Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

18 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

briannad4's review

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Blood, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse

Minor: Death of parent

elderwoodreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

4.5

I was stuck on a rating for this fort a bit. I think I would give the audiobook 5 stars but if I read this on paper it probably would have been 4 stars so I split the difference. The narrator of this audiobook absolutely sucks you in and transports you to 1950s India. I loved the rich descriptions of smells and tastes that were given, however I feel like in text this could have felt bogged down. The story itself is inspiring and deals with issues of autonomy, independence, and family. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Classism

Moderate: Blood, Pregnancy, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Islamophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, and Alcohol

sknappy1's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Hands down, one of the best books I've read in decades. It takes place in the 1950s in Jaipur, and Joshi tackles important women's issues, especially reproductive struggles, including contraception, abortion, infertility, teen pregnancy, and adoption. The main character, Lakshmi, left an abusive marriage and struck out on her own. She has created her own successful henna business, climbing up the ladder by serving the higher-up elite women of Jaipur. On the side, she also creates herbal remedies for women to help them have control over their own lives, such herbal teas to prevent pregnancy, abort an unwanted one, or to increase fertility for those struggling to conceive. Years later, a sister that she didn't even know that she had shows up at her door. Everything changes for her as she takes her sister under her wing and as the two learn to understand one another. So much about social status is discussed in this book as well. There are moments that will break your heart. Lakshmi is a strong and clever main character who fights for her success and independence, as well as for that of the women around her. The Henna Artist is a beautiful, moving, and engaging book that had me hooked from the beginning. Highly recommend. Five stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Abortion, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexism

Moderate: Infertility, Sexual content, Trafficking, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

Minor: Blood, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Vomit

sabs98's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book is beautifully written telling of a woman’s journey to establish her independence as she navigates the complex implications of events that force her to change course and redefines what freedom means to her. Author Joshi writes with remarkable prose, expressing intricately and concisely all that needs to be said about the complex hardships and injustices her characters face. She also describes herbal medicine and knowledge of plants medicinal properties with measured expertise. The characters feel real because of their flawed nature, the mistakes they make, and the way they reflect on or indirectly acknowledge those mistakes. I am beyond excited to dive into book 2 of this series!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Abandonment, Blood, Infertility, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

sunderwoman's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Miscarriage, Rape, and Blood

ra3_0f_sunsh1n3's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

I absolutely loved the book. I love the detailed descriptions of the locations and fashion of the characters. The hint of taboo underlining the plot makes for a delicious read. I found the ending to feel a bit clunky. It almost seemed as if there were 2 endings, each shoved before a short "to be continued" chapter. The book brought back memories of reading Balli Kaur Jaswal's 'Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows' with their feeling of hushed naughtiness.
Alka Joshi's characters are very well balanced with colorful histories.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: Child death and Blood

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

this was very heartfelt and also informative. i really enjoyed this story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Drug abuse, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Abandonment, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, Vomit, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Death, Body horror, Classism, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

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