Born in India and raised in the U.S. since she was nine, Alka Joshi has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. Joshi's debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a NYT bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, & is in development as a TV series. Her second novel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (2021), will be followed by a third in 2023.
“Romantic, old-time Rajasthan leaps to life in the skilled hands of
Alka Joshi. The Henna Artist brims over with richly drawn customs,
locations, and characters. I can hardly wait for Alka Joshi’s next
masterpiece.”
--Sujata Massey, internationally
bestselling author of The Satapur Moonstone and The Widows of
Malabar Hill
“Rich in detail and bright with tastes and textures, The
Henna Artist is a fabulous glimpse into Indian culture of the
1950s.”—Bookpage, Starred Review
“Eloquent debut…moving… Joshi masterfully balances a yearning for
self-discovery with the need for familial love.” –Publishers
Weekly
"Vibrant characters, evocative imagery, and sumptuous prose create
an unforgetable tale."--Christian Science Monitor
“Joshi has constructed a bewitching glimpse into the past
with a tough heroine well worth cheering on.”--Booklist
"The Henna Artist is a bold, ambitious, beautifully written novel
about India in the decade after independence, and about class,
identity, love and deceit. The broad cast of characters will
etchthemselves into your psyche." --Tom Barbash, author of Stay Up
With Me
"Fantastic, so evocative and beautiful and full of life and
light.... The Henna Artist is detailed and sumptuous, vivid in its
characters and deeply satisfying in its storytelling."--Leah
Franqui, author of America for Beginners
"Alka Joshi's superb first novel is unforgettable.... Read this
book slowly and savor it: Every page is rich with intricate
pleasures for both the mind and the heart."--Anita Amirrezvani,
author of The Blood of Flowers
"Like a brilliant, magical kaleidoscope, bursting with color, The
Henna Artist kept me riveted from start to finish."--Lauren Belfer,
NYT bestselling author of After the Fire and City of Light
"Everything a great novel needs is here: The protagonist balancing
impossible burdens with her bountiful talents; the many other
characters, each so colorful and complex, each necessary to the
intricate and delicate plot, Such a satisfying novel!"--Sandra
Scofield, author of The Last Draft
"Alka Joshi's debut novel is a richly drawn design of love and the
many hungers that drive human beings...a lush, gorgeous journey
that any reader will be sorry to see end."--Erin McGraw, author of
The Good Life and The Seamstress of Hollywood
"The Henna Artist is a delicious, old-fashioned tale about
timeless heartaches. There's something elemental and mythic about
Lakshmi and her knowledge of spices, roots, oils, and barks that
drew me into the kind of world I gladly lived in when reading fairy
tales as a child, a place inhabited by powerful queens, talking
birds, magical drinks, orphans, sad princesses, clever servants,
and dangerous poisons. I'm in awe of Joshi's storytelling and a
little jealous of the character who winds up with the talking bird.
“Namaste!” as he says. “Bonjour! Welcome!”---Laura McNeal, author
of The Practice House
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