The Henna artist by alka joshi

Alright, so I finished reading the Henna Artist late last night. The author has painted a vivid picture of Jaipur in the 1950’s with its post- independence atmosphere, the maharajas & maharanis with their glittering life & the tale of a woman who is building the life she once only dreamed of.

Synopsis:

The Henna Artist tells us the story of Lakshmi. She comes from a small village ‘Ajar’ in Uttar Pradesh, IN. She was just 17 when she ran away from her abusive husband of 2 years, literally hiding & walking for days until she reaches Delhi. Armed with the herbalist knowledge passed down to her from her mother-in-law & her talent as a henna artist, she starts working for the courtesans. When an opportunity presented itself for Lakshmi to move to Jaipur and be a Henna Artist to the elite, she grabbed it with both hands.

13 years later, Lakshmi has painstakingly built a reputation of being the most talented artist & a confidante to the wealthy. She only had one dream, to have her own home so she could call her parents & take care of them.

Lakshmi has been regularly writing to them & sending them money, but her parents have never responded. And now just when her dream home is being realized, her ex-husband comes looking for her and along with him is a 13-year-old girl, Radha. A sister Lakshmi never knew existed.

Thoughts:

It is such a beautifully woven tale of sisterhood, of the trials faced by young girls and most importantly of Lakshmi’s resilience. Lakshmi clearly is the star of this book; I loved her character and being an elder sister could relate to her so many times! Radha on the other hand was a little annoying and I had to keep reminding myself that she’s just a teenager. The writing is so poetic you are transported to Jaipur in the mid 1950’s and feel the henna on your hand. Though the pace is slow, the story is poignant & powerful.

There are other issues discussed in this book on the surface, but nothing surpasses Lakshmi’s portrait of a strong powerful woman. It’s the first part of the trilogy & I have already ordered the next one “The Secret Keepers of Jaipur.”