Product Description

Survivor, genius, perfumer, killer: this is Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. He is abandoned on the filthy streets of Paris 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 all the city. Yet there is one odor 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: #2449 in Books
• Published on: 1987
• Original language: German
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

About the Author
Patrick Suskind was born 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. 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. Patrick Suskind lives and writes in Munich.

Customer Reviews

A stinkingly fabulous novel!
Poor Grenouille! Born in 18th century Paris on one of the hottest days in summer, amid a stinking pile of fish guts. Not a great start to life but it gets worse...he has no personal odour to speak of and as such, people don't seem to like him, though they can't say why. Grenouille is special however, he has one of the finest 'noses' in Paris, able to distinguish and isolate odours like no other. His talent therefore, is considered quite valuable, particularly in the perfume business. But it is not perfume that Grenouille wants to create, rather, it is a special kind of scent that will make people feel attracted to him. In order to create this special scent he must extract the odours from a special kind of woman and the only way to do that is to kill them. This is a fascinatingly sick tale with a sad and haunting ending you will remember for a long time to come.

One of the things that I found so fascinating about this book was Susskind's in-depth knowledge of the olfactory senses; the way people, places and objects have certain kinds of odours which can be stored in the memory and recalled at a later date. His descriptions were so well written and convincing that I could almost smell them. Susskind's style of writing and use of language, brings to life the decadence and stench which must of existed in 18th century Paris, giving the reader and insight into the realities of the era.

I cannot say that this novel is unputdownable as I had to put it down many times in order to absorb much of what I had read, and also to bring me back up for some fresh air. This would have to be one of the most bizarre books that I have ever read but I am so glad that I did read it because it now belongs to my collection of favourites. The sheer brilliance of Perfume places it in a genre of its own.

Strange, Beautiful and Compelling.
I have to say that you either love or hate the character of Grenouille in Suskind's novel. In some respects, he is not unlike Mary Shelly's Frankenstein; a monster almost, but not quite human - an outcast from society, evoking in turn disgust, ridicule and sympathy. It is indeed a very strange book - I don't think you could easily classify it simply as historical, romantic or horror - it is a combination of all plus that extra something - smell - in all it's wonderful, descriptive glory. This much overlooked sense is brought to vivid life - it adds that extra dimension that helps to make this novel such a strangely compelling read. I could not make up my mind whether or not I was actually enjoying the book, but once I had started it, I could not put it down. Even several months after reading it, it lingers in the memory like the smells and settings it describes in such glorious detail. I know that I will read it again and again with the same mixture of repulsion and fascination. If that is the mark of a good book, then this is it.

chilling
This book was given to me as a birthday present. I read the quotes on the cover, by all of the people who had read it and praised it, and although the concept behind the book seemed interesting, I realised that there must have been something else,a pretty significant something else, that made the book the "masterpiece" it was reported to be. This was not an incorrect assumption. Never could I have imagined the manner in which the story would be presented, the life that was given to the world of our "hero" and the total contrast this made with his own inhumanity. I have rarely felt so distant and estranged from a book character, which totally reflects his position in his world, the only living creature without a scent, an "abomination" almost inhuman. But for me the most moving thing about this book was the way in which I was suddenly made so aware of the importance of scent in our world. Without it, there is no reality, no third dimension to what we see and feel.

This is definitely worth reading, but be warned, I found this book decidedly eerie and chilling.