March 11, 2020

Time for another entry in the Harlequin Trade Publishing 2020 Spring Reads Blog Tour. We’ve already had one great read in The Grace Kelly Dress; I’m happy to report that The Henna Artist continues the trend.

Beautifully described with vibrant details, this book follows a woman in 1950s India as she navigates the political and social landmines of the period. It sucked me in immediately and held me enthralled to the very end.

Lakshmi ran away from an arranged marriage at age 15 to pursue a life of her choosing – but is it really what she thought it would all be? She learns how to play the games of the upper caste as a henna artist, decorating the hands and feet of some of the most powerful women in society. She is also known for her herbal remedies.

However, when her life is upended (not going to give away how in this review), she realizes just how precarious her accomplishments and reputation are, forcing her to make tough choices.

I found Lakshmi to be an interesting main character. On the one hand, she seems to be about female empowerment and acknowledging the importance of women’s voices in a turbulent time (the decade immediately following the withdrawal of the British).

On the other hand, she turns a blind eye to the true natures of the men she does business with as well. It takes a tragedy that hits very close to home for her to realize the harm she has done over the years and come to the realization that she may not have chosen the best path (even though she thought she did along the way).

The other main characters were just as vivid, as were the secondary and even tertiary characters. Nobody got short-shrift when it came to descriptions and motivations; everyone was fully fleshed-out and realistic.

I thought that the author did an excellent job describing the caste system and societal beliefs of the time. I learned a lot about both, but I never felt that it was a lecture. Everything was woven into the narrative in an informative and natural way. I especially appreciated that she tackled the topics of misogyny and sexism in the context of the period (it would have been easy to allow a more contemporary point of view sneak in – I’m glad she kept it time-specific).

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, as the author was obviously knowledgable about the subject matter and relayed it entertainingly. As I mentioned at the outset of this review, the details are plentiful and highly descriptive. There were times that I could feel the heat and dust of the streets and smell the frangipani and herbs Lakshmi was preparing.

(One quick note: a character relates that they saw “Some Like it Hot” in color – it was filmed in black and white. Just a small pet peeve because it is one of my all-time favorite movies).

I highly recommend picking up this book about family, personal choices, and doing the right thing. I am sure you will enjoy your visit to India.