Book Synopsis:
From the author of THE HENNA ARTIST. The final chapter in Alka Joshi’s New York Times bestselling Jaipur trilogy takes readers to 1970s Paris, where Radha’s budding career as a perfumer must compete with the demands of her family and the secrets of her past.
Paris, 1974. Radha is now thirty-two and living in Paris with her husband, Pierre, and their two daughters. She still grieves for the baby boy she gave up years ago, when she was only a child herself, but she loves being a mother to her daughters, and she’s finally found her passion–the treasure trove of scents.
When her friend’s grandfather offered her a job at his parfumerie, she quickly discovered she had a talent–she could find the perfect fragrance for any customer who walked in the door. Now, ten years later, she’s working for a master perfumer, helping to design completely new fragrances for clients and building her career one scent at a time. She only wishes Pierre could understand her need to work. She feels his frustration, but she can’t give up this thing that drives her.
Tasked with her first major project, Radha travels to India, where she enlists the help of her sister, Lakshmi, and the courtesans of Agra–women who use the power of fragrance to seduce, tease and entice. She’s on the cusp of a breakthrough when she finds out the son she never told her husband about is heading to Paris to find her–upending her carefully managed world and threatening to destroy a vulnerable marriage.
My Review:
The Perfumist Of Paris is a beautifully written, absorbing and inspiring read from a new author for me.
Firstly Radha was an amazing main character who I enjoyed following throughout the book. She’s such a strong lady who I sympathised with as I know the struggle with juggling family and work. She seemed stuck between two cultures at times having to fight her husband’s expectations to fulfil her dreams. Her experiences were quite emotional to read about and I really felt for her especially when it seems like her past was going to affect everything she’s worked for.
The author does a great job of setting the scene so that the reader feels they are actually there watching everything unfold alongside the characters. I’ve always loved books set in Paris so I enjoyed following Radha as she goes about the city. Radha’s job as a Perfumist was fascinating as I didn’t know anything about it before. The author’s descriptions of the perfume shop were really vivid and I sometimes felt I could actually smell some of the scents she was describing.
Overall I loved this book and look forward to reading more from this series in the future. I felt like I went on a real journey with Radha and, although it was tough to see her go through it I liked seeing where she ended up at the end . I think this book could be read as a standalone like I have done but I think it might be beneficial to read the books in order as you might understand the characters better.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Alka Joshi was born in the desert state of Rajasthan in India. In 1967, her family immigrated to America. She earned a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts in San Francisco. Prior to writing The Henna Artist, Alka ran an advertising and marketing agency for 30 years. She has spent time in France and Italy and currently lives with her husband on the Northern California Coast.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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