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A very, very fun non-fiction book, which is saying something for me, a person who typically finds non-fiction books boring after 100 pages.

Burr has a great voice and style (though flowery at times), and kept me entertained through his final pages. I should say I know nothing at all about perfumery and fragrances, so most of this book served as news to me. Understanding how much the fragrance industry is worth worldwide, the cultural differences between France and the United States regarding smells, how a celebrity scent comes to fruition, the molecular, scientific details of it all — just so, so interesting.

Also, I love criticism in all forms, so seeing the ways in which (ex NYT scent critic) Burr could punch up at a major brand, like, say, Kenneth Cole ("wildly popular with middle- and lower-clsss straight guys who think they are buying the olfactory equivalent of a pair of Kenneth Cole shoe but wind up smelling like fluorocarbons") or Hugo Boss ("a fluorescent-lot polyurethane signature that is as clear as it is repellent"; he later describes one of their scents a "grout cleaner") was novel for me as someone who never critically ponders smells.

Yes, there are some points of the book I thought were less journalism and more press-forward/ shrouded in flattery, but I still loved the depth and insight brought to an otherwise invisible industry for me.

I found this interesting and really well-written. Engaging, too.

I loved the alternating chapters between the creation of the Sarah Jessica Parker perfume and the Hermes perfume. The way they mirrored or opposed was really masterfully done.

The author has a knack for good storytelling - a great journalist.

I would happily listen to this again and probably will seek out more by him!
informative

This was an incredible read

I love finding books that are enjoyable to read and give you more insight into a particular topic than 99% of the population has, like SFAH does for cooking, and this really does it for the perfume industry …. and honestly, at times, for perfume in general. It’s juicy. I learned so much about French culture as well. 

Full of information about the fashion industry, French culture, the history of fragrance, naturals vs synthetics, the juicy problems with the perfume industry and related industries, how designer houses profit, key players from the scene— it’s really a good chunk of information and it’s enjoyable. 

I was laughing aloud at this guy’s multi-page dedication to roasting Hugo Boss scents. I actually want to go find it and reshare the entire thing, but I’ll put this quote here. 

“I know someone who believes that Hugo Boss scents constitute proof that God does not exist.” 
-Chandler Burr
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I love learning about industries that are so ubiquitous and giant but I really had no idea about. Or that there was even a fragrance writer at The NY Times!

I skipped the parts that had anything to do with Hermes. I devoured all of the parts that had anything to do with Sarah Jessica Parker making Lovely.
funny informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

FUNNY at parts, scientific view of art at others. Very enjoyable esp after traveling to both paris and nyc. Makes you want to buy perfumes (dangerous).
Jean-Claude knows how to talk about perfume, and the press is desperate for that. And I’m sorry if other perfumers are jealous, it’s because very few perfumers can talk about perfume.” (mocking) ‘I put jasmine in rose.’ “Well, okay. So what the Fuck does that mean?? Nothing. And someone comes and explains it and suddenly he’s a media whore??? Puh leaseee. 
Perfumers are deeply strange people simply because their sensorial perception of the world is so highly trained. The educated olfactory capacity makes spending time with them not unlike spending time with talking labradors.
Say the word formula to a few of the more paranoid ones and they react like chickens on speed. 
 

Very very good. Important to read because of Burr's very correct on stuff like "all natural" being either 1. complete lies or 2. pointless.

I'm definitely going to read the other Burr book. He seems to know what he's talking about.