A review by kathyg663
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Süskind
4.0
um, what! I just finished this book right now and OH MY GOD! THE ENDING!
This book is unlike any other novel I have read before. It's gross, stinky, sweaty, bloody, dirty, messy, reflective, and the writing is one of the most beautiful and detailed I have read. I don't think I will ever think of scent and smell the same way again. The way that Suskind writes about scent, it's incredible and really immerses you into the world of Grenouille.
Right off the bat, I was immediately hooked by the plot, characters, and descriptions. As I read, a big portion of the middle didn't hit the mark for me. I found myself getting bored with the plot, and some things felt repetitive to me. But closer and closer to the end, I got more and more interested in the development of the theme. I absolutely love the themes discussed. One being, the power of scent, and how its power controlled and completely changed, or better said "destroyed", the morality of all those affected by Grenouille.
Throughout the book, I was considering anywhere from 2 to 5 stars, it fluctuated a lot depending on what part of the book I was at. Ultimately, the gorgeous writing and incredible themes and plot ideas made me decide on 4 stars. I would love to reread this, as I think I could get even more out of it.
This book is unlike any other novel I have read before. It's gross, stinky, sweaty, bloody, dirty, messy, reflective, and the writing is one of the most beautiful and detailed I have read. I don't think I will ever think of scent and smell the same way again. The way that Suskind writes about scent, it's incredible and really immerses you into the world of Grenouille.
Right off the bat, I was immediately hooked by the plot, characters, and descriptions. As I read, a big portion of the middle didn't hit the mark for me. I found myself getting bored with the plot, and some things felt repetitive to me. But closer and closer to the end, I got more and more interested in the development of the theme. I absolutely love the themes discussed. One being, the power of scent, and how its power controlled and completely changed, or better said "destroyed", the morality of all those affected by Grenouille.
Throughout the book, I was considering anywhere from 2 to 5 stars, it fluctuated a lot depending on what part of the book I was at. Ultimately, the gorgeous writing and incredible themes and plot ideas made me decide on 4 stars. I would love to reread this, as I think I could get even more out of it.