Author: Alka Joshi
Series: The Jaipur Trilogy #3
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication date: March 20, 2023
Narrator (from AnyPlay Service): Sneha Mathan
Book description: 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.
Review:
There are a lot of references to the main characters from previous installments but you are given enough context to be able to read this on its on. Still I would advise to read the previous ones so you would find it more beneficial.
The main focus is on Radha, she is struggling with several balls at the time- motherhood she feels an incompetent mother as she struggles to progress in her career, figure out why her marriage seems to lose the spark. She no longer find the time to go back to her husband with eagerness and joy. The not fights about her job, the long hours she spends at work and yet the expectation that she should still praise her husband for "helping" out in the house when he pitches in to do dinner once in a while. Yet he expects her to fully handle everything else in the household: Groceries, payment of utilities, cleaning, taking care of their daughters homework, attention, and everything else that might come up. But of course he is a very practical man, he is doing so much for the house and family how could she not be grateful?
The main issues with the marriage is that- Pierre (the husband) hates his job but he is always looking down on Radha's job. She is very passionate on it, wants to triumph and advance as a perfumist but for him her job is a distraction and a clear proof that she does not love or respect their family. But they are still in love and care for one another, they tip toe around the topics and do not fully communicate.
The iceberg crash starts when Radha is offered a promotion at work, and it starts a downhill dive in different aspects. She gets to travel for work, something her husband does all the time but she struggles with aspects he never does. He is unable to care for his daughters and does not even try to look for an alternative for the few days his wife is to be traveling. On this trip a can of worms is freed. We get a few return characters, from the previous books. It is a full spoiler for the struggles the two sisters ahve faced, but still its an awesome ride.
We get to see that child Radha gave up for adoption, and the feelings she had been suppressing all those years. It is heart wrenching and yet so beautiful.
The family, the support among sisters, the passion for working with fragrances, the support towards women in the industry- its has so much.
It covers topics that need to be discussed more. I want to recommend this book to everyone!
I feel its hard to describe. Now I only wish to have started this in the correct order. But oh well, I can't change the past, but the idea is set. I will read get to the previous installments.
This was used for the challenges:
Around the World as the author is from India.
Complete series- technically this is the end of a series. I read it first so I am not done with it but you know. Its strictly speaking the end of a series.
2023 Release
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