Product Description

Survivor, genius, perfumer, killer: this is Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. He is abandoned on the filthy streets as a child, but grows up to discover, he has an extraordinary gift: a sense of smell more powerful than any other human's. Soon, he is creating the most sublime fragrances in Paris. Yet there is one odour he cannot capture. It is exquisite, magical: the scent of a young virgin. And to get it, he must kill. And kill. And kill.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #138138 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
Patrick Suskind was born in Ambach, near Munich, in 1949. He studied medieval and modern history at the University of Munich. His first play, The Double Bass, was written in 1980 and became an international success. It was performed in Germany, in Switzerland, at the Edinburgh Festival, in London, and at the New Theatre in Brooklyn. His first novel, Perfume became an internationally acclaimed bestseller. He is also the author of The Pigeon and Mr. Summer's Story, and a coauthor of the enormously successful German television series Kir Royal. Mr. Suskind lives and writes in Munich.

Customer Reviews

A stinking good read
When you read this - you want to give it to your friend. When they read it, they want to pass it on. It is by word of mouth I got this, and it was so gripping.

We enter the putrid fetid streets of Paris described with such earthy deliberation - the genius Grenouile is born. How rare - a book all about man's least appreciated and talked about sense - dissected to perfection.

The author seems to have a penchant for young red headed beauties - and it is so improbable, that they could smell the best, but what if the best smell was created? What subtleties lie in smells that we cannot ever articulate as we think it's all because of what we see and hear that we strongly like or dislike palpable stimuli?

Absolutely wonderful stuff and I'm afraid I found myself identifying with the protagonists shy tendencies and his dislike of humanity and its self importance - much as in the last chapter of Gulliver's travels where horses are seen to be superior to us.

Suskind is a shy brilliant writer and this book is now being filmed for a motion picture.

if i could only own one book.
i have two copies, no doubt i shall end up with more. one copy is for lending and the other so i always have one.

as well as being a well considered comment on the human condition, this book is written with subtle beauty. never before have i got so much bang for my buck, a story that is relentlessly compelling with a haunting conclusion. it caters for cynics, perverts and philosophers.

buy this, give it time to trap you and then give in to it. written so beautifully you'd be cheating yourself.

Quite Simply one of the most amazing books ever written
just read it.

Then you'll want to read the rest of Peter's books.

Incredibly evokative, it's no wonder various top flight film directors have been fighting over who should bring this wonderful book to the screen.

The book tackles the final sense yet to be able to be fully understood. Smell.

Beautifully written and perfect in length, Perfume takes you ona rollercoaster ride through France.

I'd rather not describe anything more about the story, other than to say that all the friends of mine who have read this rate it as one of their all time favourite books.