Kate’s 2¢: “The henna artist” by Alka Joshi

“The henna artist” by Alka Joshi

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

What a wonderful story. Although the culture depicted in this story, is such that I couldn’t identify with any of the characters, that was part of its charm. It took me into a new culture with its ethics, credos, and idioms. Here are a few of the phrases that added color to the story:

–If you do an eye for an eye, half the world will be blind.

–A wise man, to the rest of the world, is a nobody at home.

–That man moves slower than a dead elephant.

–When a student misbehaved, she had to squat with her arms under her knees and pull at her ears like a rooster.

   I even liked the ending of this story.

From the WEB:

   Alka Joshi was born in India and raised in the U.S. since the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts and runs an advertising and marketing agency. She has lived in France and Italy and currently lives in Pacific Grove, California, with her husband. The Henna Artist is her first novel.

      Alka Joshi is a remarkable new writer with the novelistic gifts of a seasoned veteran. The Henna Artist is a bold, ambitious, beautifully written novel, about India in the decade after independence, and about class, identity, love, and deceit. The broad cast of characters will etch themselves in your psyche, most of all Lakshmi and Radha—both cursed and gifted by fate.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The henna artist DB100063

Joshi, Alka. Reading time: 10 hours, 58 minutes.

Read by Sneha Mathan.

Historical Fiction

1955. As a seventeen-year-old, Lakshmi Shastri escaped an abusive marriage and built a life in Jaipur. Thirteen years later, she is confronted by her husband who has brought her orphaned sister, born after Lakshmi left. Lakshmi’s independent life built on keeping the secrets of the wealthy is threatened. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

“The henna artist” by Alka Joshi

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

What a wonderful story. Although the culture depicted in this story, is such that I couldn’t identify with any of the characters, that was part of its charm. It took me into a new culture with its ethics, credos, and idioms. Here are a few of the phrases that added color to the story:

–If you do an eye for an eye, half the world will be blind.

–A wise man, to the rest of the world, is a nobody at home.

–That man moves slower than a dead elephant.

–When a student misbehaved, she had to squat with her arms under her knees and pull at her ears like a rooster.

   I even liked the ending of this story.

From the WEB:

   Alka Joshi was born in India and raised in the U.S. since the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts and runs an advertising and marketing agency. She has lived in France and Italy and currently lives in Pacific Grove, California, with her husband. The Henna Artist is her first novel.

      Alka Joshi is a remarkable new writer with the novelistic gifts of a seasoned veteran. The Henna Artist is a bold, ambitious, beautifully written novel, about India in the decade after independence, and about class, identity, love, and deceit. The broad cast of characters will etch themselves in your psyche, most of all Lakshmi and Radha—both cursed and gifted by fate.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The henna artist DB100063

Joshi, Alka. Reading time: 10 hours, 58 minutes.

Read by Sneha Mathan.

Historical Fiction

1955. As a seventeen-year-old, Lakshmi Shastri escaped an abusive marriage and built a life in Jaipur. Thirteen years later, she is confronted by her husband who has brought her orphaned sister, born after Lakshmi left. Lakshmi’s independent life built on keeping the secrets of the wealthy is threatened. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

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