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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
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
amemir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Stalking, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Classism, Gaslighting, Death, Child death, Bullying, Alcohol, and Addiction
Moderate: Abandonment, Xenophobia, and Ableism
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
maess'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: Excrement, Murder, Violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, and Torture
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
bleu's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Torture, Murder, Cannibalism, and Gore
Moderate: Blood and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Stalking, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Misogyny