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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Stopped at the part where he murdered the girl and sniffed her body…big nope, cannot get past that
Un viaje maravilloso el que me ha regalado este libro. Sinceramente maravilloso.
Más allá de que invita a la reflexión en todo momento si se lee con esa intención, la forma de presentar cada personaje con su arco completo y conciso, por secundario que sea, me parece brillante.
Me deja con muy buen sabor.
Más allá de que invita a la reflexión en todo momento si se lee con esa intención, la forma de presentar cada personaje con su arco completo y conciso, por secundario que sea, me parece brillante.
Me deja con muy buen sabor.
dark
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a feeling this would be a heady, pungent, fever dream of a novel—and in many ways, it is.
The book begins strongly. The world-building is vivid and evocative, and Grenouille’s early story is compelling. Süskind has an undeniable gift for atmosphere, and the initial chapters pulled me in with their dark, sensorial allure.
However, I gradually found myself losing interest. The descriptive writing, though impressive, often veers into the excessive. There are passages that feel more like indulgent detours than necessary elements of the story. While the level of detail might appeal to readers especially interested in the history and art of perfumery, I personally found it overwhelming and, at times, tedious. There were entire sections I could have done without, and it wouldn’t have affected the core narrative.
This is not a fast-paced thriller, despite what the title might suggest. The plot takes its time—perhaps too much time—to unfold. If you’re hoping for a murder mystery that leaps into action, this isn’t that kind of book. That said, Süskind clearly put significant research into this work, particularly regarding scent composition and historical detail, and that effort deserves recognition.
By Chapter 40, my interest picked up again, and the story gained some momentum. Perhaps it’s best described as a literary slowburn—though not one that fully paid off for me.
Overall, Perfume is a unique novel with a distinctive voice and vision. It’s undeniably well-crafted, but also quite polarizing. For some, it will be a richly layered, intoxicating experience. For others—including myself—it may feel like a long, meandering journey with too few rewards. An acquired taste, certainly. Just not one that suited mine.
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What in the world did I just read ?? That was so awesome and horrible at the same time.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Abandonment
This book was recommended to me a long time ago by a relative, but I had not gotten around to reading. I started watching a miniseries on Netflix which had been attributed to this book. I wanted to make more sense of the program so I checked the audio of this book through Scribd. I found that the book has very little to do with the miniseries except for the title and the relationship of scents to a killer. The story is very weird and the author displays quite a vivid imagination. I read the English translation, which was quite decent - I don’t know how it is in its original language. Keep an open mind while reading. I found the end to be a surprise.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
By far the weirdest book I’ve ever read. Suffice to say I thoroughly enjoyed it!