Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

La artista de henna: Una mujer en busca de sus sueños en la ciudad de Jaipur by Alka Joshi

2 reviews

kris_tea516's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Book 81 of 2024
“The Henna Artist” by Alka Joshi
5/5 ⭐️ 

Set in Jaipur, India in the 1950’s, this is the story of a woman who left her abusive husband to make herself a better life. The unexpected arrival of a sister she never knew existed upends life & disrupts her plans. The years of work she spent building up a reputation of an expert henna artist & medicine woman is on the line. 

This was a beautifully written story of how life never goes the way we plan but it also a redemption story for almost every character involved. It is also a story of how none of us build a life outside of community. Through our journey people help us along sometimes in a benevolent spirit & sometimes with evil intent that leads to growth in character. No one in this story is entirely good or entirely bad…well, maybe one character…

I loved this book but I will warn that it may not be for everyone. There is some pretty intense scenes & topics discussed that are definitely not for kids but also many adults might prefer to skip this book so I will list some trigger warnings:
  • emotional, mental, physical, & sexual abuse (at least one horrifyingly graphic mention of sexual abuse)
  • Heavy discussion & focus at times around abortion
  • One very descriptive sex scene
  • Prostitution
  • Abandonment
  • Infertility, miscarriage & still birth
  • Death of a parent
  • Arranged marriages
  • Depression
  • Suicide
  • Infidelity
  • Sexual harassment 


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leahsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book came up on my radar, so when I saw it at the library, I couldn’t resist even though I had a huge stack of books already waiting to be read. And it was totally worth it. 
 
One of my favorite things about a great book is the way opening the cover seems to open a portal into a new world. Flipping a page is like stepping into a different place, a land I’ve never been to, and learning about the culture, traditions, beliefs, and social structure. And this book did all of that so effortlessly. Reading this was like stepping into 1950s Jaipur and walking beside Lakshmi. 
 
Lakshmi is a woman fighting to remain independent in a society that doesn’t take kindly to single women. She’s fortunate to have a craft of her own, working as a henna artist, but she’s controversial. Just her appearance, as an Indian woman with blue eyes, invites questions: 
 
“India was a land of coal-black irises. Blue eyes demanded an explanation. Did I have a sordid past? A European father? Or, even worse, an Anglo-Indian mother? I was thirty years old, born during British rule and used to aspersions being cast on my parentage.” 
 
The appearance of a younger sister that she never knew about throws off the delicate balance of her life. As someone who makes her living by catering to the upper class, Lakshmi has to carefully toe the line of society standards. But her sister, Radha, makes it hard to do what she needs to do and threatens to upend all her hard work. 
 
“Since her arrival in Jaipur, I’d buried myself in work, my steadfast companion. I was good at my work; it welcomed me, and I shined in its embrace. Radha, who was smart but naive, courageous but foolhardy, helpful but thoughtless, was far less manageable.” 
 
This is the story of a woman who is trying to create her own fate in a world that adheres tightly to tradition and castes. It’s a fight for control and independence, and the ability to have a say in your own life, when everything is fighting against you. 
 
“As a daughter, my job was to marry the man my parents chose for me, as she had. She was as powerless to change that age-old tradition as I was. Besides, there was no money to keep me at home.” 
 
I picked up this book because it looked like a good one, and it turned out to be a great one. This was the kind of book that I couldn’t put down, and ended up putting everything else off for. I fell in love with Lakshmi’s character, and all of the characters were incredibly well-developed. Be prepared — this is a compelling story that you won’t be able to put down. 
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