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guccishoestrings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The story begins the day he is born, his mother left him to die and wet nurses are scared to take him in because he emits no smell (meaning he is possessed by the devil). This also leads him to be a social outcast throughout his entire childhood and teenage life while also surviving a deadly illness that scares him making an even bigger outcast. He finds comfort in the scent of small to the point of needing it to be perfect to be able to live in peace. This leads to him eventually becoming an apprentice to a perfume maker and this leads him on the trail of creating the greatest smell to ever be smelt in the world.
This is a story about the obsession and pursuit of perfection at all costs and when achieving said perfection the outcome not being what is expected (if you have read Frankenstein, you know the theme I'm talking about). This leads to everything he had done being meaningless and thus is life being meaningless and at the end allows himself to die because he has no need/drive to live anymore.
This book was interesting but, it was written in the way of literary books in the 80s were written (book was published in 1985). This could lead to the book being boring in sections and really exciting in others. The story itself is great but, like I said, it could get really boring at times which is why it gets such a low score. I would recommend to anybody who likes books written in an old fashion style that like books like Frankenstein.
Graphic: Cannibalism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Animal death
Minor: Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, and Incest
butchybats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Stalking, Alcohol, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Torture, and Animal death
schmetterly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Murder, Addiction, Body horror, Torture, Abandonment, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Suicide
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, and War
sp00kyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
My fiancée showed the movie to me and I really liked it, so I decided to read the book. I loved the way Patrick Süskind describes smell. Every single scent he described was so vivid in my mind. I also loved the way he wrapped up the storylines and guided the reader through the different stages of Grenouilles life. It felt a little dragged on at times and it took me a really long time to read, but it was easy to read and the text flowed and I was interested the entire way through. The book was funny at times and thought provoking. The ending was crazy.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Torture, Gore, Physical abuse, and Death
Minor: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Physical abuse
thefriendlydragon's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
CWs: the n word and g word are used in the text!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Abandonment, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Mental illness, Stalking, Sexual content, Sexism, Racism, Cursing, Violence, Excrement, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Classism, Racial slurs, Cannibalism, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Gore
gabbynasty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Child death, Cannibalism, Physical abuse, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Gore, Incest, Murder, and Sexual violence
crustywhitedog's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Incest, Cannibalism, Pedophilia, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Infidelity, Torture, and War
ladynocturnal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Violence and Pedophilia
Minor: Incest, Sexism, and Torture
stephanieanneauthor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
But I think my favourite part is that it reads like a text from the 18th century. I've read a lot of Victorian literature for both school and for fun, so I'm very familiar with the writing style of the time. I had to double check that this book was actually written in the 1980s - you could've fooled me.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Abandonment, Xenophobia, Torture, and Suicide
Minor: Incest and War
lesemaus2303's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Abandonment, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Animal death, Cannibalism, Rape, Classism, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Pedophilia, Racism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Vomit