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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
I've read the first book and now this one. Although my rating only shows as 3 stars, I enjoyed it. If I had selected this in the category of a light summer read, I'd give it 4. Because it was read for book club, it just didn't reach the depth of most of our selections. I found it fairly easy to predict the outcomes but when we started to predict what will happen in the third book in the series I realized that I'm looking forward to reading it as well. I definitely enjoy learning more about the culture.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Yes
** slight spoilers ahead
I think that as a novel, it's really hard to top the Henna Artist. It has a beautifully written story, multidimensional characters you can feel, and it's all set amidst the background of vibrant 1950's Jaipur. While I don't think the Secret Keeper of Jaipur tops it, it still brings that same charm and feeling while reading, and it takes the readers on a mystery along with it.
This novel takes place in two locations: Jaipur, where Malik is working as an apprentice and eventually starts investigating the circumstances of a deadly building collapse, and in Shimla, where Lakshmi and the newly introduced Nimmi are working together in the hospital, and eventually to solve their own gold smuggling mystery. Eventually, the mystery of Shimla is brought to Jaipur, where Lakshmi and Malik work together to clear their friends' name, despite the restrictions that the upper echelon tries to enforce on them.
I loved this cast of returning characters(Lakshmi, Malik, Manu/Kanta), and some newly introduced ones(Nimmi, Rekha, Hakeem). Each one offers a different perspective on what it was like to live in India in the 1960's, and all felt like people you could realistically make.
I especially loved how the baton of being the secret keeper, which we mostly saw Lakshmi doing in the prior novel being shared with Malik. The theme of secrets prevails, and the value/power of secrets comes out to play just as much in this novel as the previous one, if not more. Where the Henna Artist tried to keep the secrets hidden, the Secret Keeper of Jaipur aims to pry open and weaponize the deepest secrets of Jaipur.
That being said, there were some aspects of this book that let me down a little bit compared to the first one. To start with, it didn't feel like Malik's novel, nor a 50/50 Lakshmi/Nimmi and Malik novel. I was looking forward to seeing more of him, but most of his writing got plunged into the mystery plot of the novel itself, and we don't get to see him grow. I would've loved to see more interactions with Nimmi, more interactions that don't just show him investigating, that highlight who he is rather than what he was doing.
It also felt like the book didn't know if it wanted to be stand alone, or a part of the trilogy. I picked it up assuming it was part of the trilogy, yet there was lots of recap and exposition that would only make sense if it was intended to be read as a stand alone novel(maybe that's my mistake). As much as I loved the Henna Artist, I didn't love reading recap of the prior novel that didn't provide us a different perspective or new information -- I also couldn't get over the usage of the phrase "wag their head". I assume that this is the classic Indian head bob/wave, but wag killed me as a descriptor.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but a little sneaky part of me kept drawing comparisons to the Henna Artist.
I think that as a novel, it's really hard to top the Henna Artist. It has a beautifully written story, multidimensional characters you can feel, and it's all set amidst the background of vibrant 1950's Jaipur. While I don't think the Secret Keeper of Jaipur tops it, it still brings that same charm and feeling while reading, and it takes the readers on a mystery along with it.
This novel takes place in two locations: Jaipur, where Malik is working as an apprentice and eventually starts investigating the circumstances of a deadly building collapse, and in Shimla, where Lakshmi and the newly introduced Nimmi are working together in the hospital, and eventually to solve their own gold smuggling mystery. Eventually, the mystery of Shimla is brought to Jaipur, where Lakshmi and Malik work together to clear their friends' name, despite the restrictions that the upper echelon tries to enforce on them.
I loved this cast of returning characters(Lakshmi, Malik, Manu/Kanta), and some newly introduced ones(Nimmi, Rekha, Hakeem). Each one offers a different perspective on what it was like to live in India in the 1960's, and all felt like people you could realistically make.
I especially loved how the baton of being the secret keeper, which we mostly saw Lakshmi doing in the prior novel being shared with Malik. The theme of secrets prevails, and the value/power of secrets comes out to play just as much in this novel as the previous one, if not more. Where the Henna Artist tried to keep the secrets hidden, the Secret Keeper of Jaipur aims to pry open and weaponize the deepest secrets of Jaipur.
That being said, there were some aspects of this book that let me down a little bit compared to the first one. To start with, it didn't feel like Malik's novel, nor a 50/50 Lakshmi/Nimmi and Malik novel. I was looking forward to seeing more of him, but most of his writing got plunged into the mystery plot of the novel itself, and we don't get to see him grow. I would've loved to see more interactions with Nimmi, more interactions that don't just show him investigating, that highlight who he is rather than what he was doing.
It also felt like the book didn't know if it wanted to be stand alone, or a part of the trilogy. I picked it up assuming it was part of the trilogy, yet there was lots of recap and exposition that would only make sense if it was intended to be read as a stand alone novel(maybe that's my mistake). As much as I loved the Henna Artist, I didn't love reading recap of the prior novel that didn't provide us a different perspective or new information -- I also couldn't get over the usage of the phrase "wag their head". I assume that this is the classic Indian head bob/wave, but wag killed me as a descriptor.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but a little sneaky part of me kept drawing comparisons to the Henna Artist.
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Yes
I never got invested, even though I loved the same characters in book 1
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Like The Henna Artist, this book started pretty slow and gradually picked up steam. I was really interested in revisiting our cast of characters in Jaipur, but now 12 years later. There's always more drama to be had, more scandals to be covered up. I liked reading from the perspective of an adult Malik, who has gradually learned the realities of the world while keeping his spirit high, versus the perspective of an older Lakshmi, who is loyal and protective yet jaded. I really liked the themes of recognizing your own biases and that we are all complex humans who have unbidden desires, strained relationships, and many insecurities.
I don't think this book is for everyone though, as it is slow, and you have to just love the settings and characters a lot. It didn't blow me away like the first book did, and that is partly because I didn't love the plot line as much, and partly because I found Nimmi's POV to be a little annoying lol. Still well written though!
I don't think this book is for everyone though, as it is slow, and you have to just love the settings and characters a lot. It didn't blow me away like the first book did, and that is partly because I didn't love the plot line as much, and partly because I found Nimmi's POV to be a little annoying lol. Still well written though!