A review by lydiavsbooks
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

dark 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

2.5

Its a difficult one to review, the concept was brilliant but unfortunately it just ended up being disappointing for me.

I do have to give it credit for its description of smells and the author's ability to create atmosphere just from scent. Reading it made me want to smell things, I actually bought a new perfume while reading this book because of this book and its immersive descriptions of scent and perfume. 

I don't like calling books boring but for this one there's no other word for it really. Its a short book, with an amazing concept full of murder: it should be gripping, but somehow it managed to drag. Scenes where things actually happened were rushed past, and chapters where the plot was lacking felt so dragged out unnecessarily. I just lost interest. I also get the impression the author isn't a big fan of women, but that could just be me reading into it. 

Its such a shame because the story had so much potential that it did not live up to. 
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