The Secret Keeper of Jaipur: A novel from the bestselling author of The Henna Artist (The Jaipur Trilogy, 2)

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Books contain magic, they say. If we so much as stepped on a book or on a piece of paper, we were punished. I trace the letters with my finger, and mouth out the words in the book, just as Lakshmi taught us to do. She spends an hour reading with Rekha and me every afternoon. ” Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried. When the cinema’s balcony tragically collapses on opening night, blame is placed where it is convenient. But Malik suspects something far darker and sets out to uncover the truth. As a former street child, he always knew to keep his own counsel; it’s a lesson that will serve him as he untangles a web of lies. Joshi’s sensuous descriptions of food, local color, and Lakshmi’s art make this gorgeous sequel to The Henna Artist worth savoring.— Publishers Weekly Details: I could deeply visualize the graphic descriptions of the clothing and various settings, including Lakshmi's Healing Garden - many of the plants mentioned grow well in my own personal flower garden;

Lakshsmi recalls, "I could no longer endure my husband's beatings; the wounds that made me bleed; the words that cut me open; the mornings I could barely get up off the floor. And all for what? For the child I couldn't give him." Author, Alka Joshi ....[as many before me have said]...takes us on an alluring, full-of-life, passionate, spirited, and thoroughly engaging journey, in India. I was in India for almost a full year in the 1974....but this story takes place in the late 1940’s and 1950’s, in Jaipur, also known as Pink City.....the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. ( a vibrant city....a great place to shop for jewelry, fabrics, handicrafts, body oils, creams, spices, herbs, and other vibrant delightful divines). i really enjoyed this, but once i read the authors note at the end, it made the book that much more meaningful. this story is an imagining of the life AJs mother could have lived, had she not entered an arranged marriage when she was a teenager. Beauty illuminates throughout…. It’s intimate at once, and stylistically a ‘tour de force’. ( I rarely say that term about books)… but it possesses so multiple many layers of magnificence storytelling…

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There's quite a bit of drama as the story unfolds, and a wide array of secondary characters. Most of the Indian men in this book don't come off too well. We meet an alcoholic, a wife-beater, a disgusting lecher, a ruthless builder, an entitled youth, a flagrant philanderer, and more. Some of the women also behave badly, but - from their point of view - it's mostly self-protection. Indian women (in the 1950s at least) were relatively powerless, and had to maneuver as best they could to protect themselves, their families, and their position in society.

overall, i do appreciate another book revolving around this group of people, especially malik. he was such an adorable boy in ‘the henna artist,’ so it was really lovely seeing him grow and create a place for himself. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur” is sultry…..perhaps even better than “The Henna Artist”……it’s a lushly woven tapestry for the many hopeful possibilities- from the past to the future…. Update Dec 2021: This little note of mine on my experience with this book seems to have taken off in ways I never intended. To everyone who writes to me, please note that this is not a review. It's one person's very personal observation, and will never reflect anyone else's opinions about this book. Please read or support the author in other ways. But also, please allow the reader to have their say. That's what books should be. We read. We love the words. We love to talk about the experience. Anything as stuffy as a 'review' is not what I intended with this note. It shouldn't stop you from reading this book, although I respect the choices we make when doing so. I have enjoyed the lovely comments, and even more so, from the ones who loved the book. I can only wish you joyful reading experiences - let's read them all, yo! What independence had changed was our people. You could see it in the way they stood, chests puffed, as if they could finally allow themselves to breathe. You saw it in the way they walked—purposefully, pridefully—to their temples. The way they haggled—more boldly than before—with the vendors in the bazaar.” Unfortunately, I didn't find Joshi's sophomore effort up to the standard set by the first book of the series. What made The Henna Artist so appealing was the strong, long-suffering Lakshmi, able to overcome all obstacles placed in her path with grace, fortitude and cleverness. That book was character-driven with very little action, yet its gossipy nature propelled the plot forward in a way that kept me rapt. I didn't like this version of Lakshmi as much — she's more reactionary and less self-reliant — and Nimmi often comes across as shrill and unnecessarily distrustful. Joshi has attempted to create a more plot-driven novel here, but there's no mystery, no tension; the outcome is a foregone conclusion that surprises no one. And finally, the sex scenes simply don't work; one in particular is completely gratuitous, being neither necessary nor a good fit for the rest of the story. The book is still certainly entertaining — it's just not at the level of The Henna Artist.

It was irritating to read a character coming from a lineage of poets and writers talking about the whole women of Jaipur in such a judgemental and condescending manner. Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own… A sweet birdie from India, gently reminded me to read “The Henna Artist”....[ for goodness sake, it’s time already].... and I did!

I thought this book was pretty good. It does a great job portraying the nuances of social politics and the concept of saving face. I also liked how all of the characters, including the "bad" ones, were portrayed as complex people with good and bad sides to them. Lakshmi wasn't always likable but you could see how circumstances hardened her and made her willing to do whatever it took to survive. Radha was less likable, and I found her very frustrating towards the end of the book, but she was also a very young character and lived in a fantasy land where she was desperate to be loved, and I could see how the dissonance between her own life and what she wanted could cause problems. This book is set in the mid-1950s in Jaipur so it was also cool to see all the '50s pop-culture references and Western influences juxtaposed against a country recovering from the trauma of British colonization. I love it when a book introduces me to something new and teaches me something. I had never given any thought to the people who create the elaborate henna drawings on the hands and feet of an Indian woman for ceremonial occasions. This book is set in 1950s India and introduced me to Lakshmi who was a henna artist. Lakshmi had been forced to marry when she was 15. Her mother in law was a healer and she taught Lakshmi about folk cures and the properties of various herbs. After Lakshmi left her husband she established herself as a henna artist for wealthy women. The job included much more than painting, she was also part therapist/part masseuse and she provided herbal remedies including one that caused abortions. She was an independent woman who managed to save enough money to build her own house, until her younger sister appeared on her doorstep and changed both of their lives. Overall, I was annoyed with the book. But don’t take it as a rating for the book. It’s a reflection of my affair with the book. When it comes to books, I sleep around a lot with them. This affair didn’t last well or long.

Media Reviews

OMG OMG OMG - This book this is not my review, it is a precursor was amazing...I read Book Three first, by mistake, and now (at 75% 100%) it feels like it was not a mistake at all but, rather, fortuitous. Reading this as a Prequel is stunning me. Is this the same Rahda that we read about so many years later in Book Three? This is the epitome of how an immature thirteen year old dreamer (Book One), metamorphoses into a mature, capable woman (Book Three). At any rate, this story's setting is in India in the 1950s, right after the Raj has given up main control of the country. We meet a wonderfully endearing woman, who is strong and resilient. Lakshmi, was seventeen when she left her village determined to escape from an abusive husband and make her way in the world. She is goal oriented, success and money drive her forward. She, with the help of influential and wealthy Indian man, build a career that brings her into the homes and the confidences of the entitled and rich women of India. She learns their secrets but holds her own close to her heart. Her protégé, Malik, has completed his private school education, and has fallen for the young widow named Nimmi, who sells them the best flowers from her stall at the Shimla Mall. He reluctantly leaves her and her two small children behind, when Lakshmi arranges for him to intern at the Jaipur Palace, whose latest project is a state of the Art Cinema.

We don't actually get to see any of the characters' development, the easiest example being Radha, Lakshmi's younger sister. She shows up in the beginning as a village girl who's never left home, but at some point becomes confident in the city and rebellious against her sister. When did this happen? I have no idea. We didn't get to see any growth or change apart from Lakshmi giving her a list of instructions on how to act. I don't get the opportunity to travel much anymore so I kinda have to rely on books to take me to places I might not get the chance to ever visit. I've read a few fiction books with India as the setting and what first caught my interest about this one is it takes place in the 1950s. The author did a phenomenal job in making me feel like I was transported to this time and country and the main character, Lakshmi, is someone worth getting to know in my opinion. Very glad I got the chance to read this one.

Escaping from an arranged and abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone from her 1950s rural village to the vibrant pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the henna artist—and confidante—most in demand to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…