Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

"The Henna Artist" captivated me from the opening pages. The prose is as rich and beautiful as Lakshmi’s henna designs, and the plot is full of unanticipated surprises. A few years ago, I spent several weeks in northern India, including Jaipur. While the story takes place in 1955, many things remain much the same (riding in trains and rickshaws, street markets and foods, ever-present images of Ganesh, arranged marriages, limited prospects for rural and lower caste Indians). Joshi’s very authentic and detailed descriptions of characters, places and events brought back so many memories. Central to her story are a number of issues that have impacted human beings the world over for centuries (abortion, socio-economic inequalities, women’s rights or lack thereof). She constantly doles out new information and backstory, resulting in a cast of multi-layered characters and a riveting tale. My favorite book in the last year of reading!