The Henna Artist cover art

The Henna Artist

Preview

Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends April 30, 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £7.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Henna Artist

By: Alka Joshi
Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£7.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends April 30, 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

A New York Times Best Seller

A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick

"Captivated me from the first chapter to the final page." (Reese Witherspoon)

Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist - and confidante - to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own....

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow - a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.

“Eloquent and moving…Joshi masterfully balances a yearning for self-discovery with the need for familial love.” (Publishers Weekly)

Look for The Secret Keeper of Jaipur from New York Times best-selling author Alka Joshi!

©2020 Alka Joshi (P)2020 HarperAudio
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction World Literature Marriage City Heartfelt

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Complete Jaipur Trilogy cover art
The Covenant of Water cover art
The Secrets Between Us cover art
The Color of Our Sky cover art
When the Moon Is Low cover art
A House Without Windows cover art
This Green and Pleasant Land cover art
Sparks Like Stars cover art
Song of the Sun God cover art
If Today Be Sweet cover art
Everybody's Son cover art
The Far Field cover art
Well-Behaved Indian Women cover art
Her Father's Daughter cover art
The Physician's Daughter cover art
The Third Daughter cover art

What listeners say about The Henna Artist

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    567
  • 4 Stars
    175
  • 3 Stars
    51
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    581
  • 4 Stars
    92
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    476
  • 4 Stars
    148
  • 3 Stars
    54
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exquisite

This book dealt with difficult topics, but it was far from difficult to listen to. The characters and plot are as intricately designed as the Henna patterns described in the book. Sneha Mathan's voice is as smooth and rich as caramel. I want to go back and savour the whole story again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting, Colourful, Absorbing

A delightful book. Beautifully written, well considered & authentic. Superb narration.
If you enjoy fiction about India, I wholeheartedly recommend that you listen to this. It has a healthy balance of grit, hardship, softness & success.
Convincing characters & a creative storyline leaves you wanting more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such beautiful writing

A beautifully written book, careful but rich language, and a very believable and absorbing story. The reading is spectacularly good, which made this the perfect listen. Cannot recommend enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it, sorry when it came to an end.

Great narration, interesting story, really engaging and will be recommending to friends and to Book Club.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting informative and well read

Learnt loads, a little predictable in part but I didn’t mind really. A good illustration of the very different ways we all behave, and why. Curious enough to buy the next in the series? Not sure .. probably tho.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Charming story, an easy listen.

After a slightly dull start this story blossomed into one full of charm and elegance, history and culture. The author created the scenes in my imagination with ease, using beautiful descriptions of places, people and colours. The characters were strong and I really didn't want it to end!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well narrated

Alka Joshi narrated this in a beautiful way. I am often very critical of how poor some of the productions are. Good story line and you really go on the journey with her.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely wonderful

I really enjoyed this audio book. The way it was written and performed really helped me to visualise everything in the story and truly bring it to life. It was very well written and kept me engaged throughout. I would definitely recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Such a great story brilliantly narrated I adore novels immersed in different cultures I literally couldn't put it down Sneha Nathan is wonderful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Beautifully written and narrated. Felt as though I was in India in the 50s.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!