booksiloved.com - Book reviews of books the reviewer really liked

A review of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

by Patrick Suskind

A disgusting and suspenseful sensory delight

Reviewed by: Helen Harvey
About Helen Harvey

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer You can smell the stench of poverty, when in the slums of 18th century France, a baby, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, is born. An otherwise tragic and pathetic soul, he is gifted with a perfect sense of smell, yet no personal odor of his own. An extraordinary and unwanted child, that has never known a days kindness or love, he trawls his way through the filty squalor of the underbelly of Paris, in search of the "ultimate perfume."

Apprenticing himself to a perfume maker, he learns the ancient art of mixing intoxicating potions by combining herbs, oils, and flowers, displaying an unrivaled talent for which he becomes famed. Yet this talent is insufficient to assuage his obsession for perfection.

One day, he senses a smell so heady and potent, that he realizes it is what he has long been searching for. Determined to capture it, he traces it, and finds that it is the scent of a pure virgin. Will his all-consuming lust and obsession for the perfect scent cause him to murder? Yes, he must.

The novel twists and turns as it plunges further into the depths of darkness and depravity, the reader is lead on a journey from which it is impossible to return, and with a descriptive quality so tangible, that you find yourself raising your head to sniff the air, the cloying reek of Paris hanging heavy above you.

The novel concludes in a crescendo that is unexpected and fantastical, shocking, deliciously wicked, and disgustingly depraved. It is absolutely compelling, and, as disgusting as it is, human nature and inquisitiveness dictate that you simply have to keep reading. Like the movie watchers that cover their eyes, yet cannot resist peeping, this book is completely irresistible, and you will not be able to resist reading it until its bitter end.

As Grenouille is a master perfumer, so Suskind is a master writer, capable of writing the ultimate fantasy.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Copyright © by Helen Harvey, 2002

Reviewed by Helen Harvey:
-- Running With Scissors - by Augusten Burroughs
-- A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance - by Marlena de Blasi
-- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - by J.K. Rowling
-- The Naked Chef - by Jamie Olive
-- Good In Bed - by Jennifer Weiner
-- Getting the Love You Want: A Guide For Couples - by Harville Hendrix Ph.D
-- Guess How Much I Love You - by Sam McBratney
-- Skipping Christmas - by John Grisham
-- Savage Beauty - by Nancy Milford
-- Snow Falling On Cedars - by David Guterson
-- Charlotte Gray - by Sebastian Faulks
-- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - by Patrick Suskind
-- Milly-Molly-Mandy - by Joyce Lankester Brisley
-- Love is Where it Falls - by Simon Callow
-- The Dive from Clausen's Pier - by Ann Packer
-- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress - by Dai Sijie
-- Sarah’s Window - by Janice Graham
-- Life of Pi - by Yann Martel
-- Fury - by Salman Rushdie
-- A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide - Samantha Power
-- White Teeth - by Zadie Smith









Home ------- All the Reviews