Perfume by Patrick Suskind Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Perfume
Book Review: An Engaging and Disturbing Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
"Perfume" is one of the most fascinating and unique books that I have ever read. It deals with a simple uneducated young man, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, in eighteenth century France, who has a unique gift: he is capable of sensing any smell whatsoever and analyzing it in terms of its basic components. This otherworldly sense of smell becomes the source of his driving obsession of creating a perfect perfume. In contrast to his extraordinary gift of smell, Jean-Baptiste has a very hard time dealing with normal human emotions and relating to other people. He shows traits of both Asperger's and Anti-social personality disorders, and he is willing to go to any length in order to achieve his goal. Because of this unrelenting drive and ambition that is not restrained by any moral norms, he very quickly becomes a danger to all those who stand in his way, and his journey of self-realization and discovery increasingly acquires a more sinister tone. His desire for a perfect perfume stems primarily out of his sense of being marginalized and unloved by anyone, and a sense that by creating a smell that everyone would appreciate and admire, he himself would finally be able to achieve some form of belonging in the world that has been ostracizing him since the day he was born. However, it remains to be seen if artificially inducing other people's emotions can bring a genuine sense of happiness and contentment.
Patrick Suskind is a brilliant writer and his ability to recreate the world of eighteenth century France is truly remarkable. Even though many of the historical events and personages are highly stylized, they exude life-like qualities that are seldom found in works of fiction. This is one of the more memorable and significant literary works of the past half century, and is likely to remain fresh and fragrant for a foreseeable future thanks to the original writing and the timelessness of themes and situations that are dealt with.
Book Review: An absorbing and uneasy tale
Summary: 4 Stars
My opinion here is completely unbiased. I haven't seen the film and knew nothing about this story before I started the book.
A very unusual but gripping tale, I must say. Well written, definitely.
This is the story of Grenouille, a baby born without hopes and left on a pile of rubbish by his own mother. Certain death, especially in 1738, would be expected but does not happen. Against all odds, Grenouille survives and grows up with a very distinctive feature: his olfactory system. From infancy, no scent, no smell, unpleasant or otherwise, escapes his nostrils. He categorizes each one of them and an endless sort of data base is stored in his brain.
A very inconspicuous fellow, without distinctive features, he is able to survive in a world that has deceived him from day one. And in turn, in his profound uneasiness, he becomes the deceiver. Little by little he starts to realise that his olfactory ability is indeed something that could turn useful, one day. Something for which people would appreciate him perhaps. Real love, real affection, he does not know. Perhaps he yearns for it. But in reality, he loathes people and is comfortable in his loneliness. And one day (he's about 12 by now) he picks up a faint scent in the air that he cannot name but gives him an incredible yearning. An irresistible urge to find the source of that scent and an infallible nose lead him to that source.....
From then on, a lot else happens. And Grenouille, that fragile, plain, indistinct, shadowy and secretive being takes us from one side of France to the next on a twisted olfactory errand. It is impossible not to be awed by this very distinctive feature of his. With it, when `utilized' properly, he is able to do wonders. But it is equally impossible not to commiserate him, not to feel sorry for a very lonely, lost soul even though his malignant twist cannot but horrify us.
A very unusual, disturbing story. A story where smell, stench, scent or delicate perfume mingle and replace our eyes and ears. I bet that this book will make you think about some veritable concepts contained here: i.e. our olfactory system has an incredible memory. Lost loves, Granny's apple pie, baby days, all it takes is a whiff of something we smelled before and we are travelling back in time...
If some nuances were lost in translation (from German) I do not know, but I found the prose stylish and entertaining. A 5 stars book from the beginning. My only disappointment came towards the end. An end which probably befits the whole medieval, grotesque tale but it was way, way too far fetched in my opinion (hence the 4 stars). Still, well worth reading it as it has the quality of a classic.
Book Review: An imaginative thriller that explores the rich tapestry of smell
Summary: 4 Stars
Patrick Suskind's, "Perfume," is a beautifully written novel that richly brings to life the world of 19th century France primarily through the scents and aromas that permeated the cities, people and countryside of that time. At its core, "Perfume," is a riveting character study that introduces as its main-character a villain every bit as imaginative and fleshed out in his sense of malice and purpose as Hannibal Lecter. The true beauty in this novel, however, is found in Suskind's detailed musings on his protagonist's extraordinary sense of smell and the way he interprets the world through such a gift.
While "Perfume," is an English translation of a German novel - the translation work is superb and fully conveys the depth of detail and colour that Suskind originally brought to life in his native tongue.
Book Review: Awful
Summary: 1 Stars
I read this book years ago. It still stands out as the worst book I have ever read.Book Review: Beautiful and eloquent
Summary: 5 Stars
I read Perfume on a recommendation by Esquire. The storyline captivated me, and I ordered it right away. Let me first say that I've never really considered myself a fan of period pieces. I find usually the language is too hard to follow fluidly, being that modern English is far different than Old English. I really needn't have had reservations, because as soon as I picked this book up I fell deeply into the story, the character and all the stunning visuals it invoked in my mind. I felt as if I were there. Further, the story is so amazingly imaginative that not only did I love Perfume, I knew I had to read other things written by Suskind (of which there is very little). Reading reviews from other people who say this book was terrible is pretty perplexing to me, and I have to attribute that to people who cannot fathom letting themselves into the deranged mind of the main character or his motives, or who just don't understand the story. After reading it I was thrilled to find they were making a movie (which never made an appearance in my hometown, so I had to wait for DVD), and surprisingly found they were amazingly close in depicting the feeling and perplexity of the story.