Perfume: The Story of a Murderer in Pick-a-Shelf

Jul 16, 2011 Lindsay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z2011, fiction, 1001

As an anosmic (someone who can't smell), this book did let me into a world I really know nothing about. Süskind did an incredible job of describing the overwhelming, and, in many cases, disgusting world surrounding Grenouille in 18th century France. The layers of different smells really create the atmosphere and give quite a different feel to this book.

It was interesting how Grenouille looked at the world, the scents around him ruling his life, to the exclusion of anything else. It ranges from ...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Sam rated it liked it

Shelves: gothic, proper-books, crime, psychology

I loved the premise and idea of this book and given the many great reviews it has received I was really looking forward to getting stuck into the story. But sadly I was left cold. Although Suskind has a knack for bringing sights, sounds and of course smells to life, I found that none of the characters really stood out for me, I didn't feel anything for them which in turn meant I didn't feel much for the story itself, which did spoil it a little for me. The story itself was superb, it is well tho ...more

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Oct 01, 2009 Tara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a really interesting book about a boy/man who from the beginning was different. It almost felt as if there was something supernatural about him. His gift of smelling things was both a blessing and a curse. In the world of perfume making it was a blessing and the art of perfume making was extremely facinating to me. It was also a curse, growing up it set him apart, I also would have to think that it would be pretty vile to have acutely smell some of the things he described. Overall, a ve ...more

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Jan 14, 2017 Catsalive rated it liked it

Shelves: 2005

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2... ...more

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May 22, 2013 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A fabulous book with one of the most unlikeable protagonists in fiction. He never redeems himself - although neither does anyone else in this book. It is incredible how the sense of smell can be ignited from words on the page. I would have given it a 5, but the ending really is a bit silly.

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