There are some books which can be called unique. They may be good, bad or indifferent: but their authors strike out from the trodden paths of narrative themes and structure to explore totally new vistas, so that the product becomes unique. Perfume by Patrick Suskind is such a book.

Jean Baptiste Grenouille is "an abominable and gifted personage, in an era which was not lacking in abominable and gifted personages". Born a bastard in the stinking heart of the city of Paris in the eighteenth century under a gutting table, the first cry he utters sends his mother to the scaffold for abandoning an infant. Grenouille grows up by sucking many wet nurses dry, survives the horrendous childhood of an orphan in an age without mercy, and grows up to become a successful perfumer. For this is his unique gift: the child who does not emit any smell himself is blessed with extraordinary olfactory capabilities, which allows him to recognise, separate and catalogue in his mind all the different odours he comes into contact with.

But simple identification is not enough for Jean. He is driven by the insatiable urge to possess any smell he likes for himself; he will move heaven and earth to extract it from its origin, make a perfume out of it and keep it with him. He is not bothered that the object which originates the smell will be destroyed in the process of extraction: he is a "smell-vampire". And like a vampire, it is the smell of virgins which drives him wild. Ultimately, Grenouille's gift and single-minded obsession proves to be the cause of both his uplift and undoing...

Suskind has written a gripping novel which will hook and pull the reader in from the first sentence onwards. However, this is not a simple horror story or thriller: it has got layers of meaning hidden beneath one another which will come out on careful reading.

Jean Baptiste Grenouille is a masterly creation. His insatiable thirst for smells makes him a truly terrifying "collector": one who cannot enjoy his passion the normal way, but must possess the object of his desire (I was reminded of Frederick Clegg in John Fowles' "The Collector") completely. The fact that he lacks a characteristic odour himself enhances his vampiric nature. Also, all the people who profit from him come to a grisly end, like the poor misguided souls who make a pact with the devil.

Joseph Campbell has made the slogan "Follow your bliss" very popular - but how to know whether your bliss is good or bad? I have always wondered about the concept of "negative bliss". Both Gandhi and Hitler could have been said to be following their bliss in different ways. While reading this novel, I was struck by the realisation that the difference is in one's attitude. If one is doing it because one cannot be doing anything else - following one's karma, if you want to put it that way - then it is bliss. But if one is driven by an insatiable need which feeds on itself, one ends up being a vampire. Ultimately, it consumes oneself.

Highly recommended.

I want my last 2 weeks back. I dove into this book expecting a hell of a lot more than I dragged out of it. From the very beginning I did not like the author's writing style and should have known then that this book just wouldn't be for me.

This book is set in the mid-1700's France and centers around a horrid man who has no redeeming qualities other than the fact that he has likely the most perfect sense of smell in the history of mankind. But he uses this skill for selfish and evil purposes and we get to come along for the story of his life - if you could call it that.

The premise of the story seemed interesting enough, and of course the title tells us that there is going to be murder so that always makes for interesting reading. But I just found it to be extremely boring and tiresome.

The author obviously did his research relating to all things perfume - the methods involved in it's creation - both chemically and artistically - and the importance of it's purpose in that point in history. But he goes overboard with list after exhaustive list of ingredients or steps within a process or varieties to be found. He can't help but describe every minute detail, not just of perfume, but of the landscape or the people. I love descriptive writing - I truly do - but I do also like to have an exciting plot to keep me involved. By the time he finished describing a scene I forgot why we were there.

This book lulled me to sleep and caused me to welcome distractions rather than turning the page so it took me a lot longer than a book of this length normally would. I know that it is loved by many and was recommended to me by several whose opinions I value. But this one just didn't cut it. Even when the action picked up in the last 50 pages or so, it became extremely bizarre and made me wonder what the heck the point was exactly.

I don’t know what compelled me to finish this book but it was the worst book I’ve ever read. I get that Jean-Baptiste has an extraordinary sense of smell and that his obsession leads him to murder. I understand the irony of it all: that he was born abandoned and died in an act of love. Even so, there was nothing about the story that was vaguely likable. I know it’s fiction but it seemed completely unrealistic and ridiculous to be even remotely appreciated. Furthermore, it takes forever to reach the part of the book where Jean-Baptiste actually starts to murder people because there’s a huge, useless portion of the book dedicated to 10 years of his life when he goes into hiding in a mountain. Also, there is no climax (unless you count the execution/orgy scene which I thought was the stupidest scene ever). How could someone be compelled to write such a useless piece of crap and worse, how could a book gain such fame as to be deemed an international bestseller?

I hate this book. It was a waste of time. I don't recommend anyone should read this book... not even my worst enemy!!

**EDIT: I’m reading my review 11 years later and it makes me laugh. Although I still don’t like the book and stand by my review I don’t know why my tone sounds so crazy.

1.75
Ugh nie cierpię tej książki. Koszmarnie nie moja. A ilość słowa „olfaktorycznie” to naprawdę dramat, ale to już chyba kwestia tłumaczenia. Nic mi się w niej nie podobało :(

Entretenida novela, aunque al final se hace bastante pesada.

Entertaining novel, although in the end it gets quite heavy.

This perfume stinks. Hahaha I'm so witty.

على كل من يريد كتابة رواية أن يقرأ هذا الكتاب، عله يتخلص من شيء من بلاهة المؤلفين، رواية عظيمة، بل تقترب من الكمال

This book is a gripping tale of an olfactory genius: a youth with an extraordinary sense of smell, transforming it from a perfectly tuned instrument of perception to a source of inspired creativity and intellectual delight. Physically unattractive and paradoxically odorless, Jean-Baptiste was doomed to grow as an outcast from birth. This fact allowed him to nurture his two greatest passions, the search and collection of new scents and the gradually increasing aversion from humanity. The conflict between the two turns him into a ruthless monster. The protagonist unconditionally sweeps off all moral barriers in the way of his goal to create a divine perfume that would subjugate the world. The final result is as destructive as it is self-destructive. Patrick Suskind's classic novel vividly portrays the temptations and dangers of extreme isolation and self-aggrandizement - and it is both a guide and a warning.

Wow, another modern Classic brilliantly written and intriguingly absorbing with so much magical imagination and originality. The story was so easy to follow and you could not put it down. Some of my favourite parts of France such as Vence, Antibes and Grasse are used as locations which added to my delight.

A disgust of Humanity and our traits are cleverly woven into the story.

I’ve never seen the word “Olfactory” used so often in the same book, but come on that’s what it’s about!!

Perhaps I need to consider a name change to “Graham olfactory inks”

It's hard for me to put into words how much I loved this story. The pacing, the characters, the overall plot - everything was perfection. However, the most amazing thing for me was the writing style. So much eloquence and beauty, without ever being over the top. I've seen some people complaining about how "simple" some of the heavy plot points were treated. I do understand and respect those opinions, but I especially liked that aspect.
Yes, this is a book about a murderer, but it isn't a crime novel. It's much more than that. To me, it was a wonderful exploration of a man I loved to hate and hated to love.

" فكيف تمنى النفس بالخلاص من السفاح ؟ إنه أغشم من الطاعون، يمكن الهرب من الطاعون لكن لا يمكن الهرب من هذا المجرم "

أى جنونٍ هذا ؟ كيف خطرت هذه الفكرة فى بال الكاتب .. ماذا فعل ليخرج لنا هذه الرواية ؟
رواية غريبة وفكرة مبتكرة ومبهرة، وهى تقريباً متكاملة على الجانب الادبى .

جان باتيست غرينوي، صاحب أدق أنف فى العالم، الفتى الذى إستطاع بأنفه إحصاء كل الروائح -والروائح التى لا نعرف لها نحن رائحة- لكنه ولد وعاش بدون رائحة ويظل يسعى أن يجعل لنفسه رائحة تجعل الناس يحبوه لدرجة العبادة وفى طريقة لعمل هذا العطر يستحل لنفسه قتل الكثيرين .

الحقيقة أنك تستطيع التخلى عن عينيك عند قرائتها، فهى ستعرف طريقها الى أنفك، فقط دعها تتغلغل إلى أعماقك وأستمتع .

Книга оставляет двоякое чувство. С одной стороны, автор – действительно превосходный рассказчик, тут сомнений нет, и сочувствие униженному герою поначалу нравится, с другой стороны, возникает ряд вопросов. Омерзительна сама идея мацерации (извлечение запахов через настаивание в жире – термин из ароматерапии) запахов из людей, причем после их смерти. Тут же возникают этические вопросы – кажутся ли или нет евгенические нотки? На мой взгляд, книга - из жанра фантастический хоррор. Очевидно, что Жан-Батист Гренуй - маньяк, а не просто убийца. Есть перекличка с Фаулзовским «Коллекционером», но Зюскинд скуп на раскрытие эмоций и духовного мира и переживаний его героев, причем не только Гренуя, и это - очевидный недостаток романа. Единственное, что мы знаем о Гренуе - это то, что он не любил размышлять, и что он ненавидел людей. Двоякость реакций толпы на одни и те же духи, сделанные из запаха красивейших девушек, вызывает когнитивный диссонанс. В одном случае, палачи склоняют свои орудия казни и освобождают осужденного, а толпа зрителей предаются оргии, подобно Босховскому «Саду наслаждений», а в другом, толпа не просто раздирает на куски, а буквально живьем съедает Гренуя. Любая книга имеет идеи, которые автор хочет донести до людей, чему учит эта история. Здесь я не могу понять – чему Зюскинд пытается нас научить или какую мысль донести. Фантастика, даже в историческом фоне, по сути выдумка. Но хорошая фантастика тем не менее имеет идеи.