In Montpellier, 1748: Jean-Louis Fargeon is born into a family of perfumers and soon becomes apprenticed to his father's modest perfumerie. But he dreams of the glittering court of Versailles and of becoming perfumer to the young queen, Marie Antoinette. His ambition carried him to Paris where his boutique became one of the most elegant and wellpatronised in France. Concocting sumptuous perfumes and pomades for most of the French nobility, Fargeon eventually caught the attention of the queen. After meeting Marie Antoinette in the Trianon Palace, he began creating lavish bespoke scents that perfectly reflected her moods and personality. He served as her personal and exclusive perfumer for fourteen years until 1789 when the darkness of Revolution swept across France, its wrath aimed at the extravagance of a now hated queen. Fargeon, a lifelong supporter of the Republican cause, but a purveyor to the court, was in a dangerous position. Yet, he remained fiercely loyal to Marie Antoinette, beyond her desperate flight to Varennes, her execution and even through his own imprisonment and trial...
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Review
`Rhapsodic and piquant...full of information'
-- THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS
a `novelistic' biography on a fascinating woman.
-- The Times Mag, 5 August 2006
-- THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS
a `novelistic' biography on a fascinating woman.
-- The Times Mag, 5 August 2006
About the Author
Elisabeth de Feydeau studied the history of perfume at the Sorbonne. She is a professor of the Versailles School of Perfumers and cultural adviser to France's great perfume houses such as Thierry Mugler. She was awarded the Prix Guerlain for this book.
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First Sentence
Under the blinding sun, the streets and alleyways of Montpellier smell of citron and bergamot orange. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Under the blinding sun, the streets and alleyways of Montpellier smell of citron and bergamot orange. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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3.6 out of 5 stars
8 reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Scented Palace by DeFeydeau
28 Jun 2007
By Book Reader
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book, with amazing research and insights that I have seen nowhere else in books about this period. You get such a feel for what is going on that it is like you are part of the "in-crowd" of the day. You also get a feel of what the people were like at a time when there was no indoor plumbing or sanitation and smells had to be disguised (like the animal parts that were thrown on the lawn from the kitchen). Plus it is easy to read and Ms. De Feydeau doesn't try to analyze anyone like most writers of this period do, she just puts down the where and when and what happened in a pleasant writing style. Nice....
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heady romance and secret formulae
9 Aug 2007
By Esmerelda Jones
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Intelligent, clear and elegant, A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette's Perfumer is a gorgeous book awash with floral seduction and midsummer delights. The author, Elisabeth de Feydeau, holds a Phd in the history of perfume and is a professor of the Versailles School of Perfumers. She received the Prix Guerlain for this work.
Adoring fans of Marie Antoinette will sip the sweet intimacy in tidbits such as: "The nobility wore only the most refined perfumes; there were marquises in a cloud of amber, young dandies smelling of cyprus, magistrates wearing enough musk to pass for weasels. Moralists denounced this riot of scents, but those who coveted the perfumes, make-up, unguents and powder scarcely paid them any attention." A glorious read, that page by page, releases every note of perfume.
Adoring fans of Marie Antoinette will sip the sweet intimacy in tidbits such as: "The nobility wore only the most refined perfumes; there were marquises in a cloud of amber, young dandies smelling of cyprus, magistrates wearing enough musk to pass for weasels. Moralists denounced this riot of scents, but those who coveted the perfumes, make-up, unguents and powder scarcely paid them any attention." A glorious read, that page by page, releases every note of perfume.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting perpective of the French Revolution
11 Jan 2007
By book worm
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book provides a very interesting perspective of the French Revolution from someone close to Marie Antoinette. I truly enjoyed reading it. The only disappointment is that the 'recipes' aren't truly recipes but a description of how some of the essential oils were garnered.
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3.6 out of 5 stars
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