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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 833.914
EAN: 9780375725845
ISBN: 0375725849
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 272
Publication Date: February 13, 2001
Publisher: Vintage
Release Date: February 13, 2001
Studio: Vintage
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Editorial Review:
An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of smell—leads to murder.In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift-an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"—the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.Translated from the German by John E. Woods.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Chillingly brilliant
It's been a while since I read a book that has truly shocked me: 'Perfume' by Patrick Suskind is a disturbing and original novel. Set in 18th century France, this is the story of Jean-Baptiste Grunouille, who has a super-human sense of smell but no natural body-odour of his own. He obsessively murders beautiful virgins (whose scent he finds appealing) in order to create the perfect perfume. The book is written in a way that makes me feel like it should be `smelt' rather than read because of all the ... Read More
Rating:  - A Formula; For What?
This is an easy-to-read, well liked novel; the author sticks to a simple, compelling formula and doesn't let things get complicated. The comments of Jamie Bower in August 2007 and "A Customer" in May 2003 were about right: Perfume is essentially a short story.
It reads like an allegory with echoes of Zarathustra, Dracula, Frankenstein, Hugo, Dumas (Monte Cristo), and goodness knows what. I don't know German language literature very well so I'm not sure what else besides Nietzche Suskind ... Read More
Rating:  - Perfume
It's a most intriguing story. I wanted to read it as I had recently spent time in Grasse at perfume houses. It's the most bizarre story (and also a movie) since Sweeney Todd. Read it to the end!
Rating: - Learing to Smell...
Suskind blends a sensory masterpiece. Set in 17th Paris, abnormal Grenouille is born with a preternatural sense of smell possessing him to seek the perfect scent, even if he has to kill to do so.
Suskind's prose turns the amorphous and ephemeral world of smell into a descriptive decadent dessert. Reading this book during my daily commute awoke my senses. Suddenly, I realized the man next to me smelled a bit like urine and that young girl smelled of roses with a slight hint of chocolate. ... Read More
Rating: - Interesting enough to finish
"Perfume" is an olfactory exploration of its main characters desire to possess the very essence of that which inspires love. Originally written in German, translated to English and set in 18th century France, the novels opens with the arrival of John-Baptiste Grenouille who is discarded at birth and rebuked throughout life. Grenouille uses the sole gift of his birth, a superior sense of smell coupled with the absence of body odor, to navigate the hardships that befall him. Suskind does an excellent job ... Read More
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