caitc90's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Part one of the book gave me such a creepy crawly feeling I didn’t know if I would continue reading the book. I think as a mother myself the scent of your baby is such a particular scent, to think of a baby that didn’t have one felt so strange and uncomfortable. The description of him as a child creeped me out so badly and the way his actions were explains it made me stop reading a couple times.
After the initial grossed out-ness, part two of the book was pretty slow. I was expecting more murder because of the title. It was part 3 that got me interested in the book again, when he came out of isolation and went back to making perfumes.The ending of part 3 was not what I expected but it was funny to imagine.
The end of the book was perfect, I couldn’t think of a better way to end it. I’m not a fan of historical fiction but I thought it sounded interesting, also there’s a movie to watch too so I thought it would be an enjoyable read. I’m glad I read it but I think I’ll likely stay away from historical fiction for awhile.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
marialenov's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
bumblebee1223's review
3.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, and Animal death
qiankim's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Sexual harassment, Rape, and Trafficking
phantomgecko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Interesting story but slow. The extended daydreaming sequences could have been entirely removed and made it better imo.
Moderate: Cannibalism, Suicide, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion
unroxy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Cannibalism
Minor: Incest, Racism, and Stalking
emmacartlidge's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual content, Murder, Torture, Death, and Gore
Minor: Animal death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Excrement, and Pedophilia
glueeater's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Blood, Murder, Death, and Gore
amyjmcd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, and Death
liv_jones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The description throughout the novel is almost nauseatingly vivid, with each character we come across thoroughly examined not only in terms of their scent but also in terms of their character, with their flaws brought to the foreground. Every character and setting is primarily described olfactorily as this is the way Grenouille perceives the world, and by focusing on smell over the other more common senses, it is as if one were to look at the world through an entirely different lens. Süskind even laments about the difficulty of describing scents in words, which is comically meta.
In particular, I love the use of foreshadowing laced throughout the novel, and spotting the clues pointing towards certain characters’ demises make this book a great reread. Furthermore, the biblical imagery is also a fantastic addition to the vivid descriptions throughout, and this is especially clear during Grenouille’s dream sequence - one of the most entertaining parts of the novel for me.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book to everyone due to some of the topics it deals with being sensitive and/or pretty gross, and I find that much like Marmite people either love it or hate it. But if you’re looking for a book that will stay with you for years and you’re okay with the content warnings, I’d give it a go.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Alcohol, Animal death, Gore, Suicide, Pedophilia, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
Minor: Incest, Torture, Excrement, Misogyny, War, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism