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aellereads's review against another edition
4.0
Paris 1941. Clementine, a queer American expat, and former famous perfume thief finds herself returning to her old habits when the Nazis invade France. Clementine has no other option but to work with Oskar Voss, a Nazi bureaucrat, in hopes of protecting the people and the city she loves.
The Perfume Thief is a beautiful and atmospheric portrait of the underground resistance of World War II Paris. Timothy Schaffert’s novel is a sensory experience completed with romance, friendship, and espionage, where the Haute société mixes with cabarets and filles de joie. Schaffert gracefully captures Paris’ smells, noises, and culture - all in the art, the food, and the entertainment scenes.
The author’s lush descriptions and connections between fragrances and memories of a person or a moment in time were delightfully poetic. With a great premise, multi-faceted characters, and pleasing writing, The Perfume Thief is a mesmerizing love letter to Paris and the power of friendship and community.
*I would like to thank Penguin Random House International for gifting me a free copy in exchange for my honest review!
The Perfume Thief is a beautiful and atmospheric portrait of the underground resistance of World War II Paris. Timothy Schaffert’s novel is a sensory experience completed with romance, friendship, and espionage, where the Haute société mixes with cabarets and filles de joie. Schaffert gracefully captures Paris’ smells, noises, and culture - all in the art, the food, and the entertainment scenes.
The author’s lush descriptions and connections between fragrances and memories of a person or a moment in time were delightfully poetic. With a great premise, multi-faceted characters, and pleasing writing, The Perfume Thief is a mesmerizing love letter to Paris and the power of friendship and community.
*I would like to thank Penguin Random House International for gifting me a free copy in exchange for my honest review!
ponieswildandfree's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
wdianasheppard's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeously evocative, LGBTQ+ characters in Nazi Paris rendered so lovingly, but oh, the pacing! The pacing just killed all momentum.
EDITED to ADD: I bumped this up from 3 to 4 stars because I kept thinking about this book after I'd finished it. Although I was initially bummed by the back-and-forth qualities of the scenes bouncing around the timeline, the characters and the setting were so evocatively depicted that I do think this book deserves more love than I initially gave it.
Just a fair warning - THIS IS NOT A HEIST BOOK. Do NOT be fooled by the title. It is a thoughtful, slow, quiet depiction of a found family ravaged by the presence of Nazis.
EDITED to ADD: I bumped this up from 3 to 4 stars because I kept thinking about this book after I'd finished it. Although I was initially bummed by the back-and-forth qualities of the scenes bouncing around the timeline, the characters and the setting were so evocatively depicted that I do think this book deserves more love than I initially gave it.
Just a fair warning - THIS IS NOT A HEIST BOOK. Do NOT be fooled by the title. It is a thoughtful, slow, quiet depiction of a found family ravaged by the presence of Nazis.
lavandula's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sayyahtobookseh's review against another edition
Lots going on right now and wasn’t really into it
birdie7's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
catfactory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I am not in the mood for bleak, World War II era historical fiction. So much World War II era historical fiction. So. Much.
wordssearched's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I struggled with how to rate this one because it wasn't poorly written, and if you're into World War 2 historical fiction, then this might be for you. My reaction is based entirely on high expectations from an enticing premise: a queer woman in Paris at the height of the Nazi occupation must find and secure a book of formulas by a famous perfumer before it falls into German hands. Sounds great, right? But the execution doesn't quite follow through. Schaffert did his research and is a solid writer, but in the end, I could get into the narrative or connect with any of the characters, and the plot sputters along until a ho-hum conclusion in which very little happens. Not bad, per se, just boring.