The Artisan's Star: A Novel

by Gabriella Contestabile

Elio Barati’s perfumery shop in Florence marks its entrance with a mosaic star. This shop immerses Elio in the artisanal world he loves, but he harbors a regret. As a young man he created a full-fledged perfume of jasmine, iris, and cypress at the renowned Ecole des Parfumeurs in Grasse—a fragrance his idealism and stubbornness boxed away before ever bringing it to light. A second star now brightens Elio’s life, his daughter Romina, an artist. She has her father’s unrealized talent, a precise and intuitive sense of smell. She's also inherited more challenging traits of Elio' unbridled ambition and an insatiable wonder for the world. But changes ripple through modern-day Florence. Artisan traditions wane; and when Romina tells her father she has no intention of running the family business Elio fights to hold on to the Florence he cherishes. Confronting the lost opportunities of his youth, Elio is thrust into this journey by five spirited his Greek mother, Elena; his mentor Palma; his soul mate, Marina; his astronomer wife, Sofia; and finally his beautiful artist daughter, who like the city of her birth, shows him how tradition and modernity can and must co-exist. Now he must alter his own path by harnessing the transformative powers of the fine and artisanal arts.

Genres: Italy

308 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2014

About the author

Gabriella Contestabile is an author, educator, and owner of SU MISURA JOURNEYS, a boutique travel company connecting people to the artisans of Florence. She emigrated, with her parents, from Italy to New York City in 1959. In her pre-writer life, she worked as a foreign language teacher, management development specialist, and fragrance/cosmetics executive. Gabriella is a strong advocate of the arts, of multiculturalism, and of social justice—a passion inspired by reading Dickens and Dante at a very young age. She has been an active volunteer with Dress for Success for over eight years and is a member of the Slow Food NYC Food and Farm Policy Task Force. She lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, her daughter, her mom, and a furry Shih–Tzu named Oreo. ‘ The Artisan’s Star’ is her first novel. She is currently working on a collection of short stories, also set in Italy, and a screenplay.

Reviews

[Aditi]

“A good fragrance is really a powerful cocktail of memories and emotion.”

----Jeffrey Stepakoff, an American author


Gabriella Contestabile, an Italian author, pens her debut novel, The Artisan's Star that is a cleverly woven travelogue inside a story about a perfume-maker and the women and their fragrance surrounding his life.


Synopsis:

Elio Barati’s perfumery shop in Florence marks its entrance with a mosaic star. This shop immerses Elio in the artisanal world he loves, but he harbors a regret. As a young man he created a full-fledged perfume of jasmine, iris, and cypress at the renowned Ecole des Parfumeurs in Grasse—a fragrance his idealism and stubbornness boxed away before ever bringing it to light.
A second star now brightens Elio’s life, his daughter Romina, an artist. She has her father’s unrealized talent, a precise and intuitive sense of smell. She’s also inherited more challenging traits of Elio’s: unbridled ambition and an insatiable wonder for the world.

But changes ripple through modern-day Florence. Artisan traditions wane; and when Romina tells her father she has no intention of running the family business Elio fights to hold on to the Florence he cherishes. Confronting the lost opportunities of his youth, Elio is thrust into this journey by five spirited women: his Greek mother, Elena; his mentor Palma; his soul mate, Marina; his astronomer wife, Sofia; and finally his beautiful artist daughter, who like the city of her birth, shows him how tradition and modernity can and must co-exist.

Now he must alter his own path by harnessing the transformative powers of the fine and artisanal arts.


The story begins with Elio Barati's perfume shop in Florence. Elio is born and brought in this beautiful and elegant city and through his life story we get to the depths of the history of Florence's perfumery and we learn the importance of perfume making with all the dos and don'ts. Elio's early memories about his Greek mother, Elena, shows us a lot about his mother's demeanor, then gradually, Elio's memory shifts from his first love to his first mentor to his wife and then to his daughter.

In fact, through memories, we couldn't contemplate with Elio's character, instead, we could understand the women of Elio's life very deeply. The female characters are all very strong, educated, influential and one who could make their own decisions. It felt more like Elio was dependent on these women and without whom his success, family or career wouldn't have been possible. The perfume making and how a perfume is made from flowers and other natural flowers and herbs was strikingly portrayed in the book, and since I had no idea how perfumes were generated, the book simply drawn me to it's very core, and kept me engaged.

The writing is no doubt very beautiful and with her writing, the author sets a breezy, romantic mood for us and so it really feels good to read about Florence and the perfumes of Elio. Unfortunately, Elio, the protagonist, didn't strike me an someone to root for or sympathize with, instead, it was very boring and dull when the narration kept on shifting base from one topic to another with no proper conclusion. But I could feel the Florentine flair in her writing style that no matter what, kept me glued to the charm and the beauty of this story.

The backdrop of the book is really breath-taking from Elio's early days to his old days with his wife and daughter. The author's picturesque painting of Florence is so vivid that when I closed my eyes, I could picture myself right on those narrow streets of Florence or at times riding a blue vespa or sitting by an old cafe. Moreover, if you're planning to visit Florence, I bet this book will be your perfect guide, since the author have drawn out the whole map of Florence with Elio's story and through his memories, the author tried to convey us the must-see places of Florence.

Verdict: Fancy a trip to the city of artists and art? Then do read this book to take a whirlwind trip to Florence and in bonus you will even get to experience some of the exotic fragrances of the world.

Courtesy: I received a copy of the book for a blog tour purpose.

[Melinda]

Florence is a favorite destination of mine. Needless to say being transported to this vibrant energetic artesian city was delightful. The lush descriptions added to an armchair travel experience regardless if you are revisiting or hoping to inhale Florence at some point in time, you’ll find yourself enjoying every ingredient the author provides of this magnificent city.

I adored reading of the intricacies in creating a perfume along with the business in general. Perfume is alluring and intriguing, I appreciate a narrative delving into the fragrance industry.

Travelogue more than story, which was fine with this reader. The author also did more ‘showing’ than ‘telling’ which led to an abundance of descriptions bordering on tedious. Make no mistake the details were appreciated but after a while becoming somewhat overwhelming.

Character development was lacking. I prefer to bond experiencing a true connection with characters, I was disappointed I felt nothing for these characters. If Contestabile fleshed out the players more perhaps I would have felt a warmth, as is I felt nothing, vapid. Also the numerous characters were a distraction along with digression in subject matters and conversations – a bit chaotic. On more than one occasion the narrative veers off track leaving the peruser stranded.

Italophiles, an interest in the origins of perfume, undoubetly will find this book entertaining. Despite my misgivings I completely enjoyed my time immersed in rustic Florence.

[Debra Schoenberger]

One of the lovely quotes from this book:

"His mother's Femme smelled of plums, flowers and smoky sandalwood. It made him think of the silk and linen dresses that fluttered around her knees on windy days. Her gloves smelled of it, and her shawls. It was his mother's scent only, and he liked that when she left a room it would trail in the air behind her, making him feel safe."

As an art student and traveler, I began to read The Artisan's Star with interest. I love Florence and the book's description of the city, the artisans and their shops as well as the detailed accounts of the meals transported me back to Italy. I was always hungry as I read this book!

I enjoyed reading about the history of perfume-making as well as the processes required to create a memorable perfume.

I was at odds with the main character, Elio Barati, however. I could not seem to warm up to his character. The women in his life, however, were strong, cultured and intelligent. There was so much more potential at character development with these women. The sheer volume of characters in this book had me confused more than once, and I would have to go back to the beginning of the book to refresh my memory as to who they were. Often, conversations would go off in tangents, bringing in other subjects or themes, and I couldn't quite figure out why they were put into the story line. I tended to skip through them. At times it occurred to me that this story was written more as a travelogue.

This book would make an interesting read for someone who loves Italy, travel and the history of perfume.

[Barbara Rindge]

In my opinion, if I had to use one word to sum up this book, it would be “passion.” Everything that happens in the story involves some form of it – from the passionate love between a man and a woman, to the passion an artist has for his craft. The story revolves around Elio at it’s center, and how he became passionate about perfume making. We learn about the loves of his life: his beautiful Greek mother who taught him about scents, the two older women with whom he learned the passion of love, his wife who shares his life, and his little “stellina” (his daughter!) who is the star of his life. The story takes place mostly in Florence where the author goes into great detail to make you feel like you are walking with the characters through the streets of this ancient city. We are introduced to other artisans who are passionate about their crafts and learn how, even in these modern times, they create their beautiful crafts like they were created hundreds of years ago. We are also transported to Grasse, the perfume capital of France, where we learn a lot about the art of perfumery. I have to say that this was all new to me and I never realized all the hard work and study that goes into making a perfume.

Ms. Contestabile’s book was very detailed and very descriptive, but at times, almost too much. I found my interest waning at times and I had to force myself to continue reading. She switched back and forth in the timeline, too, which was a bit distracting. The basic premise of the book was good, with the central theme of passion for one’s craft, excellent. She was successful in relaying that passion as it was evident in Elio’s and the other character’s lives.

[Julie]

The sense of smell is said to be the most powerful for evoking memories. In this book we meet Elio, owner of a parfumerie in Florence. As he tells the reader about the different perfumes, we are taken on a journey back to his youth where he trained in Grasse. At first the narrative seems disjointed as the scents cause him to flit from scene to scene but this cleverly replicates the way the human mind works. It is beautifully written in such a sensual way that you can almost inhale the perfumes on the page. The gorgeous descriptions of France and Italy add to the sensory overload. It is also full of pathos in parts, missed chances, broken love affairs, a lost mother. This book made me want to revisit Florence and Grasse is now on my ‘to visit’ list too. A beautiful book, Proustian in parts, but one that will take you on an unforgettable journey.

[A Holland Reads]

I enjoyed this book about a family and their perfume business. I have to say that I am a sucker for books set in Italy. Since I can’t travel there right now I can use a book to help me transport myself there. The author’s writing style made me feel as if I was a part of this book. She also did a good job with the character development and the descriptions of the scenes. I could feel as if I was a part of this story, smell each smell walking down the streets of Florence, see all the shops and taste all the food. I could tell the author did her research in the perfume making business as you could feel as if you were a part of it. I enjoyed hearing about Elio’s story. One other thing I liked was how it went from the characters childhood to old age with no trouble at all. If you are looking for a book that will take you on a virtual journey then I suggest picking this book up.

[Packabook]

I really want to give this book three and a half stars, but Good Reads does not allow you to.
The novel completely succeeds in transporting me to Florence, and gives me an insight into a world I do not know - the rich, luscious, work of artisans and perfume-makers.
Where it doesn't work for me so much, is that I found its message too heavy-handed, overpowering the story itself. This clearly doesn't bother many readers, so it should not put you off if you want to imagine yourself living the artisan dream in Florence; you will find much to love.
I have written a full review, and have some fabulous tips from the author of places to go in Florence on my blog if you'd like to read more.