Survivor, genius, perfumer, killer: this is Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. He is abandoned on the filthy streets of Paris as a child, but grows up to discover he has an extraordinary gift: a sense of smell more powerful than any other human's. Soon, he is creating the most sublime fragrances in all the city. Yet there is one odor he cannot capture. It is exquisite, magical: the scent of a young virgin. And to get it he must kill. And kill. And kill.
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About the Author
Patrick Suskind was born near Munich, in 1949. He studied medieval and modern history at the University of Munich. His first play, The Double Bass, was written in 1980 and became an international success. His first novel, Perfume became an internationally acclaimed bestseller. He is also the author of The Pigeon and Mr. Summer's Story, and a coauthor of the enormously successful German television series Kir Royal. Patrick Suskind lives and writes in Munich.
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First Sentence
In eighteenth-century France there lived a man who was one of the most gifted and abominable personages in an era that knew no lack of gifted and abominable personages. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
In eighteenth-century France there lived a man who was one of the most gifted and abominable personages in an era that knew no lack of gifted and abominable personages. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I came to this book expecting to find crime novel, or a thriller, about a serial killer. Instead I found a beautifully written and deeply researched novel about a young Frenchman with an unusual sense of smell and a unique gift for the art of the perfumier. In fact, the murders of young girls, so emphasised in the film, take second place to the marvellous descriptions of how perfume is made, and the way in which Grenouille gradually infiltrates the profession, becoming a master perfumier due to his prodigious gifts.
The story starts in 18th century Paris, and Suskind treats us to a vivid word picture of the terrible conditions its poorer residents had to live in, and the vast range of vile aromas surrounding them (and emanating from them!). We read of Grenouille rise from foundling to journeyman, and his obsession with creating the ultimate perfume - the very essence of a young virgin (OK, so there are murders in this book after all).
Grenouille eventually has to flee south, and resides for a period in a cave in the volcanic region of the Auvergne, eventually emerging to resume his career in the centre of the perfume trade in the South of France. Here he makes a huge impact on the people he lives among due to his fantastic gifts, and towards the end of the novel, he commits further murders in pursuit of "essence of virgin". The novel takes a final departure from reality at this stage, as the townsfolk who have assembled to see the perpertrator executed (in a vilely imaginative way), are overcome with a perfume which drives them into a long-lasting sensual orgy.
This is a book for those who can revel in word-pictures and can let their imagination take-off under the spell of this excellent author. They will find they can hardly put the book down, while those of a more literal and logical turn of mind may find it just too unbelievable and perhaps a little too wordy.
The story starts in 18th century Paris, and Suskind treats us to a vivid word picture of the terrible conditions its poorer residents had to live in, and the vast range of vile aromas surrounding them (and emanating from them!). We read of Grenouille rise from foundling to journeyman, and his obsession with creating the ultimate perfume - the very essence of a young virgin (OK, so there are murders in this book after all).
Grenouille eventually has to flee south, and resides for a period in a cave in the volcanic region of the Auvergne, eventually emerging to resume his career in the centre of the perfume trade in the South of France. Here he makes a huge impact on the people he lives among due to his fantastic gifts, and towards the end of the novel, he commits further murders in pursuit of "essence of virgin". The novel takes a final departure from reality at this stage, as the townsfolk who have assembled to see the perpertrator executed (in a vilely imaginative way), are overcome with a perfume which drives them into a long-lasting sensual orgy.
This is a book for those who can revel in word-pictures and can let their imagination take-off under the spell of this excellent author. They will find they can hardly put the book down, while those of a more literal and logical turn of mind may find it just too unbelievable and perhaps a little too wordy.
55 of 57 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Poor Grenouille! Born in 18th century Paris on one of the hottest days in summer, amid a stinking pile of fish guts. Not a great start to life but it gets worse...he has no personal odour to speak of and as such, people don't seem to like him, though they can't say why. Grenouille is special however, he has one of the finest 'noses' in Paris, able to distinguish and isolate odours like no other. His talent therefore, is considered quite valuable, particularly in the perfume business. But it is not perfume that Grenouille wants to create, rather, it is a special kind of scent that will make people feel attracted to him. In order to create this special scent he must extract the odours from a special kind of woman and the only way to do that is to kill them. This is a fascinatingly sick tale with a sad and haunting ending you will remember for a long time to come.
One of the things that I found so fascinating about this book was Susskind's in-depth knowledge of the olfactory senses; the way people, places and objects have certain kinds of odours which can be stored in the memory and recalled at a later date. His descriptions were so well written and convincing that I could almost smell them. Susskind's style of writing and use of language, brings to life the decadence and stench which must of existed in 18th century Paris, giving the reader and insight into the realities of the era.
I cannot say that this novel is unputdownable as I had to put it down many times in order to absorb much of what I had read, and also to bring me back up for some fresh air. This would have to be one of the most bizarre books that I have ever read but I am so glad that I did read it because it now belongs to my collection of favourites. The sheer brilliance of Perfume places it in a genre of its own.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I was astonished at some of the negative reviews on here. Yes, the central character is repulsive, and most of the people he interacts with are not much better, but it's not a book that looks for empathy.
This is a complex psychological analysis that balances Grenouille's obsessive attention to scientific detail, and his warped perception of meaning, with the narrative of a grim fairy-tale that slowly unravels the extent of his depravity and amorality.
It may not be a mainstream classic, and claiming that it is may make it seem over-rated, but the style and brutal pointedness of the writing make it a very special book in its own right.
Probably not for those readers who can't tell the difference between author and narrator, however.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very bizarre novel with good prose but odd plot
I've been having a problem with the number of books I've read thus far this year. Not only am I much busier now but the books that I am reading are books that I have possessed for... Read more
Published 2 days ago by R. A. Davison
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very unusual story
I thought this book would be unusual, and I was not disappointed. If you are interested in perfume, but like a twist, buy this book.
Published 4 days ago by Brenda
4.0 out of 5 stars
really good
I loved it. The author has been able to conceive a character who makes normality of his madness. There are peaks of incredible originality only conceivable by an extraordinary... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Alina
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!
There is a fine line between insane and brilliant, and this book is brilliant, with an insane twist. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Liliana
3.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING
a very good book and very interesting. i would really suggest it for a read which is a bit weird
Published 2 months ago by chris baker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic debut
Extraordinary characters make for extraordinary stories, yet Suskind created Grenouille, a less than ordinary amoral son of a fish monger with no redeeming features and only one... Read more
Published 2 months ago by David Kehoe author of The Gospel Truth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfume
This book is fantastic! It's set in 18th century Paris and narrates the story of a killer who kills beautiful young virgins for their scent with which he makes perfumes that... Read more
Published 4 months ago by N. L. Ellam
3.0 out of 5 stars
Heady but not robust
For the first 100 pages, this book had me gripped. Set in 18th-century, pre-Revolutionary (by some decades) Paris, it magnificently captures the smells and squalidness of that... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. C. Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb book!
I have watched the DVD version of this story several times, and, just like the book, it's excellent, a true classic.
Published 4 months ago by Miss F P Blake
4.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe I shouldn't have watched the movie first . . .
I'm not sure if it was because I'd watched the film first, I lost the concentration on reading the book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Serena Liu
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