Reviews tagging 'Blood'

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

22 reviews

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging dark sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

m_moon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

kris_tea516's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Islamophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Colonisation

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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

4.0

I liked this, but it moved a little bit slowly for me, which usually I don't mind. But it was one that felt like many more hours than it actually was. Was it because

the younger sister was so fucking annoying? Perhaps. She just seemed REALLY DUMB. Which might not be nice, but yeek.

I thought it promoted interesting ideas about how women can keep their independence through birth control, which is an important conversation to be having right now. (Is it ever not an important conversation in this hellscape?) Would give this author another try. Oh also -

for someone who knows so much about pregnant people - for the main character to not know her sister was preggers for so long seemed a bit far-fetched.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, and Abandonment

Minor: Death, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Colonisation

tinkithesquirelll's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

4.5 stars.
This was a phenomenal book. I loved the inside on how india operated and the families. This was a beautiful book about hardship , love , guilt, and starting over. I love Lakshmi and respect the hardship she had to endure throughout this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

briannad4's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, and Abandonment

Minor: Death of parent

elderwoodreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was stuck on a rating for this fort a bit. I think I would give the audiobook 5 stars but if I read this on paper it probably would have been 4 stars so I split the difference. The narrator of this audiobook absolutely sucks you in and transports you to 1950s India. I loved the rich descriptions of smells and tastes that were given, however I feel like in text this could have felt bogged down. The story itself is inspiring and deals with issues of autonomy, independence, and family. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol

sknappy1's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Hands down, one of the best books I've read in decades. It takes place in the 1950s in Jaipur, and Joshi tackles important women's issues, especially reproductive struggles, including contraception, abortion, infertility, teen pregnancy, and adoption. The main character, Lakshmi, left an abusive marriage and struck out on her own. She has created her own successful henna business, climbing up the ladder by serving the higher-up elite women of Jaipur. On the side, she also creates herbal remedies for women to help them have control over their own lives, such herbal teas to prevent pregnancy, abort an unwanted one, or to increase fertility for those struggling to conceive. Years later, a sister that she didn't even know that she had shows up at her door. Everything changes for her as she takes her sister under her wing and as the two learn to understand one another. So much about social status is discussed in this book as well. There are moments that will break your heart. Lakshmi is a strong and clever main character who fights for her success and independence, as well as for that of the women around her. The Henna Artist is a beautiful, moving, and engaging book that had me hooked from the beginning. Highly recommend. Five stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexism, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Classism

Moderate: Infertility, Sexual content, Suicide, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

sabs98's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book is beautifully written telling of a woman’s journey to establish her independence as she navigates the complex implications of events that force her to change course and redefines what freedom means to her. Author Joshi writes with remarkable prose, expressing intricately and concisely all that needs to be said about the complex hardships and injustices her characters face. She also describes herbal medicine and knowledge of plants medicinal properties with measured expertise. The characters feel real because of their flawed nature, the mistakes they make, and the way they reflect on or indirectly acknowledge those mistakes. I am beyond excited to dive into book 2 of this series!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

sunderwoman's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Blood, and Abortion