Alka Joshi Libri

Nel nuovo romanzo intrigante dell'autrice Alka Joshi, la artista dell'henné Lakshmi organizza un tirocinio per il suo protetto, Malik, al Palazzo di Jaipur, in una storia ricca di personaggi, atmosfera e narrazione sontuosa. È primavera del 1969 e Lakshmi, ora sposata con il dottor Jay Kumar, dirige il Giardino della Guarigione a Shimla. Malik ha terminato la scuola privata e, a vent'anni, incontra una giovane donna di nome Nimmi prima di partire per un tirocinio all'Ufficio delle Strutture del Palazzo Reale di Jaipur. Il loro ultimo progetto è un cinema all'avanguardia. Malik scopre che poco è cambiato mentre naviga nella Città Rosa della sua infanzia. Il potere e il denaro continuano a muoversi senza sforzo tra la classe benestante, e i favori fluiscono dal Palazzo Reale di Jaipur, ma solo se certi segreti rimangono sepolti. Quando il balcone del cinema crolla tragicamente nella notte di apertura, la colpa viene attribuita dove è più conveniente. Ma Malik sospetta qualcosa di molto più oscuro e si mette in cerca della verità. Come ex bambino di strada, ha sempre saputo mantenere il riserbo; è una lezione che gli sarà utile mentre districa una rete di bugie.

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. Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow--a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those who surround her as she does. Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman's struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

Paris, 1974. Radha is now thirty-two and living in Paris with her husband, Pierre, and their two daughters. She still grieves for the baby boy she gave up years ago, when she was only a child herself, but she loves being a mother to her daughters, and she’s finally found her passion the treasure trove of scents. When her friend’s grandfather offered her a job at his parfumerie, she quickly discovered she had a talent she could find the perfect fragrance for any customer who walked in the door. Now, ten years later, she’s working for a master perfumer, helping to design completely new fragrances for clients and building her career one scent at a time. She only wishes Pierre could understand her need to work. She feels his frustration, but she can’t give up this thing that drives her. Tasked with her first major project, Radha travels to India where she enlists the help of her sister, Lakshmi, and the courtesans of Agra women who use the power of fragrance to seduce, tease, and entice. She’s on the cusp of a breakthrough when she finds out the son she never told her husband about is heading to Paris to find her upending her carefully managed world and threatening to destroy a vulnerable marriage

Set against a backdrop of vibrant cities like Bombay, Prague, Florence, Paris, and London, the narrative explores themes of identity and self-discovery. As the protagonist delves into the mystery surrounding a renowned painter's death, readers are taken on a journey that intertwines art, culture, and personal growth, revealing profound insights into the complexities of life and legacy.

Paris, 1974. Radha liebt es, Mutter von zwei Töchtern zu sein. Doch nachdem ihr ein Job in einer Parfümerie angeboten wird, wird schnell klar, dass Radha neben dem Muttersein noch eine Leidenschaft hat: Düfte. Jetzt, zehn Jahre später, arbeitet sie für einen Meisterparfümeur und baut allmählich ihre Karriere auf, während privat immer mehr Sorgen in das Leben der mittlerweile erfahrenen Parfumeurin treten. Vor allem die Frustration ihres Mannes Pierre darüber, dass sie arbeiten will, ist eine Belastung. Mit ihrem ersten großen Projekt beauftragt reist Radha nach Indien, wo sie die Hilfe ihrer Schwester Lakshmi und der Kurtisanen von Agra in Anspruch nimmt - Frauen, die die Macht der Düfte nutzen, um zu verführen, zu reizen und zu locken. Sie steht kurz vor ihrem Durchbruch, als sie herausfindet, dass der Sohn, von dem sie ihrem Mann nie erzählt hat, auf dem Weg nach Paris ist, um sie zu finden. Ein Geheimnis, das nicht nur ihre sorgfältig geordnete Welt ins Wanken bringt, sondern auch eine gefährdete Ehe zu zerstören droht.