Sherry F. (sherryfair) reviewed on 2/4/2006 + 55 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 5

What a strange, beautiful and yet somewhat gruesome book. It's a fantastical story, an awful lot like Isak Dinesen's European tales. In odoriferous 18th century France, a strange child is born who has an extraordinary gift of comprehending the world by all its various scents. He himself is a conscienceless little monster. Eventually, he becomes a master parfumier, and discovers that the finest essence he's ever smelled is that of virginal young girls on the very edge of maturation. He decides he must somehow possess that essence, a resolution that leads him into violence. This is a lyrically written book -- the description of the various scents of daily life are incredible. Some readers are likely to find the prose rather mannered. The authorial voice is definitely fairy-tale-ish. But it's also a rather gruesome story. I think this is a love it/hate it book. You have to be able to tolerate a despicable anti-hero as the main character. I'm teetering in my verdict even now, as I mull it over. I think its allegorical elements go too far toward the end. But that the texture of Ancient Regime France is wonderful and again, the description of the smells! It's only February but I'm sure it will be one of the most unusual books I've read this year.

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