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harleycringe 's review for:
Le Parfum
by Patrick Süskind
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a very fascinating book, as we spend time with a character that is rotten to the core. The tension really builds up throughout the book, starting slowly then progressively increasing in intensity. There's also a sort of fantastic aura coming from the book, mainly shown by the fact that the main character has no smell in a book revolving around smell, how his perfumes are made to provoke different reactions from people, being his main tool to manipulate them, and the way almost every person that ended up spending time with him ends up either dead or broken after he leaves, as if he's carrying a curse .
On the more negative side, as a french reader, having a character named Jean Baptiste Grenouille is so on the nose ; for those who don't know, Grenouille means frog, and Jean Baptiste is like a very french name ; it's like having an american character named Kevin-Chuck McDonalds or something. I know the author isn't french, but he did so many research on how to make perfumes, I'm sure he could've done a little research on french names.
Another thing that makes me not give this book 5 stars is that you don't feel good reading it. It is intended by the author, but that doesn't make it pleasant nonetheless - you feel dirty reading this, and it's a little exhausting following a character so unlikable. Also, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed.
On the more negative side, as a french reader, having a character named Jean Baptiste Grenouille is so on the nose ; for those who don't know, Grenouille means frog, and Jean Baptiste is like a very french name ; it's like having an american character named Kevin-Chuck McDonalds or something. I know the author isn't french, but he did so many research on how to make perfumes, I'm sure he could've done a little research on french names.
Another thing that makes me not give this book 5 stars is that you don't feel good reading it. It is intended by the author, but that doesn't make it pleasant nonetheless - you feel dirty reading this, and it's a little exhausting following a character so unlikable. Also, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed.