Alka Joshi

A Novel

Perfumist of Paris

Lindsay

"Many would argue with me, but I've often wondered whether Mumtaj herself was in a tomb during her life." ... "What I mean is that she was a woman prized solely for her eligibility for marriage, sold to the highest bidder, with no control over her body or her money. She had to compromise her dignity every minute of every day. My mother and grandmother taught Nasreen and me - and we teach all our girls - to unlearn the ways of centuries. To perfect their skills in classical dance, poetry and literature for their own edification. To satisfy their own physical desires while satisfying another's. To manage their dignity and their money equally."

"The measure of us isn't in the day-to-day. And it's not in our past or our future. It's in the fundamental changes we make within ourselves over a lifetime."

Caroline

The third and final installment of Alka Joshi's Jaipur Trilogy is titled The Perfumist of Paris. The life of Radha, who leaves her past behind to live in Paris and pursue her dream of becoming a master perfumer, is chronicled in this novel. Radha has two daughters and a husband. However, a significant project given to her forces her to return to her origins and face her son, who she left behind in India, endangering her marital life.

With her exquisite storyline and gorgeous writing, Alka Joshi succeeds once more. The rich tastes and aromas of India, including the Mitti attar and the essence of Paris, were expertly portrayed in this book. I appreciated how the author gave each character their own attention in each book in this series. This book, like the other two, had strong female characters. Even Radha's daughters Asha and Shanti displayed strong female traits. 

I found it interesting to read about how smells were formed, which made me ponder what ingredients and what kind of name I would give my own scent.

It is made simple to remember all the characters by the author's provision of a lexicon of those from the first two volumes. Additionally, I appreciate the book's recipes. The book's sole flaw, in my opinion, was that the first half featured very extensive chapters whereas the second half seemed a little hurried. 

The book was overall enjoyable to read, just like the first two books in the series, and is one that is suggested to wrap up this trilogy.

kyra

a floating read, but the plot was unnecessarily messy and the writing seemed to have an American voice in certain parts which threw me off (small things like the temperature being described in imperial units by an Indian person in France).

Perfumist of Paris A Novel

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