Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books I have ever read
Review: It has been a while since I read Perfume, but it one of those rare books that leave a lasting impression. The book is situated in 18th century France and describes the life of a murderer. The fascinating thing is that this Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is not an ordinary murderer (if they are ever ordinary) but that he murders to create the perfect perfume in order to overcome his handicap: he does not have a scent of his own, and to satisfy his overpowering sense of smell. What I found enormously fascinating is that the author is capable of taking a person with whom you cannot identify and then describe his desires in such a way that you actually come to understand (which is not the same as agree with) his actions.
Rating:
Summary: Change the English Title
Review: Perfume is one of the most interesting, trigerring and unusual books i have read in my life. It is a book that you read with the tip of your nose. Throughout the pages of the book i was able to smell the places Grenouille was going to, i felt i was there: just think of babies' heads that smell like warm bread.I read the book in French, and when i went to the US i recommended it to some of my friends. However i was shocked with the title of the english translation 'A story of a murderer' and worse, in the bookshop, it was put in the horror section! This is appalling... the book is everything but a story of murder! it is a story of passion, devotion and obsessive love.. it is one of the most passionate books i've read. Think of the last scene, isn't it pure basic Passion? my request is: 'Please change the english title in the coming editions! by respect of the genius of Suskind'
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping, yet still grasping for something finer
Review: Perfume, as a novel, flowed very nicely, and contained gripping descriptions and plot devices. Despite a somewhat strange start, the book easily begins to propel itself, and the reader will find themselves always trying to finish just one more chapter, one more, etc. However, while the novel is well crafted in that respect, it is lacking in two major areas. First of all, there is an unjustified power given to the olfactory senses. While the explanations are solid, you'll find yourself rolling your eyes from time to time at the absurdity, and abuse of the protaganists ability. Second of all, you may come out of this novel with a slight feeling of emptiness. While it does touch upon some ideas of human motivation and behavior, it doesn't flesh them out enough. I had great difficult extracting solid conceptual ideas from this piece of literature. Grade: 8/10
Rating:
Summary: Two, maybe three lines of dialogue?
Review: This is one of the most unsettling, delicious books ever written. Normally I would balk at so little dialogue (I never counted, but there really is very little), but this novel is so engrossing it needs no additional talking. The plot is hard to explain only because it is so simple. Read the first 10 pages or so, and see if you can put it down. My first read took about 3 days, tops.
Rating: 
Summary: Protagonist Wrongly Characterized
Review: Although I was not familiar with this novel, I found the title intriguing and the reviews encouraging, so I purchased and read it. While Perfume: The Story of a Murderer may be worth the short time it takes to read, it was not for me a spellbinding masterpiece. A caveat: my expectation was misplaced. I was thinking along the lines of The Alienest (by Caleb Carr) but I got something else. This is the story of a murderer, just as the title reads, and not about murder. This may sound like a subtle distinction, but it is not. All but two of Grenouille's murders and all but one of his victims are glossed over in a couple of pages. However, once I began reading the book, I put aside my expectations. While reading and when finished with this book, I appreciated its originality, its descriptive narrative, and its humor and irony. These positive aspects, though, do not overcome the essential flaw of the book: the author's characterization of the protagonist, Grenouille. I actually felt anger toward the author the more I read the book. I was angry because of the way he treated his main character. Suskind establishes an early characterization of Grenouille as evil and immoral when the only crime Grenouille has committed is frightening people because he is different. Evil implies having intent to harm, which Grenouille is incapable of having. Grenouille is not immoral; he is amoral. The people with whom Grenouille comes into contact often are evil because of their intent to harm him or take advantage of him. While the results of Grenouille's actions are despicable, he is not. Then toward the end of the book, Suskind has Grenouille accomplish the one murder that I did not want him to carry out. As a reader my emotions are toyed with. I progress from feeling sympathy toward the main character to feeling disgust, then to nothing with the ridiculous conclusion. Perhaps this is what the author intended. If so, he's written a great novel. My gut reaction after reading this book is that he has not.
Rating:
Summary: Tout simplement sensationnel!
Review: Oui! Enfin un livre qui se tient, qui ne tombe pas en mille morceaux après quelques pages, qui garde toujours cette solidité hors pair! La rhétorique nous fait chavirer, chaque page est meilleure que la précédente, et nous embarquons dans le récit avec une joie des plus féroces. Quiconque critique négativement cet ouvrage avec véhémence devra me confronter très personnellement parce que j'insiste, il n'y a pas meilleur livre que celui-ci. De tous ceux que j'ai lus, et de tous ceux que j'aurai l'occasion de lire, il ne fait pas l'ombre d'un doute que je place "Parfum" sur un piédestal. L'auteur parvient à littéralement nous faire humer chaque odeur de Paris, chaque petit recoin de puanteur qu'il arrive si bien à décrire. Je constante que je suis très infortuné de ne pas parler couramment la langue allemande, mais je souhaiterais pouvoir le faire afin de lire cette oeuvre dans sa version originale. La remarquable intelligence, le flair - c'est le cas de le dire - de l'auteur, serait sans doute exponentiellement multipliée dans sa version originale et alors que de miracles auxquels nous pourrions assister! Ah, les Allemands sont les plus chanceux du monde, de pouvoir avoir ce livre en leur possession! "Parfum" me donne assez de plaisir pour oublier les six millions de Juifs qui ont été horriblement massacrés par un Allemand durant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, et me concentrer uniquement sur l'essence de cet ouvrage. Il est remarquablement bien construit, c'est un chef d'oeuvre parce qu'il coule comme un ruisseau paisible, tout en nous laissant continuellement en haleine et en nous faisant savourer chaque moment qui passe. Pas un passage n'est ennuyeux, pas un seul passage fastidieux dans le récit. Depuis les sept ans d'ermitage de Grenouille, jusqu'à la création du parfum ultimement parfait... rien ne manque, et je suis laissé sans mot devant la foudroyante perfection de l'auteur.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of time!
Review: Not so good as people say. Not at all. Very dissapointing...
Rating:
Summary: Magic Translator
Review: One of the best books I've ever read. I could feel the smell, odours and perfumes of one whole century. Only a true artist can do what P. Suskind did with the art of words. He is the master in the world of syllables in the same way his main character is the master in the world of perfumes. But, there is a difference -our writer has a soul, and together with soul he's got a nice sense for irony. I'm eager to see the film, that will be, I hope, made in near future. While reading this book I was convinced in the possibility of translating the smell into words (P. Suskind is a magic translator, I should say), now I'm waiting to see how will the smell be translated into pictures. I ask myself who that artist will be! I have some other questions to ask: What do you think, were French perfumes made as a consequence of horrible smells that long reigned in all Europe? Does human soul smell? In other words, no smell-no soul? Is syphilis the cause of being sometimes genious, of course before your brain becomes rotten? (I found that idea in a SF novell "Concentration Camp")
Rating: 
Summary: Well.... not so terribly remarkable...
Review: Convinced by glowing reviews I bought and read this book. I agree that it's well written, and the author describes the 18th century French countryside provocatively, but the story and the characters in it are portrayed with little depth or feeling. Granted, it's a challenging exercise to fully craft a book whose entire premise is based on the power of scent. Unfortunately, that's all I came away with. If you're really interested, go to the library.
Rating:
Summary: One of a Kind
Review: Sometimes, when you finish the last page of a book you suddenly realize that you'll never find another book quite like it. I had that same experience with Lord of the Flies. My only consolation is that I can read it again and again.
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