The Narrator brings out each fragrance!

Sneha Mathan’s narration may not be 💯 % in Hindi but she emotes every nuance beautifully as this trilogy concludes in a positive note of hope.
Loved the book and all the references. Memories of “yeh aansoo ponchh dalo Pushpa, I hate tears”, had me laughing and crying at the same time.
What a heart warning book 😊

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Excellent in every way

It’s sad to say goodbye to these vibrant characters. I have loved all three of Alka Joshi’s books. Beautifully written and read.

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India and Paris come alive in this third book in trilogy

India and Paris come alive in this wonderful third book in the Alka Joshi trilogy.

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Compelling trilogy by Alka Joshi

I just completed the third novel in the series by Alka Joshi and what a wonderful few months this has been that I thought I have to share it. Alka was nine years old when her family moved from India to the United States of America to settle. After graduating from school, she worked in advertising and marketing, writing radio and print commercials. When work slowed down during the recession in 2008, she was encouraged by her husband, Bradley Owens who is also a writer, to write a novel. Alka attended creative writing workshops in the evening and enrolled in a two-year MFA program. From this she has sky rocketed into a multi award winning writer whose novels are loved the world over. Her first novel was published at the age of 62 which inspires me and no doubt many others who generally are of the view that our creative and productive years are over.

Alka Joshi’s first novel, The Henna Artist, which is about Lakshmi who is married at a young age to a husband who becomes abusive to her. Lakshmi finds the courage to escape to the Pink City where she plies her craft as a henna artist at the same time developing her healing powers with natural herbs and plants. In Jaipur she is just at home in the palaces of the maharanis as well as the street urchins who beg for their living. A little, Muslim, homeless boy, Malik, follows her around and becomes her little helper. As Lakshmi becomes established in her trade to the point of building her own little house, she becomes acquainted with her 13 year old sister , Radha, who she didn’t know existed because she was born after Lakshmi ran away from her marriage.

Lakshmi, the principal heroine is such a strong woman and was inspired by Alma’s own mother who was made to leave college and enter into an arranged marriage at 18 years and who by 22 was the mother of three children. However, to her only daughter, Alka, she allowed her to make her own decisions about who she could marry, what career path she could follow or whether she wanted to have children or not. As much as Alka wanted to reward her in some way for her open mindedness, she couldn’t undo her mother’s life. So, she did the next best thing to say thank you for her mother’s incredible gift: fashion the lead character Lakshmi who deserts her marriage to live the more independent life that her mother had been denied.

Alka Joshi’s debut novel, The Henna Artist, is such a resounding success. Reese Witherspoon featured it in her Book Club and it is presently being filmed for a series for Netflix. Lakshmi will be played by Freida Pinto from Slumdog Millionaire fame. Can’t wait to experience the sights and smells of Jaipur which I have fond memories of from my visit there in 2016.

Following the huge success of The Henna Artist, Alka Joshi followed it with her second novel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur which tells Malik’s story where he falls in love with a young widow, Nimmi, in the Himalayan mountains. Joshi also delves in the gold trade where the gold is smuggled via the mountain goats to satisfy the Indian obsession with gold jewellery.

The last in the trilogy is The Perfumist of Paris which picks up Lakshmi’s sister’s story. Radha is living in Paris with her French husband and two young daughters and is working as a fragrance artist. However, marrying a European also comes with its own set of marital problems.

Interestingly, I read that Alka Joshi is a portrait artist in her spare time so it is no wonder her characters are so vibrant and believable as they are brought so vividly to life with her masterful writing ability. Joshi puts her heart and soul into story telling and every word, every line, every character, every delicious description is a delight to read. One cannot tell she spent years of research learning about the art of henna or herbal remedies because this is all disguised in her multi-dimensional, fleshed out characters and compelling and detailed story telling.

Joshi allows us to wander through, savour, and explore a unique culture - an Indian culture which we often abandon or are embarrassed about when we are young but one that is so rich with wisdom, age old traditions and surreal beauty which sadly we only discover when we are much older and more mature.

Looking forward to seeing the series The Henna Artist on Netflix soon - hope the film version is just as good as the novel is. Can’t wait to see Lakshmi in her beautiful saries and her intricate henna designs.

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3 people found this helpful

Sensory journey

I loved the calming quality of the narrator describing the development of “Little Sister” grown up and spreading her wings into her Paris life. I felt frustration at times with the protagonists stubborn silences or her thoughtless outbursts; yet admired her strength and resolve. These contrasts of light and shade made her character more determined, vulnerable and lifelike. Again it renews my desire to visit India.

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Outstanding narration

This is the third in the series and I enjoyed it as much as all the others. The narration was excellent.

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A worthy addition to the Jaipur trilogy

For anyone who has ever loved to wear a fragrance and wondered about its origins, this book is a must. I have to say I have loved all 3 of the Jaipur trilogy. The stories have been great and I've enjoyed seeing the characters grow and evolve, particularly Radha and Malik's stories. The narration by Sneha Mathan in each book is so soothing and brings the authors words to life. I particularly enjoy hearing the story in a better voice than the one in my own head!

I love the changing locations, Jaipur, Shimla, Agra, Paris.

I would highly recommend this trilogy and would stress they need to be read in order.

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Charming Series

I LOVED this trilogy. Very enjoyable listening and so authentic. Sneha’s voice is soothing and is so skilled at reading aloud.

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Loved this book

This is my favorite book from the trilogy.
Beautifully written and the narrator was perfect.

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Captivating

I was obsessed with this book, every character was impeccably curated. The storyline is sensitive / deep, it will transport you to another time and give the true essence of what it was like to be in INDIA back in the 70s. Descriptions are so detailed that you can almost smell the fragrances, I never wanted it to end.

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