Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

6 reviews

tinkithesquirelll's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense 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? No

4.5

4.5 stars.
This was a phenomenal book. I loved the inside on how india operated and the families. This was a beautiful book about hardship , love , guilt, and starting over. I love Lakshmi and respect the hardship she had to endure throughout this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Racism, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Infidelity, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide

jrozin's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Racism

reddeddy's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, and Classism

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Violence, Xenophobia, Bullying, and Cursing

Minor: Ableism, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Islamophobia, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

sarahaf712's review against another edition

slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcoholism, Classism, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Colonisation, Racism, and Racial slurs

Content warnings: victim blaming; sex work

the_savannahhumphrey's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Classism, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Abandonment, Grief, and Racism

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was a whirlwind of emotions and events. I enjoyed the narration of the audiobook and after the first few chapters, I was interested to learn more. 

The main cast of characters is dynamic. Lakshmi's character is probably the most dynamic in both self-discovery and personal growth as well as her relationships with the other characters. The ladies she worked for are all pretty flat, but their relationships with Lakshmi were one of the most interesting parts of the story for me. Lakshmi's use of herbal medicine and henna to heal these women was amazing. 

Lakshmi's story was really engaging, as well. She runs away from her husband and family to start a safer, more independent life for herself, begins her own henna business, and creates a name for herself through her powerful medicinal herbs.

After all of this, her husband seeks her out and brings her a sister she didn't know she had. This obviously throws things off for Lakshmi, but the way she adapts her life and tries to create success for herself, Malik, and Radha shows her character as strong and resilient.

 

The plot is also complex. There seem to be many things happening at once, but not overwhelmingly. And the display of Indian culture through henna is really interesting. I loved learning more about henna and the helpful functions and uses of the medicinal herbs Lakshmi uses.

One big downfall for me, though, is that there is the big cliche of "I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding" that came up multiple times throughout the book. Does it ruin a story? No. Do I find the overused cliches annoying? Yes.

After finishing this book, I felt like I had so much in my mind, but I don't seem to have a lot to say about it. I liked it and enjoyed listening to it, but I  didn't love it. I might edit this review in the future, but for now, here are my thoughts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Blood

Abortion, prostitution, child prostitution, classism