Scan barcode
A review by ghoulnextdoor
Coming to My Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure, and an Unlikely Bride by Alyssa Harad
4.0
I was recently explaining to my book club friend that Coming To My Senses is a book that Past-Me wishes I’d read fifteen years ago when I first found myself fascinated with fragrance, when my obsession was in its heady, beginning stages. Reading it now, in 2019, Present-Me wishes that I had written, myself. But one of the issues that I had with the book is also the reason I would have probably never written the book.
Alyssa Harad comes from a background of academia, and when she discovers and becomes obsessed with the world of fragrance and perfume blogs, I think she initially over-intellectualizes it all a bit (and I believe she’s aware of this in her recounting of the experience) and so her beginner’s love for scented treasures is squirrelly and almost secretive and fraught with feelings of indulging in frivolous nonsense. As someone who took a decade to get their Associate’s degree, and who revels in frivolity, I couldn’t quite relate. But also I don’t have that scholarly drive to dive deep into my passions and find out everything there is to know about the thing I’m interested in, so I’m pretty sure that this book never would have been written on my watch! I bristle and get a bit prickly when I know I am reading something written by someone whose education far exceeds my own, and it’s a struggle to tamp that down and find enjoyment while I also find myself feeling insecure. So I guess when I mention above that I have an issue with the book, it’s really an issue with myself.
Wow. All of this to say… I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Following Alyssa’s perfumed journey from sample orders to private museums to fragrant showrooms re-kindled my own love for perfume, which has waxed and waned over the years– and much to my surprise, I was especially interested in how fragrance figured into her wedding plans. I say “much to my surprise” because I don’t think of myself as someone who cares very much for, or about weddings. I don’t think I’ll ever be married, myself. But I have a keen interest in people’s lives (one might even say I am nosy) especially as it relates to a life lived differently than my own. So while, no, I probably don’t want to attend your wedding, I am very much interested in all of the details that go into it! Its sort of like, “seeing how the other half lives,” if that makes any sense.
Harad’s writing is witty and warm and brims with the loveliest turns of phrase–even when she’s not describing perfume– and aside from my own hang-ups, this was a charming book. I came away from it thinking that I’d love to grab tea with the author, swap favorite fragrances, and compare our perfumed paths.
Alyssa Harad comes from a background of academia, and when she discovers and becomes obsessed with the world of fragrance and perfume blogs, I think she initially over-intellectualizes it all a bit (and I believe she’s aware of this in her recounting of the experience) and so her beginner’s love for scented treasures is squirrelly and almost secretive and fraught with feelings of indulging in frivolous nonsense. As someone who took a decade to get their Associate’s degree, and who revels in frivolity, I couldn’t quite relate. But also I don’t have that scholarly drive to dive deep into my passions and find out everything there is to know about the thing I’m interested in, so I’m pretty sure that this book never would have been written on my watch! I bristle and get a bit prickly when I know I am reading something written by someone whose education far exceeds my own, and it’s a struggle to tamp that down and find enjoyment while I also find myself feeling insecure. So I guess when I mention above that I have an issue with the book, it’s really an issue with myself.
Wow. All of this to say… I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Following Alyssa’s perfumed journey from sample orders to private museums to fragrant showrooms re-kindled my own love for perfume, which has waxed and waned over the years– and much to my surprise, I was especially interested in how fragrance figured into her wedding plans. I say “much to my surprise” because I don’t think of myself as someone who cares very much for, or about weddings. I don’t think I’ll ever be married, myself. But I have a keen interest in people’s lives (one might even say I am nosy) especially as it relates to a life lived differently than my own. So while, no, I probably don’t want to attend your wedding, I am very much interested in all of the details that go into it! Its sort of like, “seeing how the other half lives,” if that makes any sense.
Harad’s writing is witty and warm and brims with the loveliest turns of phrase–even when she’s not describing perfume– and aside from my own hang-ups, this was a charming book. I came away from it thinking that I’d love to grab tea with the author, swap favorite fragrances, and compare our perfumed paths.