Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Parfymen

God, this was brilliant. I've fallen in utter Love with Süskind's writing style and, as I read, couldn't shake the feeling that it was written exactly to my taste. And what a ride it was! It's one of those I wish I could experience for the first time, again...

I struggled at first with describing this book and why I adore it so much. I'd seen it categorized as a horror novel on many occasions, and while the book certainly does have elements of horrific morbidity, I wouldn't call it a bonafide horror (especially when recommending it, because that title is misleading). It's also not really a fantasy either, nor a mystery, nor is it merely historical fiction.

Then it hit me. If this book is anything, it's a philosophical exploration of a strange young man's obsession with scent in pursuit of self; it's a character study.

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that character studies are my bread and butter, so I was bound to love this novel. If you go into Perfume expecting graphic depictions of murder from beginning to end, a cat-and-mouse chase to uncover and apprehend a murderer, or endless descriptions of a sick man's twisted thoughts, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, understand that this is about obsession, identity, desire, indulgence, morbid curiosity, humanity; but understand it's about all of these in small, understated doses.

Understand, above all, that it's about Jean-Baptiste Grenouille and scent. Only then can you begin to appreciate the lyrical genius taking place within these odd 260 pages.

This won't be for everyone; some will find it offputting or dull, and that's fair enough, but those whose taste is acquired to what Perfume has to offer will soak it up until they've had too much, and will still want more and more until they're sick with it. Read it, and discover precisely what that's like.

Content Warnings

sp00kyx's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

*Read in German.

My fiancée showed the movie to me and I really liked it, so I decided to read the book. I loved the way Patrick Süskind describes smell. Every single scent he described was so vivid in my mind. I also loved the way he wrapped up the storylines and guided the reader through the different stages of Grenouilles life. It felt a little dragged on at times and it took me a really long time to read, but it was easy to read and the text flowed and I was interested the entire way through. The book was funny at times and thought provoking. The ending was crazy.

Content Warnings

thefriendlydragon's review against another edition

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Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

The writing style is nice, though there is very little dialogue and that usually bothers me.
CWs: the n word and g word are used in the text!

Content Warnings

renorsomethin's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

wtf did i even read

Content Warnings

lesemaus2303's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

4.75

Content Warnings

asimpson7's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was so strange. I don’t really know what to think about it. It started off strange and I was confused as to where it was going and why but then it had a truly grim and odd ending. It was an interesting and entertaining read, however I was very confused by it all, and I am glad I do not have that sense of smell as it seemed a curse rather than a blessing.

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