six days in bombay Alka’s new novel now available for pre-order
Releases April 15, 2025
The Third Book in the NYT Bestselling Jaipur Trilogy
1974, Paris.
Lakshmi's younger sister, Radha, now 32, is as a lab assistant in a Parisian fragrance house and mother of two daughters when the son she gave up for adoption 17 years earlier comes to Paris looking for her.
“An absolutely lush and unforgettable read” -- Meg Waite Clayton, bestselling author of The Postmistress of Pairs
BEGIN AGAIN: AUTHOR ALKA JOSHI
Alka Joshi is the internationally bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy: The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris. Her debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a New York Times Bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub Pick, an LA Times Bestseller, a Toronto Star Bestseller, an Indie Bookstores Bestseller, a Cosmopolitan Best Audiobook, and an Amazon and Goodreads favorite. It was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and has been translated into 29 languages. It’s currently in development at Netflix as an episodic series. In 2023, Forbes selected Alka as one of 50 Women Over 50 who are shattering age and gender norms across all sectors of the American economy and culture. Alka was born in India and came to the U.S. with her family at the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. She is available for speaking engagements and group writing instruction. Alka shares her writing tips on her YouTube Channel:
praise for the JAIPUR TRILOGY
"Captivated me from the first chapter to the last page!"
--Reese Witherspoon
“[An] eloquent debut…Author Alka Joshi’s evocative descriptions capture India’s sensory ambience (horse-drawn tongas, pungent cooking fires and incense, and colorful saris), drawing readers deep into her moving story. Joshi masterfully balances
a yearning for self-discovery with the need for familial love.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An uplifting tale that highlights the power of family”
—Library Journal
“The Henna Artist” is an amiable and entertaining debut novel about an important theme — balancing family with personal ambition — that allows readers to escape into a fantasy teeming with sensory pleasure.
—San Francisco Chronicle
Alka Joshi’s debut novel, exposes a society hobbled by a rigid caste system, misogyny, superstition and age-old traditions. The smell of sandalwood, cooking fires, and tropical flowers wafts through it all, but the injustice and poverty are all but inescapable.
—Booktrib
Alka Joshi’s culturally rich debut novel sweeps you back to 1950s post-indepen- dence India. Henna artist and herbal healer Lakshmi Shastri is determined to get ahead, but her past might trip her up. Vibrant characters, evocative imagery,
and sumptuous prose create a satisfying, unforgettable tale.
—The Christian Science Monitor
"Alka Joshi’s debut novel is so evocative, so expressive and so exotic that it leads me to suggest she drop whatever else she is doing
and write a second novel — like now."
—The Calgary Herald
"Joshi has constructed a bewitching glimpse into the not-so-distant past with a tough heroine well worth cheering on."
—Booklist
Chitra Banerjee Divakurani: “This book kept me turning the pages!” https://shepherd.com/book/the-henna-artist
--Shepherds Best Books/The many mysteries of India
"Alka Joshi is the mind behind one of the season’s most buzzed-over works of fiction — tapped as a selection for the Reese Witherspoon Book Club, climbing bestseller lists everywhere. “The Henna Artist” jets us to the pink city of Jaipur during the 1950s, set in the throes of a newly independent India.
—Toronto Star
Monterey Herald (February 17,2020), Pacific Grove writer draws accolades for debut novel by Dennis L. Taylor
(https://www.montereyherald.com/2020/02/17/pacific-grove-writer-draws-accolades-for-debut-novel/)
Savoring The Sweet Life Photography Blog (February 21, 2020), Frivolous Fridays: The Henna Artist, Lunch and Photo Albums by Pam Davis (https://blog.savoringthesweetlife.com/2020/02/frivolous-friday-118.html/)
Shelf Awareness: Daily Enlightenment for the book trade (March 20,2020 Issue 3700), Reading with…Alka Joshi
(https://shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3700#m47795/)
Raji Writes (April 6, 2020), “The Henna Artist” by Alka Joshi by Raji
(https://www.rajiwrites.com/post/the-henna-artist-by-alka-joshi/)
KirkUS (May 4, 2020), Reese Witherspoon Endorses The Henna Artist by Michael Schaumburg
The New York Times (May 28,2020), Yes, It Is Possible To Change History. Write a Novel! By Elisabeth Egan
(https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/books/review/the-henna-artist-alka-joshi.html/)
The Calgary Herald (May 28,2020), Review: The Henna Artist paints a beautifully evocative tale of independence by Catherine Ford) (https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/books/review-the-henna-artist-paints-a-beautifully-evocative-tale-of-independence/)
Hello Sunshine (May 31, 2020) 5 Books That Inspired The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
(https://hello-sunshine.com/categories/reeses-book-club/)
The Star (June 13,2020), Henna Colours Alka Joshi’s novel and memories of my mother by Shinan Govani (https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/opinion/2020/06/13/henna-colours-alka-joshis-novel-and-memories-of-my-mother.html/)
Medium (July 2, 2020), A beautiful world of proverbs- The Henna Artist by Khyati Thakur
(https://medium.com/@thakur.khyati70/a-beautiful-world-of-proverbs-the-henna-artist-ac1ff410a3d0/)
Deccan Chronicle (August 13, 2020), Colorful Narrative Set in Rajasthan by Nayare Ali
Harper’s Bazar India (June-July 2020), The Time of Their Lives by Esha Mahajan
(https://www.magzter.com/article/Lifestyle/Harpers-Bazaar-India/THE-TIME-OF-THEIR-LIVES/)
Vogue India (August 2020), Just my luck by Alka Joshi
(https://www.vogue.in/magazine/august-2020-issue/)
Carmel Magazine (Summer/Fall 2020), Holding The Hands That Feed Her by Lisa Crawford Watson
(https://carmelmagazine.com/digital-issue/)
The Week Magazine (September 6, 2020) A Thrilling Ride by Anjuly Mathai
(https://www.theweek.in/review/books/2020/08/27/a-thrilling-ride.html/)
Book Talk: ‘The Henna Artist’ by Alka Joshi (April 16, 2020)
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-henna-artist-by-alka-joshi/id474221876?i=1000471651990/)
Sylvia & Me: Alka Joshi Writer, The Henna Artist, New York Times Bestseller (May 26, 2020)
(https://lifeapres.com/podcast/author-alka-joshi/)
Write the Book: Conversations on Craft: Alka Joshi- Interview #626 (May 26, 2020)
(https://writethebook.podbean.com/e/alka-joshi-interview-626-52520/)
Moments with Marianne (Marianne Pestana): The Henna Artist with Alka Joshi (June 18,2020)
(https://player.fm/series/moments-with-marianne/the-henna-artist-with-alka-joshi/)
Writers Voices by Monica Hadley: Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist (June 21, 2020)
(https://backtracks.fm/discover/s/writers-voices/50d496aae09fba86/e/alka-joshi/9cd5dad867a3cd6c/)
Conventionally Unconventional by Aishwarya Bhandare: Alka Joshi:-
The author of Henna Artist a New York Times Bestseller book in historical fiction (June 30, 2020) (https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xYTNjMmJkOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==/)
Brown Girl Reads: Podcast: The Henna Artist/ Alka Joshi (July 1, 2020) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cW4PqWRas/)
Brown Girl Reads Podcast: The Henna Artist WITH Alka Joshi (July 8,2020) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOLnvsY_1Sg/)
Litquake’s Lit Cast: Alka Joshi and The Henna Artist (July 13, 2020)
(https://tunein.com/podcasts/Literature/Litquakes-Lit-Cast-p720451/?topicId=155037072/)
Loykayat Podcast Channel: Women in the Media and Globalization— Alka Joshi
(https://www.mixcloud.com/lokayat-pune/women-in-the-media-and-globalisation-alka-joshi/)
Thoughts from a Page Podcast: Alka Joshi-THE HENNA ARTIST (August 13, 2020)
(https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com/e/alka-joshi-the-henna-artist/)
Travel Books and Movies What’s New: Book Review: The Henna Artist (May 1, 2020)
(https://travelbooksandmovies.com/f/book-review-the-henna-artist/)
Boptopsy! Book Review: The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi (August 20, 2020)
(https://botopsy.wordpress.com/2020/08/20/book-review-the-henna-artist-by-alka-joshi/)
Dinky Loves Books: The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi: Book Review (https://youtube.com/6l16kjm2OWg/)
Aimee Anne: The Henna Artist Review (http://youtube.com/jzoibdC-bwU/)
Story Behind the Story Episode 13: Alka Joshi- THE HENNA ARTIST (March 6, 2020)
The Morning Routine by Brent Barrett KMAland Radio (April 6, 2020)
Book Talk: ‘The Henna Artist’ by Alka Joshi// BTRlisten (April 16, 2020)
(https://www.btrtoday.com/listen/booktalk/the-henna-artist-by-alka-joshi/)
Reese and Alka LIVE on @Reesewitherspoon (May 2020)
(https://youtube.com/996gpTxgHUU/)
Writers’ Voices by Monica Hadley-Alka Joshi-Episode Details-Listen on-line (May 11, 2020)
(https://writersvoices.com/podcasts/historical-fiction/alka-joshi/)
Conversations LIVE by Cyrus Webb: Author Alka Joshi discusses #The Henna Artist (May 13, 2020) (https://www.blogtalkradio.com/conversationslive/2020/05/13/author-alka-joshi-discusses-thehennaartist-on-conversationslive/)
Conversations: Alka Joshi, “The Henna Artist” (May 27, 2020)
(https://kansaspublicradio.org/blog/dan-skinner/conversations-alka-joshi-henna-artist/)
Conversations Live with Vicky St. Clair (June 10, 2020)
(http://conversationslive.net/?s=Alka+Joshi+The+Henna+Artist/)
Cap Radio Reads by Donna Apidone: Alka Joshi- The Henna Artist (August 20, 2020)
(https://www.capradio.org/programs/capradio-reads/2020/08/20/alka-joshi-the-henna-artist/)
Mayank Chhaya: Alka Joshi The Henna Artist (https://www.mayankchhaya.com/city-of-loqua/)
A Bibliophile’s Rant: In Conversation with Alka Joshi-The Henna Artist (August 23, 2020)
Facebook LIVE conversation with She The People TV:
https://www.facebook.com/SheThePeoplePage/videos/357405995400375
I love book clubs!
I’ve visited with more than 900 book clubs either virtually or in person because I love the special connection with reade who tells me what the books meant to them, people the characters reminded them of, and insights into the story that even I hadn't considered. (And when they prepare food from the recipes? Yumm)