Delightful & Dazzling: The Jaipur Trilogy

Ananya Chaturvedi | The 15A Chronicles' Desk

The Jaipur Trilogy by Alka Joshi is a series of three historical fiction novels set in India. The first book, The Henna Artist, was published in 2016, followed by The Secret Keeper of Jaipur in 2021, and The Perfumer of Paris in 2023.

The trilogy follows the story of Lakshmi, a young woman who is forced to leave her abusive marriage and come to Jaipur. She makes her place in Jaipur and at the royal palace as a henna artist until things go for a toss and she had to move to Shimla, leaving everything behind. As the story moves forward, more characters are introduced and threads are spun to make it into a phenomenal read.

The Jaipur Trilogy is a beautifully written and immersive journey through India. Joshi's prose is rich and evocative, and she brings the world of the novels to life with her vivid descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of India. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the stories are full of suspense, romance, and drama.

If you're looking for a beautifully written and immersive historical fiction series, then I highly recommend the Jaipur Trilogy. It's a story that will stay with you long after you've finished reading it.

Here are some of the highlights of each of the books from the trilogy:

The Henna Artist

• The book is set in India in the 1950s, a time of great change and upheaval. Lakshmi, a 17-year-old is caught between the old traditions of her homeland and the new ideas of the modern world.

• She has been forced into an arranged marriage with an abusive man. She escapes from her marriage and makes her way to the city of Jaipur, where she becomes a henna artist.

• The Henna Artist is a story about resilience, self-determination, and the power of female friendship.

• The book explores Lakshmi's life, from her escape from her marriage to her journey to Jaipur and her establishment as a henna artist.

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur

• The story moves forward with Lakshmi married and living in Shimla.

• Malik, her protégé, also makes it to Shimla with her and is now apprenticed at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace.

• Along the way, Lakshmi and Malik must also deal with their challenges. Lakshmi is struggling to adjust to her new life in Shimla, while Malik is bewildered between his loyalty to Lakshmi and his desire to start his own life.

• It encompasses individual stories of love, family, loyalty, and betrayal.

The Perfumist of Paris

• The book is set in 1974 and follows the story of Radha, the younger sister of Lakshmi, who has moved to Paris from Shimla in the hope to forget the secret that still haunts her.

• She works as a perfumer and is given the opportunity to create her first solo perfume, for which Radha travels to India to research the fragrances of her homeland.

• While in India, Radha must face the past she has been running from and decide what she wants for her future and her marriage.

• Alka Joshi's prose is rich and evocative, and she brings the world of the novels to life with her vivid descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of India.