The Henna Artist, Alka Joshi
The Henna Artist, Alka Joshi
98 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

The Henna Artist

Bestseller

Author: Alka Joshi

Narrator: Sneha Mathan

Unabridged: 10 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/03/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK

"Captivated me from the first chapter to the final page."—Reese Witherspoon

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.

“Eloquent and moving…Joshi masterfully balances a yearning for self-discovery with the need for familial love.”—Publishers Weekly

Look for The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris from New York Times bestselling author Alka Joshi!

About Alka Joshi

Born in India and raised in the U.S. since she was nine, Alka Joshi has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. Joshi's debut novel, The Henna Artist,  immediately became a NYT bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, & is in development at Netflix as a TV series. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (2021) and The Perfumist of Paris (2023) completed the Jaipur Trilogy. Her fourth novel, Six Days in Bombay, will be released in February 2025. She is currently working on her fifth novel. In 2024, Joshi was selected for the Forbes 50 over 50 List, celebrating women who are shattering age and gender norms across all sectors of the American economy and culture.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Katie on February 04, 2020

I don't get the opportunity to travel much anymore so I kinda have to rely on books to take me to places I might not get the chance to ever visit. I've read a few fiction books with India as the setting and what first caught my interest about this one is it takes place in the 1950s. The author did a......more

Goodreads review by jessica on January 26, 2021

i really enjoyed this, but once i read the authors note at the end, it made the book that much more meaningful. this story is an imagining of the life AJs mother could have lived, had she not entered an arranged marriage when she was a teenager. its a tale of perseverance, history, self-worth, forgi......more

Goodreads review by Alex on March 08, 2020

This whole book felt a little surface level. As much as I was curious about the story and where it would go, I never cared about the characters or felt invested in their lives. I always wanted more from the story and it felt liked it only scratched the surface of the emotions it could have had. My fa......more

Goodreads review by Dr. Appu on March 30, 2023

Alka Joshi tells us the story of Lakshmi, who is a Henna artist in Jaipur in the 1950s, in this first book of The Henna Artist trilogy. She had to face a lot of hardships, including an abusive husband, to become a well-known Henna artist in Jaipur. The re-entry of her husband and a new sister totall......more

Goodreads review by Nilufer on February 25, 2022

This book took my soul captive and drag it to a marvelous journey taking place in Pink city, a unique place in Rajasthan named Jaipur… During your read, you smell all those herbs, visualize all those vivid colors, touch those exotic handcrafts, art pieces, jewelry and feel the soul of the city liter......more