Scan barcode
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
ohdeerboi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child death, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Excrement, Pregnancy, Rape, War, and Death of parent
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
nils_0'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Incest, Miscarriage, Suicide, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Body horror, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, and Grief
Minor: War
lindevlh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Abortion, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and War
withlivjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The description throughout the novel is almost nauseatingly vivid, with each character we come across thoroughly examined not only in terms of their scent but also in terms of their character, with their flaws brought to the foreground. Every character and setting is primarily described olfactorily as this is the way Grenouille perceives the world, and by focusing on smell over the other more common senses, it is as if one were to look at the world through an entirely different lens. Süskind even laments about the difficulty of describing scents in words, which is comically meta.
In particular, I love the use of foreshadowing laced throughout the novel, and spotting the clues pointing towards certain characters’ demises make this book a great reread. Furthermore, the biblical imagery is also a fantastic addition to the vivid descriptions throughout, and this is especially clear during Grenouille’s dream sequence - one of the most entertaining parts of the novel for me.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book to everyone due to some of the topics it deals with being sensitive and/or pretty gross, and I find that much like Marmite people either love it or hate it. But if you’re looking for a book that will stay with you for years and you’re okay with the content warnings, I’d give it a go.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Alcohol, Animal death, Gore, Suicide, Pedophilia, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
Minor: Incest, Torture, Excrement, Misogyny, War, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
mauricem00ny'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
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, and Pedophilia
Minor: War
torismazarine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Pedophilia, Cannibalism, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Excrement, War, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
ricochets'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: Murder, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion, War, Child abuse, and Death of parent
laurapeirs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Cannibalism, Murder, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Body horror
Minor: Incest, War, Torture, Stalking, Sexual violence, Gore, Child death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Pedophilia