The Secret Keeper of Jaipur: A Novel
- Downloads：9437
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-06 11:31:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alka Joshi
- ISBN：1665069244
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In New York Times bestselling author Alka Joshi’s intriguing new novel， henna artist Lakshmi arranges for her protégé， Malik， to intern at the Jaipur Palace in this tale rich in character， atmosphere， and lavish storytelling。
It’s the spring of 1969， and Lakshmi， now married to Dr。 Jay Kumar， directs the Healing Garden in Shimla。 Malik has finished his private school education。 At twenty， he has just met a young woman named Nimmi when he leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace。 Their latest project: a state-of-the-art cinema。
Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood。 Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class， and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace， but only if certain secrets remain buried。 When the cinema’s balcony tragically collapses on opening night， blame is placed where it is convenient。 But Malik suspects something far darker and sets out to uncover the truth。 As a former street child， he always knew to keep his own counsel; it’s a lesson that will serve him as he untangles a web of lies。
It’s the spring of 1969， and Lakshmi， now married to Dr。 Jay Kumar， directs the Healing Garden in Shimla。 Malik has finished his private school education。 At twenty， he has just met a young woman named Nimmi when he leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace。 Their latest project: a state-of-the-art cinema。
Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood。 Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class， and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace， but only if certain secrets remain buried。 When the cinema’s balcony tragically collapses on opening night， blame is placed where it is convenient。 But Malik suspects something far darker and sets out to uncover the truth。 As a former street child， he always knew to keep his own counsel; it’s a lesson that will serve him as he untangles a web of lies。
Reviews
Jenn Hooke
，
Another 3。5 star review for the sequel to The Henna Artist。 （Do I found to 4？ Not sure …。） The book was enjoyable enough that I read right along， there’s interesting cultural stuff shared， and the characters are mostly good， but I also had some qualms。 1） A fake-feeling animosity between Lakshmi and the new character Nimmi， with endless hashing from each characters POV。 2） A too-easily resolved and anti-climactic ending after a lot of build up。 3） Too much explanation to try to help readers who Another 3。5 star review for the sequel to The Henna Artist。 （Do I found to 4？ Not sure …。） The book was enjoyable enough that I read right along， there’s interesting cultural stuff shared， and the characters are mostly good， but I also had some qualms。 1） A fake-feeling animosity between Lakshmi and the new character Nimmi， with endless hashing from each characters POV。 2） A too-easily resolved and anti-climactic ending after a lot of build up。 3） Too much explanation to try to help readers who hadn’t read The Henna Artist catch up。 Apparently there will be a third book in this trilogy - I’ll probably still read it but might not be super high on my list。 。。。more
Penny Wilson
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Starts off strong with the first chapter。 Then， circles back and I was like “what？！？！？”。 I knew that what seemed like a tangent would fit in， but frustrating to have it take so long - like half the book。 Didn’t like Nimmi。 Once Lakshmi got to Jaipur the story took off。 I’ll read the third in the series when it comes out。
K。
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I loved entering the world of India through Alka Joshi’s first book， The Henna Artist and this sequel was just as bright and wonderful。 Loved the characters and the cultural life experienced here。
Carol
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So happy to read this second installment of the Henna Artist series by Alk Joshi。 It is rarely that you can meet characters in a book， and after you finish a novel， look forward to the continuing stories of their lives。 Simply becasue Joshi draws her characters so well， you become immersed in their story。 Getting to read about Malik twelve years later， on the brink of full adulthood， when you first met him as s child of the streets is a gift。 Read this book， read the first book， and eagerly awai So happy to read this second installment of the Henna Artist series by Alk Joshi。 It is rarely that you can meet characters in a book， and after you finish a novel， look forward to the continuing stories of their lives。 Simply becasue Joshi draws her characters so well， you become immersed in their story。 Getting to read about Malik twelve years later， on the brink of full adulthood， when you first met him as s child of the streets is a gift。 Read this book， read the first book， and eagerly await the next one。 。。。more
Jessica
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A great sequel！ I loved hearing more about all the characters from the first book with the added mysteries being explored by both Malik and Lakshmi。
Marlene Marcus
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Please Alka Joshi- write another book to follow this one！
Charo S
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4。5
Amy
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DelectableLakshmi is the sensible， clever heroine whose life， set 12 years apart from The Henna Artist， is just as mesmerizing to follow。 There’s suspense， unexpected twists and details， and the imagery are always painted so beautifully with words。 Alka Joshi， you did it again。
Sophie Loafie
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Alka Joshi has a devoted fan in me for life。 Love the vibes。
Elizabeth Sund
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This was fine but lacked the magic of the original。 The third point of view character chapters were unnecessary。
Cindy
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A beautiful story with great characters！ This is second book of a trilogy and has been chosen for a TV series。 The narrator was excellent and I am looking forward to reading the next story and seeing the TV series。
Jesse A-B
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4。5 stars。 Made me love the first book even more。 Such a wonderful story teller！
Barb Dennee
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I was very excited to read this sequel to The Henna Artist。 Sadly， it did not quite live up to the hype。 I’ve also learned this is a trilogy， so there’s another book to follow-think I will pass。
Amanda Bassford
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I loved it just as much as the first one！ I hope she keeps writing！
Martha D。
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I really liked the Henna Artist， but I had some trouble appreciating this sequel as much。 It moved a little too slow & it was an effort to keep up with all the characters。 Highly suggest downloading the pdf as suggested at beginning of audiobook for character & cultural references & descriptions。 Actually， I give it a 3。5⭐️ rating。
SevieReads
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Not as good as the first— but worth the read。
Sahar
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I loved the first book， The Henna Artist。 I was so excited for Malik’s book！！ But it fell short for me。 The writing is still very good， but the plot and the characters didn’t shine as brightly。
Nicole
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Loved this even more than The Henna Artist。 I wasn’t sure how I would like the story picking up twelve years later but it was excellent。
Barbi ♉️
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Wonderful！！ Open for a book 3。
Kathleen Kelley
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I loved The Henna Artist， so I was really happy to move on to the second of the trilogy， and follow up with Lakshmi and Malik， now all grown up。 Again Ms。 Joshi did not disappoint。 I absolutely love her descriptions of the herbs， the oils， the saris， the fabrics， Jaipur and Shimla。 I can almost picture everything。 I love the character that Malik has become。 I also loved the introduction of Nimmi and her children。 The story of the collapse of the Royal Theater brings out more intensely the charac I loved The Henna Artist， so I was really happy to move on to the second of the trilogy， and follow up with Lakshmi and Malik， now all grown up。 Again Ms。 Joshi did not disappoint。 I absolutely love her descriptions of the herbs， the oils， the saris， the fabrics， Jaipur and Shimla。 I can almost picture everything。 I love the character that Malik has become。 I also loved the introduction of Nimmi and her children。 The story of the collapse of the Royal Theater brings out more intensely the characters of all those we met in the first book， Ravi， Samir， Sheela， Kanta and Manu。 It is refreshing sometimes to have a happy， satisfying ending where you're not trying to figure out what happened or being disappointed in your favorite characters。 Can't wait for the third book。 。。。more
Norma
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I loved the Henna Artist and I loved this， also。 At first I had a difficult time recalling all the characters， and thought I would have to re-read the Henna Artist。 The author was great giving enough details to bridge the gaps for me。
Pamela Levine
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this is a continuation of the henna artist。。。。。i preferred the 1st book but it was quite good！！！
Shannon Rasimas
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I had recently read The Henna Artist and wanted to immediately jump into this book because I loved it so much。 I really love these characters， and it was lovely to read about Malik as a young man and how Lakshimi's life evolved after moving to Shimla。 Really great read， not sure I loved the mystery that was trying to be solved， but glad integrity was upheld。 Really love Joshi's writing and how her upbringing， food and family influences it and the lessons I get to learn from reading it。 I had recently read The Henna Artist and wanted to immediately jump into this book because I loved it so much。 I really love these characters， and it was lovely to read about Malik as a young man and how Lakshimi's life evolved after moving to Shimla。 Really great read， not sure I loved the mystery that was trying to be solved， but glad integrity was upheld。 Really love Joshi's writing and how her upbringing， food and family influences it and the lessons I get to learn from reading it。 。。。more
Lynda
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Almost as good as the first one。。。
Joanne
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The Henna Artist is a favourite book of mine so I was so excited when I finally got my hands on a copy of Alka Joshi's new book。 I was very disappointed after reading this。 It offers none of the charm and or richness of story that I experienced with her first book。 I couldn't connect with the characters and the plot read like a Nancy Drew Mystery。 The reader has a pretty good idea about how the mystery is going to be resolved by the halfway point of the book。 Watching the character， Ravi， contin The Henna Artist is a favourite book of mine so I was so excited when I finally got my hands on a copy of Alka Joshi's new book。 I was very disappointed after reading this。 It offers none of the charm and or richness of story that I experienced with her first book。 I couldn't connect with the characters and the plot read like a Nancy Drew Mystery。 The reader has a pretty good idea about how the mystery is going to be resolved by the halfway point of the book。 Watching the character， Ravi， continue to take advantage of others with his power， wealth and station without any consequences was frustrating。 And the book ends with the guilty parties taking no responsibility for their actions instead they use their privilege and money to "resolve" the misdoings。 。。。more
Nurima
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Another amazing travel to IndiaAlka makes us leave and travel to India， to crave for the food and drinks and to imagine the beautiful sceneries she describes。 Loved this book。 Waiting for the next one。
Lauren
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Audiobook。 Loved the first book in this series （The Henna Artist）， liked this one。
Kremena Koleva
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Рядко откривам книги， които носят своя собствена мелодичност。 Сякаш всеки ред е текс от песен， носеща се наоколо като шепот。 The secret keeper of Jaipur е подобна на приказка 。 Разкрива магията на Индия - мистика， екзотика и история。 Сложният лабиринт на обществени прослойки/ касти， историческото наследство на една бивша колония и възвръщането на политическата й независимост се смесват с човешките съдби и играят роля в посоката им на живот。 Сигурно няма да успея да предам усещането си от тази к Рядко откривам книги， които носят своя собствена мелодичност。 Сякаш всеки ред е текс от песен， носеща се наоколо като шепот。 The secret keeper of Jaipur е подобна на приказка 。 Разкрива магията на Индия - мистика， екзотика и история。 Сложният лабиринт на обществени прослойки/ касти， историческото наследство на една бивша колония и възвръщането на политическата й независимост се смесват с човешките съдби и играят роля в посоката им на живот。 Сигурно няма да успея да предам усещането си от тази книга。 За мен беше като ярките и сложни мандали; беше красива и нежна като рисунките с къна по ръцете на индийските жени; въздействаща и загадъчна като гористите райони на Хималаите и деликатна и омайваща като поезията на Рабиндранат Тагор 。 Едновременно с това историята е напрегната。 Тя е за търсенето на справедливост и за границите на благодарността。 За състраданието。 За преклонението пред книгите и образоваността。 За силата， която получаваме от нежната си загриженост и любов към децата си и какво е мястото на кръвните връзки。 Алка Джоши е като индийски мъдрец。 и Използва думите， за да разказва историята на героите си ， изпълвайки я с дълбок смисъл。 Тя обича всеки свой персонаж и показва какво го води， причината да е такъв， какъвто е。 Не съди и не изобличава。 И така дава на образите възможности и надежда。 А аз останах запленена от Лакшми - деликатна ， зряла и разумна с усет за дипломатичност。 Решенията й са водени от привързаност към онези， които обича и на които дължи благодарност и преданост。 Но разумът я води към правилните действия。 Бих искала да я имам на своя страна в напрегнати ситуации。 Заради скритата й вътрешна сила зад красивата й външност。 " Ако не се огъне като фиданка， ще се огъне ли като дърво？ " 。。。more
arushi
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The Secret Keeper of Jaipur was one of my most anticipated sequels for 2021 after having read the first book in the series， The Henna Artist， early on in the year。 Needless to say， Alka Joshi didn't disappoint as she brings forth a story brimming to the edge with hard-hitting questions of what makes a family and the revelations of internalized prejudices one may hold with class and social standing。Set against the post-colonial India in early 1960s， we revisit Lakshmi and Malik， twelve years afte The Secret Keeper of Jaipur was one of my most anticipated sequels for 2021 after having read the first book in the series， The Henna Artist， early on in the year。 Needless to say， Alka Joshi didn't disappoint as she brings forth a story brimming to the edge with hard-hitting questions of what makes a family and the revelations of internalized prejudices one may hold with class and social standing。Set against the post-colonial India in early 1960s， we revisit Lakshmi and Malik， twelve years after the ending of THA， who now lead a quiet charmed life in the foothills of Himalayan Mountains at Shimla。 Lakshmi has arranged for her protégée who now goes by Abbas Malik to intern with Manu Agrawal back in Jaipur， where work for the Royal Jewel Cinema is on the brink of completion， to learn the reins of business covering all fronts from construction to accounting。 Malik finds himself in the throes of a mystery when the balcony for the theatre collapses during intermission， claiming two lives and leaving several wounded。 The incident leaves a foul mark on the Palace's reputation who must find a man responsible for the construction as the scapegoat for pleasing public sentiments over the tragedy。 However， Malik finds the situation to be amiss after discovering evidences of poor work done in the construction of the columns upholding the balcony in form of a decorative brick。The stronger aspect of Alka Joshi's writing， for me， is the research that evidently goes into setting up the backdrops for her characters。 I left the book with knowledge that no history book has ever taught me before - from the enlightening glimpse into the life of nomadic tribes to the callous ways gold was smuggled across the country for those willing to pay a hefty price after the Gold Act。 Reading her books definitely serve to maintain a connection with a version of India that I have never been fortunate enough to witness or read about in the years that I've picked up reading。 In addition to this， The Secret Keeper follows THA's footsteps in terms of rich descriptions filled with details of the surrounding， all the way down to the scent a place might have further allowing my own imagination to take flight and settle right at Mall Road of Shimla one minute and the chaotic beauty of Jaipur the next。 The nostalgia and warmth I feel for the characters Alka has cultivated always takes me by surprise - so much so I am always rooting for them， smiling one minute at Lakshmi and her headstrongness and shaking my head when they act impulsive。My only qualms for the books are definitely the characterization of Nimmi and the narrative decisions taken for The Secret Keeper。 Coming to my first point， I couldn't find myself caring about Nimmi， whose POVs were sparse by the second half， or begin to understand why she was the way she was。 What bothers me is that she's definitely supposed to be likeable， as is indicative by the prose， but the narrative doesn't her do any favors in terms of likeability every single time she lashed out at Lakshmi about Malik。 This was to show us that their relationship was something that mattered a lot to Nimmi， having faced the loss of her husband and her tribe in her past and she was scared to lose Malik too - however， not enough narrative focus was given to their relationship which was wrapped up in a chapter and I didn't get why they even liked each other to actually care about Nimmi's fears。 The justification we did get was that Malik liked strong women and that was that。 In ties to my first point， I think we had too many POVs jumbling up the narrative and not allowing there to be a distinctive voice to each of them。 At one point， I was reading Malik's POV and thought I was reading Lakshmi's up until the halfway point of the chapter。 While I understand Alka's attachment to Lakshmi， a character shaped after her own mother， I do not understand why this book was marketed as Malik's story when Lakshmi felt like the main character at several points with her own POVs dominating that of Malik's by the end。 This is a story which could have worked very well with Malik's as the main POV， interspersed sparsely with Lakshmi's， to give the returning reader a taste of the headstrong lady we've come to love all the while acquainting ourselves with a much older and wiser Malik。 Perhaps， the story should have introduced us to Malik's life in Shimla first as opposed to meeting him in Jaipur which could have made the reader more invested in his journey。 With that being said， I still think this book shines as one of the better written books I've read this year with a strong plot to hold it through the errs of narrative and characterization。 I eagerly await the 3rd book in the series。 。。。more
Nargis Somani
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