What do you think?
Parfum de lilas
Été 1996, Nicolas séjourne chez sa tante Rose qui se relève d’un deuil douloureux. Pour passer le temps, Nicolas l’aide à entretenir son jardin et se découvre une passion pour la botanique. Comme la plupart des adolescents, il se sent mal dans sa peau et se pose beaucoup de questions. Mais Nicolas est loin de se douter que cet été le marquera à jamais. Avec Parfum de lilas, nous sommes plongés dans la tête d’un adolescent en pleine puberté qui explore sa sexualité. Quelquefois choquant, ce livre amène le lecteur à se poser des questions sur les tabous de notre société.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 22, 2016
Content Warning: Sexual Assault/Problematic sexual experiences
Arg.
That's the family friendly word I can say in response to this book. I have others, but I try to keep my more colourful language to a minimum on Goodreads.
Perfume of Lilacs is supposed to be about a teenager who loves botany and is undergoing a shift towards adulthood. It was supposed to "challenge taboos" and make you think. Spoilers: it doesn't. Leblanc offers very little new commentary on puberty, grieving, or sexuality, and he helps to embed a whole bunch of harmful ideas about sexuality without any actual conversation or dialogue about the problematic things that happen.
So, what exactly has me so upset that I am giving this book a one star rating? Nicolas is a young teen boy who goes to stay with his aunt for the summer after her husband died. You find out near the end of the book that he committed suicide three years previous. That is the only mention of how he died. Nicolas misses him. His aunt is struggling. There is no more nuance or conclusion to these issues that this.
Nicolas does a lot of yardwork for his aunt. According to the back blurb, this is an important part of the book. In reality, readers get a couple pages near the beginning of Nicolas musing on nature. Otherwise you just see him clipping bushes and mowing lawns every so often.
Nicolas meets a young woman called Jessica. This is where the book sank for me. They start dating because Nicolas seems deep for having thoughts about death (admittedly, Lablanc's teenagers are very age appropriate). In one scene, readers see Jessica talk with a friend about not wanting to be too sexual at this point in her life until she truly loves someone. A few pages later, Nicolas shows up at her house (he was invited) and suggests that they do something "fun". He takes off Jessica's shirt, who says yes but is drawn as exceptionally uncomfortable and unhappy. The scene ends with Nicolas pushing her into a kneeling position in front of his crotch while she she frowns and looks stricken.
This is not okay. THIS IS NOT OKAY. Now, I should state right away that fiction is not always going to be a perfect reflection of how people should act. People do crappy things all the time and we tell stories about them. However, the back cover of Perfume of Lilacs talks about questioning taboos, yet this type of sexuality is so common and so harmful. It's never challenged is the book either. In fact, Nicolas essentially dumps Jessica soon after this scene. She's pressured into doing sexual things for Nicolas, then told by the person she thinks she loves that their relationship was "just a fling". And that's the end. We never see Jessica again beyond watching her run crying from Nicolas. It's heartbreaking. It happens ALL THE TIME in our society. It's entirely normalised in this book. Challenging taboos must ass.
We're not done yet. After the scene where Nicolas decides to entirely disregard his girlfriend's obvious discomfort and lack of enthusiastic consent, we go back to a scene of him cutting bushes. He notices that his aunt's elderly next door neighbour is sunbathing in the nude. He tries to get a better look and falls through the hedge. The neighbour obviously notices and invites him in. This rapidly devolves into her smoking a joint with him, then inviting him to touch her breasts. This turns into him describing that she took him into another room to have sex and her perfume smelled like lilacs. AND HERE I THOUGHT THIS WAS ABOUT BOTANY.
So, to be clear, THIS IS ALSO NOT OKAY. We're not 100% certain how old Nicolas is. I peg him at 15-16 as he mentions still being in high school, and he's drawn young. In any case, in our society, we don't think it's appropriate for adults to essentially exploit teenagers for sex. And really that's exactly what was going on. Neighbour talked about being bored and regretting some of her life choices. She wanted a taste of youth again, and she decided to screw around with a teen to get it. It's not okay. That's so very far from okay. It doesn't matter that Nicolas is a young man. Men can be raped. Men can be exploited. It doesn't matter if young men are told that they should want sex from all the ladies no matter what. Society says it is inappropriate and harmful for adults to engage with teens in a sexual manner. Neighbour lady has had DECADES more time to develop her reasoning skills and know herself. Nicolas has not. Nicolas is not in the same developmental state as neighbour lady. Nicolas was being used and THAT IS NOT OKAY.
Nicolas also struggled with what happened. He was conflicted about telling people, and most certainly didn't want to tell Jessica. Even if he suffered no consequences, society does not support adults having relationships with teens for good reason. We don't just let it happen and hope that it will all be all right. And we really shouldn't be more dismissive of it happening because it's a boy.
In the end, Nicolas goes home. The End.
Perfume of Lilacs could have been a good book, but it would have required the author to explore the issues that were brought up. Even as a vignette, this story was lacking. What am I supposed to feel towards Nicolas? Honestly, I'm not sure. He's not a particularly sympathetic or interesting protagonist. He doesn't seem to change much, if at all. He's not engaging in activities that are "taboo" according to society. In the end, a teenage boy goes to visit his aunt, pressures a young girl into sexual activity, is pressured into sex by an adult, and then he goes home. There's no resolution or even a denouement on his summer actions. They just exist. There's no overarching narrative other than "stuff happened that summer", and even though there's a lot of emotional stuff being touched on, the story feels dry and lifeless. Even without my concerns about the content, it's simply not an engaging graphic novel.
Arg.
That's the family friendly word I can say in response to this book. I have others, but I try to keep my more colourful language to a minimum on Goodreads.
Perfume of Lilacs is supposed to be about a teenager who loves botany and is undergoing a shift towards adulthood. It was supposed to "challenge taboos" and make you think. Spoilers: it doesn't. Leblanc offers very little new commentary on puberty, grieving, or sexuality, and he helps to embed a whole bunch of harmful ideas about sexuality without any actual conversation or dialogue about the problematic things that happen.
So, what exactly has me so upset that I am giving this book a one star rating? Nicolas is a young teen boy who goes to stay with his aunt for the summer after her husband died. You find out near the end of the book that he committed suicide three years previous. That is the only mention of how he died. Nicolas misses him. His aunt is struggling. There is no more nuance or conclusion to these issues that this.
Nicolas does a lot of yardwork for his aunt. According to the back blurb, this is an important part of the book. In reality, readers get a couple pages near the beginning of Nicolas musing on nature. Otherwise you just see him clipping bushes and mowing lawns every so often.
Nicolas meets a young woman called Jessica. This is where the book sank for me. They start dating because Nicolas seems deep for having thoughts about death (admittedly, Lablanc's teenagers are very age appropriate). In one scene, readers see Jessica talk with a friend about not wanting to be too sexual at this point in her life until she truly loves someone. A few pages later, Nicolas shows up at her house (he was invited) and suggests that they do something "fun". He takes off Jessica's shirt, who says yes but is drawn as exceptionally uncomfortable and unhappy. The scene ends with Nicolas pushing her into a kneeling position in front of his crotch while she she frowns and looks stricken.
This is not okay. THIS IS NOT OKAY. Now, I should state right away that fiction is not always going to be a perfect reflection of how people should act. People do crappy things all the time and we tell stories about them. However, the back cover of Perfume of Lilacs talks about questioning taboos, yet this type of sexuality is so common and so harmful. It's never challenged is the book either. In fact, Nicolas essentially dumps Jessica soon after this scene. She's pressured into doing sexual things for Nicolas, then told by the person she thinks she loves that their relationship was "just a fling". And that's the end. We never see Jessica again beyond watching her run crying from Nicolas. It's heartbreaking. It happens ALL THE TIME in our society. It's entirely normalised in this book. Challenging taboos must ass.
We're not done yet. After the scene where Nicolas decides to entirely disregard his girlfriend's obvious discomfort and lack of enthusiastic consent, we go back to a scene of him cutting bushes. He notices that his aunt's elderly next door neighbour is sunbathing in the nude. He tries to get a better look and falls through the hedge. The neighbour obviously notices and invites him in. This rapidly devolves into her smoking a joint with him, then inviting him to touch her breasts. This turns into him describing that she took him into another room to have sex and her perfume smelled like lilacs. AND HERE I THOUGHT THIS WAS ABOUT BOTANY.
So, to be clear, THIS IS ALSO NOT OKAY. We're not 100% certain how old Nicolas is. I peg him at 15-16 as he mentions still being in high school, and he's drawn young. In any case, in our society, we don't think it's appropriate for adults to essentially exploit teenagers for sex. And really that's exactly what was going on. Neighbour talked about being bored and regretting some of her life choices. She wanted a taste of youth again, and she decided to screw around with a teen to get it. It's not okay. That's so very far from okay. It doesn't matter that Nicolas is a young man. Men can be raped. Men can be exploited. It doesn't matter if young men are told that they should want sex from all the ladies no matter what. Society says it is inappropriate and harmful for adults to engage with teens in a sexual manner. Neighbour lady has had DECADES more time to develop her reasoning skills and know herself. Nicolas has not. Nicolas is not in the same developmental state as neighbour lady. Nicolas was being used and THAT IS NOT OKAY.
Nicolas also struggled with what happened. He was conflicted about telling people, and most certainly didn't want to tell Jessica. Even if he suffered no consequences, society does not support adults having relationships with teens for good reason. We don't just let it happen and hope that it will all be all right. And we really shouldn't be more dismissive of it happening because it's a boy.
In the end, Nicolas goes home. The End.
Perfume of Lilacs could have been a good book, but it would have required the author to explore the issues that were brought up. Even as a vignette, this story was lacking. What am I supposed to feel towards Nicolas? Honestly, I'm not sure. He's not a particularly sympathetic or interesting protagonist. He doesn't seem to change much, if at all. He's not engaging in activities that are "taboo" according to society. In the end, a teenage boy goes to visit his aunt, pressures a young girl into sexual activity, is pressured into sex by an adult, and then he goes home. There's no resolution or even a denouement on his summer actions. They just exist. There's no overarching narrative other than "stuff happened that summer", and even though there's a lot of emotional stuff being touched on, the story feels dry and lifeless. Even without my concerns about the content, it's simply not an engaging graphic novel.
February 25, 2019
Des fautes d’orthographe récurrentes (« hypocryte »), une histoire sans finalité réelle autre qu’un gars qui passe l’été chez sa tante dans un trou perdu, qui oblige une fille qui trippe sur lui à le sucer et qui la dompe après quelques jours et un cas de fantasme typiquement masculin de se faire montrer la « vraie » sexualité par sa voisine célibataire de 40 ans enfin réalisé par un adolescent.
Les illustrations sont passables, mais la lecture des bulles n’est pas évidente.
Eh cibole. Je l’ai lu dû à une mauvaise critique lue, j’étais curieuse et puis finalement, c’était pas particulièrement une lecture obligée.
Les illustrations sont passables, mais la lecture des bulles n’est pas évidente.
Eh cibole. Je l’ai lu dû à une mauvaise critique lue, j’étais curieuse et puis finalement, c’était pas particulièrement une lecture obligée.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2017
Le point fort de ce roman graphique est définitivement les illustrations. L'histoire donne l'impression d'avoir été écrit à la va-vite et il n'y a rien qui l'a démarque. ''Meh'' est le mot qui vient en tête. De plus, je trouve que la calligraphie est extrêmement inconsistante et de basse qualité. Par contre, j'ai bien aimé l'incorporation des types de fleurs ainsi que leurs définitions. Selon moi, Samuel Leblanc devrait se concentrer sur le métier d'illustrateur car cela est sans contredit sa force.
October 20, 2017
Je ressens le besoin de justifier mes 2 étoiles, car j'ai hésité à lui en attribuer une de plus. Pour une première oeuvre publiée, il y a énormément de potentiel : le passage à l'âge adulte, les premiers émois sexuels, les vacances loin de la maison, la difficulté à comprendre certaines relations hors norme, etc. Par contre, l'auteur n'est malheureusement pas allé au bout de ses pensées, me semble-t-il. Certains malaises auraient mérité d'être approfondis, certains passages affinés... Au final, la lecture en vaut le détour, ne serait-ce que pour aller effleurer ces réflexions.
February 19, 2019
Je ne sais pas pourquoi je tombe souvent sur des BD de « wet dream » d'illustrateurs masculins ces temps-ci.
Le récit semble inachevé et décousu, sans but particulier. De plus, j'ai beaucoup de misère à m'identifier ou à sympathiser à un personnage qui .
Le récit semble inachevé et décousu, sans but particulier. De plus, j'ai beaucoup de misère à m'identifier ou à sympathiser à un personnage qui .
April 13, 2025
Les illustrations sont très belles, mais le sujet… bof. L’histoire d’un jeune homme, clairement écrite par un homme, qui vit l’instant d’un été une idylle avec une jeune femme ainsi qu’avec une femme beaucoup plus âgée.
March 6, 2020
3.5 stars
November 9, 2020
Exquisite take on coming of age.
April 20, 2021
Best $20 I ever spent.
October 7, 2019
Wow, people do not like this book! I thought it was an honest, beautifully-illustrated glimpse into the imperfect coming-of-age / sexual-awakening summer of a young man -- assuming he's 16 or older. Maybe it helps if you were a young man once? I think he's pretty realistic and certainly not evil. Where I will knock it -- some of the themes, such as suicide and virginity, should have been explored further. Read on, if you've already read the book...
3.8 Stars
April 21, 2019
Read Maggie Gordon’s review first, since I cannot rewrite the thoughts I also share as eloquently. This book had so much potential. Important issues about consent, expectations around sexuality, and exploitation are brought up, but they are never explored or condemned. Although I understand that some books are just meant to make you feel uncomfortable, debated issues around “boys will be boys” and consent need to be explicitely explored. Not condoning them means that they are and should be normal occurences in life. Boys should NEVER pressure girls into doing sexual acts. Consent is also about body language. Grown adults should NEVER have sex with minors. For example, the author could have included an epilogue, where Nicholas has grown up and realized how messed up his actions and the neighbor’s actions were. He could have written letters to both women explaining those feelings and the ambiguity could have been if he had sent those letters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2016
I really thought I would like this, from the summary and a quick flip-through. While the artwork was good, I felt so let down by the story. Too many times I felt my eyes rolling or found myself groaning. And then, when it seemed like the story was about to take off, it was over. It was a fast read, and a library borrow, so I didn't waste much time or any money on it. Such a shame. I expected more.
December 10, 2019
A coming of age story about a teenage boy from the city staying with his aunt in the “country” for the summer. There are little botanical interludes about flowers — which of course means sex. The sexual elements in this book seem to have polarized the reviewers. There were two encounters and both were realistic (in terms of situations that happen) and both are open to a degree of interpretation. In my reading, ambiguity adds depth to a text. The drawings were good too.
May 2, 2016
It's a good first book. I love the visuals - showing human emotion through drawings in a comic is not easy.
The story could use more depth. There's a lot of "awkward boy understanding coming of age" out there tales that this is not very different from. But he's onto something in terms of his voice. I hope he continues to refine his skills - I look forward to reading more of his work.
The story could use more depth. There's a lot of "awkward boy understanding coming of age" out there tales that this is not very different from. But he's onto something in terms of his voice. I hope he continues to refine his skills - I look forward to reading more of his work.
January 17, 2014
Plutôt 3.5, en vérité.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews