liv_jones's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- 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
I read this book years ago for school and it has stuck with me ever since, and after rereading it it is still one of the most interesting, skin-crawling (in a good way) books I have ever read. We follow the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, who is born with a superhuman sense of smell but no scent of his own. Grenouille is such an interesting central character in that the narrator has absolutely no sympathy for him; while the reader might at least feel a little bad for the way he is treated as a child, the narrator constantly and from the very beginning handles him with distain, calling him an “abomination” and a parasitical pest. The book is a fascinating extended character study of a person with no sense of right or wrong and a lot of hatred for his fellow man.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
elleccc's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautiful writing with an intriguing plot. You will find yourself in conflict with your morality. Perhaps, in the end you’ll be able to answer the important questions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Misogyny
Make sure to check out the trigger warnings!ok7a's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Incest, and Sexual content
savvylit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Perfume is a beautifully written and enthralling sensual rollercoaster. Süskind masterfully evokes an entire range of both perceptible and imperceptible scents. Many of the lengthy descriptions of 'bad' smells (i.e. people's body odor or the rotten stench of death) are so vivid that they are truly stomach-curdling. At the same time, some of the passages where Grenouille experiences delicate floral scents are so delightful that they made me want to roll around in a wildflower meadow.
Despite the evocative and sensual writing, the story itself was ultimately underwhelming. Being subtitled "The Story of a Murderer" seemed to imply some suspense. However, the plot was predictable more often than not. Grenouille's cave era was the only part of Perfume that truly surprised at every turn. Sadly, the cave era was a short-lived segment of the novel.
Overall, Perfume is a classic horror story that would fit happily on the shelves alongside titles such as Dracula or Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. However, this horror story ultimately was not to my taste. The incredible misogyny - which does fit the monstrous characterization of Grenouille - was something that I personally found incredibly grating. At this point in my life, I am tired of reading "classics" in any genre that are so deeply steeped in hatred for women.
Despite the evocative and sensual writing, the story itself was ultimately underwhelming. Being subtitled "The Story of a Murderer" seemed to imply some suspense. However, the plot was predictable more often than not. Grenouille's cave era was the only part of Perfume that truly surprised at every turn. Sadly, the cave era was a short-lived segment of the novel.
Overall, Perfume is a classic horror story that would fit happily on the shelves alongside titles such as Dracula or Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. However, this horror story ultimately was not to my taste. The incredible misogyny - which does fit the monstrous characterization of Grenouille - was something that I personally found incredibly grating. At this point in my life, I am tired of reading "classics" in any genre that are so deeply steeped in hatred for women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Death, Murder, Misogyny, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Pregnancy
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (French for frog) is born in eighteenth-century France, & immediately abandoned to die. His mother is arrested & executed, & Jean-Baptiste farmed out to various wet-nurses who all accuse him of being greedy & unnaturally without odor. Finally sent to an orphanage run by a woman with no sense of smell, Grenouille grows up to become a tanner's apprentice.
He seems hardworking & humble, with a keen sense of smell & a talent for survival, but he is scheming beneath the façade & eventually becomes apprentice to a parfumier. There his talent for recognising & combining scents put his master on the road to riches, but Grenouille is looking for the perfect scent. He finds it one day in the form of a young girl whom he murders, & this is just the start of his killings.
If there was one word to sum up this book it would be "creepy". Everything about it is just off. To me, there seemed something profoundly misogynistic about it. Some of the older women were referred to in less than complimentary terms whilst the young virgin girls were described in extremely sexualised terms (such as when a father laments that he is his daughter's father & not a stranger who could sleep with her as she is so beautiful?!!), & as smelling different to those who were no longer virginal. There was no such comparison for men.
Then there's the spontaneous orgy at an execution (I'm not even kidding), & the ending is just ridiculous. It's a book ticked off the 'To Read' list but I can't recommend it & I definitely wouldn't re-read it.
TW: cannibalism, murder, animal cruelty/death, misogyny, paedophila, stalking.
He seems hardworking & humble, with a keen sense of smell & a talent for survival, but he is scheming beneath the façade & eventually becomes apprentice to a parfumier. There his talent for recognising & combining scents put his master on the road to riches, but Grenouille is looking for the perfect scent. He finds it one day in the form of a young girl whom he murders, & this is just the start of his killings.
If there was one word to sum up this book it would be "creepy". Everything about it is just off. To me, there seemed something profoundly misogynistic about it. Some of the older women were referred to in less than complimentary terms whilst the young virgin girls were described in extremely sexualised terms (such as when a father laments that he is his daughter's father & not a stranger who could sleep with her as she is so beautiful?!!), & as smelling different to those who were no longer virginal. There was no such comparison for men.
Then there's the spontaneous orgy at an execution (I'm not even kidding), & the ending is just ridiculous. It's a book ticked off the 'To Read' list but I can't recommend it & I definitely wouldn't re-read it.
TW: cannibalism, murder, animal cruelty/death, misogyny, paedophila, stalking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Stalking
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
sofipitch's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I liked how sensual the book was, and I'm a fan of the magical realism genre so I do like that story telling style. But there was also a lot I didn't like about the book. I almost put it down after first picking it up because I felt like the way Grenouille was written was ableist. He isn't explicitly disabled but some of the things intended to make him scary just feel like describing an autistic person. But I gave this book the benefit of the doubt but then encountered casual racism, in the use of the word "n-word-ly" used in the narrative, there's another racist section about the Romanian and jewish ppl, which might have been on purpose by the author to show how stupid the thinking in 1700s France was, but it's hard to tell and at this point the author is getting a LOT of benefit of the doubt. There's also the fact that no female character even talks, they mostly just serve to get murdered and aren't described unless to fetishize their beauty, which just rubbed me the wrong way. The pace of the book also made no sense, the climax and falling action just felt really anti-climactic and poorly thought out. A lot of the action and what's described in this book seems just for shock value rather than having any literary merit. I like the writing style and the setting but I think if that were taken away it's just meh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Cannibalism, and Stalking
Moderate: Excrement and Misogyny
Minor: Racial slurs and Antisemitism
jaiari12's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Animal death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Excrement and Misogyny
marcostorin98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- 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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Cannibalism, Violence, and Body horror
bugcollector's review
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Spoiler
I don't think i get it.
wanted to borrow it when i was a kid bc of nirvana, but didn't bc the cover had a naked ladyyy on it so when i heard about it again i figured that i might as well.
maybe the old translation to hebrew is at fault too, but the book was so slow paced and the smells gimic gets overused, over detailed, just over.
i mean we knew he was going to murder the gal from the begining nothing too shocking about any of it, so i guess you do get the premise , but it went on forever.
it also took me too long to finish it and i had to extand my lending time from the library.
i think I'm in my girly mc era and this boring male wasn't giving what needed to be gave :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Violence
mtt8's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, and Racial slurs