Perfume - Patrick Suskind Reviews

First published in German as 'Das Parfum' in 1985, the English translation was first published in 1986. ISBN: 978-0-141-02904-7 263 pages. Author: Patrick Suskind. £6.99 This book was also released as a film 'Perfume: The story of a Murderer' in 2006, I remember going to see the ...  Read the complete review

This book was epically awesome. This is one of the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die and it so deserves it's place. This is the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born and abandoned in Paris but possesing an amazing, inhuman sense of smell. As he grows up unloved and unwanted by anyone he develops his sense of smell and becomes obsessed with ...  Read the complete review

Perfume is a very unsettling fable, recently made into a film (which was actually pretty good - something that surprised me because, let's face it, they usually do make a bit of a mess of adaptations of books to the big screen) with a great cast. But let's forget about the film and concentrate on the book, as, after all, that is what I am ...  Read the complete review

Suskind is the author of this fiction, which is set in 18th century in France. We go through the life of 888 from when he was borne to the end of his story. Grenouille has got a peculiarity, he has an extremely acute sense of smells. The plot is relatively slow and if you are looking for action you will be disappointed. For me the ...  Read the complete review

I thought I'd read this before I saw the film (am I the only person who like to do it this way round?) - and what a shock I got! This book is translated from the German by someone who seems to be using and online translation device! The sentences are long and cumbersome, and many of the words are frankly out-dated. One sentence I read was ...  Read the complete review

Olfactory sensation, it's a sweet damnation! This book is simply brilliant. Never before have I been grasped so intensely by a book. Especially considering how bizarre and twisted the story and concept are. I have a terrible sense of smell and to read the literal embodiment of all these scents is an epiphany, a real mind bender. ...  Read the complete review

No, it is not a stinker for the book really will take you in 18th Century France, from Paris to Grasse via Montpellier. The accuracy of details is impressive, and the style of Patrick Suskind, although awkward at moment, is nevertheless charming and imaginative. However I was personally a tiny bit disappointed: the book is too short and ...  Read the complete review

i have just turned the last page on one of the best novels that i have read in the last 10 years, if not the best. perfume will possess you and if you submit, will transport your imagination on a voyage that you will not likely forget anytime soon. the first page of the novel sets the mood for the rest of the story. it begins with the birth ...  Read the complete review

Perfume was first released in the original German in 1985, followed the following year by the English translation. This is a book that I have had on my "to be read" list for literally years, and only finally got round to recently. You know how these lists work, they are forever growing and titles get displaced as priorities change and ...  Read the complete review

Sniff your fingers. What do you get? I’ve just done it and mine are onions that have perhaps seen better days. My index finger is the strongest and as I conquer mount middle digit and descend to the valley of the small the smell begins to wane. At my little finger the onions disappear and there is something there, something I ...  Read the complete review

I was given this book to read by a friend of mine, who knew I had an interest in criminology. Halfway through the book and I was racking my brains to figure out why I'd never heard of this guy and his crimes. A bit of checking later and I discover it's a novel, not based on anything factual. This threw me a little. This is a book ...  Read the complete review

You have probably never heard of this book and I was in the same predicament when my father suggested it to me. The cover made me think of nothing but a boring love story but I took my dads advice and gave this book a go. It is set in 18th century France, Paris to be precise, where, much like back in England, there weren’t such a ...  Read the complete review