunity to learn about another culture.

I got this book originally because I had had a good experience with another author from India and also because I follow interests in Indian classical music (ragas), dance and the complex of Indian cultures in general.From the very first pages of "The Henna Artist" the author Alka Joshi created a highly believable lead character, Lakshmi Shastri of the title, significant for her struggles to stand on her own feet and make her own way. She is joined by her young sister, Rahda, who has found her way to her after their parents' deaths. They strive to make a life together, no easy task. This is where the interest of the story line is strongest. And this is where author Joshi loses my belief.I won't divulge any of the plot so as not to potentially spoil the read for others. I will just say at the climax of the story Lakshmi impulsively does something I found to be a complete betrayal of the character. As I had come to understand Lakshmi she would never have succumbed to temptation and would have discretely avoided the situation. The action weakened her character for me, never regaining the same stature. For this I would have docked one star. The second star was for Radha. Her deep-seated conflicts were resolved much too swiftly, again causing my disbelief.So there you are. I regret so much feeling the need to downgrade this book for which I held high hopes. Yet I felt in truth I must do so. Still, there is much of merit here for the casual reader-colorful characters, rich cultural setting, foreign words that have found their way into the English language.

What a great read!! Loved it from start to finish!

✨Book Review✨Let's start with wow. Alka Joshi's debut novel is one that will keep you captivated and entranced from the very first page. I can definitely see what all the hype is about, and I match @reesesbookclub appreciation for this masterpiece.The Henna Artist is a brilliant story story about a henna artist living in Jaipur, India during the post-independence era. In Lakshmi's hometown, she is known for bringing shame to her family after abandoning her husband 13 years prior. In Jaipur, she is known for her intricate, unique henna designs. She caters to the elite, but her ambition knows no bounds. Her talents extend beyond henna, but this secret is known by few. However, her world is turned upside down when her estranged husband shows up with a 13 year old girl in tow, claiming to be Lakshmi's sister. Lakshmi must teach her sister many lessons to help her fit in, but she also has a lot to learn in order to truly be happy.I only have compliments for this incredible read. Joshi transports the reader into this world from the first page. I felt so connected to the story that when my sister complained about her sore feet, I rushed to the bathroom to find my magnolia oil. Of course, I don't have magnolia oil, but while reading this novel, I felt like everything was right in front of me. Her characters are just beautiful. I thought of Lakshmi as my friend. I applauded her success at every turn, I felt her indignation, anger, and betrayal down to my core. I went from hating characters, to feeling intense empathy for them. I surprised myself at how deeply I felt each emotion throughout this novel.I can't promise that you will love it as much as I did, but I can assure you that you will go on an incredible journey.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I absolutely love ballsy, flawed and unconventional heroines, who not only subvert against societal norms but do so without apology. This is why I loved the Henna Artist by Alka Joshi so much. The gorgeous descriptive writing was just the cherry on the cake.Set in post-independence India of the 50s, the story chronicles Lakshmi Shastri’s life. This talented henna artist eeks a living painting the bodies and dare I say minds of the rich and privileged women of Jaipur with her art and her ideas, but these are not her only talents. Lakshmi is a healer. Everything she knows about the recuperative power of herbs she learned from her ‘gentle saas’, whom she fondly remembers throughout the book. For a change, it is refreshing to find a book with a positive mother-in-law character. Even though we never actually meet this lady, she sounds perfectly lovely.The start of Lakshmi’s story is all too familiar. A girl born into poverty married off in her teens to a man who is physically and mentally abusive. She stays in the marriage for two years but finally runs away when she can no longer stand it—an act which forever leaves her estranged from her family.Lakshmi escapes to Agra, where she uses her knowledge of herbs to help the courtesans of Agra to keep pregnancies at bay, it is here that she learns the art of making henna. For a while, she paints the bodies of the women she works for, but a chance meeting with a Rajput royal changes everything.And it’s not what you think.Samir Singh recognizes her talent and invites her to Jaipur. He introduces her to his wife Parvati, and through her connections, Lakshmi makes inroads into the upper echelons of Jaipur society. She makes potions and lotions and oils for the ladies, paints their hands and their bodies, for the men, she provides ‘sachets’ that keep their mistresses and their concubines from getting pregnant.Things are going well for thirteen years until one day her ex-husband shows up out of the blue one day and brings with him a shy, waif of a girl, a spitting image of Lakshmi—the sister she never knew she had.Everything turns upside down when Radha enters her life, sometimes for the better, a lot of the time for the worst. The two sisters go on a journey of self-discovery and learn what it is to be a family.There are so many reasons why I loved this book. For one, I am really grateful that the book does not romanticize teenage pregnancies or motherhood. Being a mom is great (I am one), but it is not the end all be all, and there is a point in the story where Lakshmi unabashedly says that her fulfilment in life lies outside these bounds—yes, thank you!I want to see more books where women make choices that defy gender norms.The book also touches on the importance of reproductive rights. It is a human right, and when you do not give women the right to choose for themselves, you rob them of their freedom. I can’t believe we are still fighting for this even today—a sad state of affairs.Lakshmi is smart, talented, hardworking and an astute businesswoman. She is independent and does not depend on a man to provide for her. It is rare to find an Indian book set in the 50s where you have a woman making her way in the world—more of this, please!But above all, Lakshmi has a large heart. She is kind, she is empathetic, and she is non-judgemental. She takes in her sister without hesitation, and (sort of) adopts an orphan boy named Malik. She even forgives her ex-husband for his mistakes and makes peace with Parvathi Singh (her nemesis).I had some problems with the book, but they are nothing major. At times, it almost feels like Lakshmi has god-like powers—she can heal anything! From depression to infertility to dermatitis. Sometimes her remedies are even more effective than modern medicine (really?), but I was happy to let go of my disbelief for everything else that the book offered, which was quite a lot.

Non ho avuto nessun problema con la versione kindle in inglese. La storia è fantastica!!! Piena di tanti dettagli di un'altra cultura che mi sentivo di stare in un lungo viaggio e ho imparato tantissimo nel frattempo. Questo libro è diventato decisamente uno dei miei preferiti. Attendo con ansia la continuazione di questa storia! Consigliatissimo per chi ama viaggiare e conoscere altre culture!!

The Henna Artist took me on a trip to the India of 1956. Excellent debut novel. I warmly recommend this novel to everyone who wants to know more about Indian traditions.