Check out our review of The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi. A historical fiction novel, third in the Jaipur Trilogy, set in France and India.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.
historical fiction
The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi
The Jaipur Trilogy #3
March 28, 2023
Tropes
buy or add to tbr
The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi Book Review
Alka Joshi’s The Perfumist of Paris is one of my favorite reads of 2023. Set in Paris and India in the 1970s, this is the story of Radha, a budding perfume making and mother of two young girls. Radha is struggling with juggling her responsibilities at home and at work. The struggle has put a significant strain on her marriage and added to the mix is the appearance of a piece of Radha’s past that she has desperately tried to bury, but has never been far from her thoughts.
Like all of Joshi’s books, The Perfumist of Paris is incredibly well written. Joshi’s descriptions of the sights, smells and sounds of her setting are so vivid that, as a reader, you can’t help, but be transported there. A major focus of the book is the struggles faced by women and especially women of color.
The main character, Radha is well aware of the way she is seen and treated differently by native Parisians on account of her skin color. Radha also struggles with juggling being a mother, a wife and a career woman. Last, but not least she struggles with a loss of part of her identify due to being separated from her homeland. All of these struggles resonated with me and made it impossible to put the book down.
Though The Perfumist of Paris can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading The Henna Artist first as it will give the more perspective when it comes to Radha’s story. Also the Perfumist includes some spoilers when it comes to Alka’s other books. The Perfumist of Paris was a 5 star read for me. If I could give it many more I absolutely would. Fans of literary fiction and historical fiction should definitely pick up this book.
