PENGUIN Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Good quality and as I thought .. nice book

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind, a literary masterpiece, takes readers on an evocative and haunting olfactory journey through 18th-century France. This captivating novel delves into the world of scents, exploring the power of smell and its impact on human emotions and desires.Süskind's writing style is mesmerizing, painting vivid imagery with his words and transporting readers to the streets of Paris. The attention to detail in describing various aromas and fragrances is truly remarkable. From the vibrant and alluring scents of the city's markets to the intoxicating aromas of perfumes and human bodies, the author skillfully brings these olfactory experiences to life.The protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, is a complex and enigmatic character whose obsession with capturing and preserving scents leads him down a dark and twisted path. Süskind masterfully explores the psychological depths of Grenouille's character, delving into the effects of isolation and obsession on the human psyche. The narrative is both chilling and thought-provoking, delving into themes of identity, desire, and the pursuit of perfection.One of the most captivating aspects of Perfume is Süskind's exploration of the power of scent and its influence on human behavior. The novel delves into the idea that fragrances have the ability to evoke memories, stir emotions, and manipulate others. Süskind's ability to convey the nuances and intricacies of different scents is both fascinating and immersive.The historical backdrop of 18th-century France adds another layer of richness to the story. Süskind skillfully intertwines elements of the era, from the bustling city streets to the social hierarchies and fragrant workshops of the perfume industry. This historical context enhances the atmosphere and provides a deeper understanding of the societal norms and influences that shape the characters' lives.While Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a compelling and atmospheric novel, it may not be for everyone. The darker themes and graphic descriptions may be unsettling for some readers. Additionally, the pacing of the story can be slow at times, as Süskind takes his time to delve into the intricate details of scents and the protagonist's psychological journey.In conclusion, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that delves into the complex relationship between scent, identity, and human nature. Süskind's masterful storytelling and evocative descriptions create an immersive reading experience that lingers long after the book is finished. If you have an interest in exploring the power of senses and diving into a richly detailed historical setting, this novel is well worth your time.

“A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. ”----Christian DiorPatrick Süskind, a late German writer and screenwriter's internationally, critically acclaimed and an award-winning novel Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders translated into English with the title, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer The German novel set in the backdrop of 18th century France that rocked the whole world with its intensity, level of fantasy and surrealism, historical realism, sensuality and scents surrounding around a young man, with a god-gifted talented to identify the subtle and underlying scents of worldly things as well as of human beings.Synopsis:In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift: an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs.But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and fresh-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"—the scent of a beautiful young virgin.Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is left abandoned in the back of a fish stall, in the early 18th century Paris, right after his birth by his own mother. Luckily Grenouille is survived by the common people and later, he is adopted by a benefactor, who runs an orphanage, where he grew up with other orphans and bastards like him. At a very tender age, he discovered that he has no scent of his own but has a god gifted nose that can identify scents of any and every worldly things, hence he finds a job as an apprentice of a popular Parisian perfumer, Baldini after his stint at the tannery, where he survived a near death experience. But this talent of making and mixing and finally reproducing the best and rarest smell in the world, the smell of a young female virgin for which he had to shed a lot of human as well as animal blood. Although gradually he earned his fame, but this haunting journey of his soon came to an end when he is caught and imprisoned for killing more than twenty female teenagers, but once again, his unique talent saved the day and his prison sentence when he is set free, only later to be butchered and eaten by an enraged mob of Paris.This hauntingly, chilling and sensual novel holds a subtle power to arouse all the five senses of its readers, although the book has it own flaws. Yet if the readers manages to look past it, then the novel can turn out to be something scandalously enchanting, underlying with magic, murder and mayhem. A psychologically flawed protagonist, touring and journeying across France in search of beautiful smells that haunts him day and night, but he is in dire need to kill human beings and animals in order to recreate them. May not be the most original story line, but it has got layers of historical elements and proof of a failing judiciary system in the early 18th century France. This young man's journey is not only terrifying but is also quite profound.The writing is okay, yet the story line and the author cleverly has resonated so many underlying topics ranging from Bourgeois Liberal Revolution (the time period of the novel's setting) era's flaws, dark satire in the societal changes, the need of perfume in every household, the power and class struggle and many other socio-economic themes. The history is spot on, but what will irk up the readers is the vividness of the scenes that were mostly unnecessary at certain times. It is not easy to handle those graphic scenes, that were penned by the author with subtle emotions and more mechanically. The then Parisian flair from the novel will at times overwhelm its readers but most of the times, it will feel striking enough to lose themselves in its beauty as well as in its odors and beautiful smells. The pacing is bit slow, as there is too much details but then again, those details weren't so well portrayed.The protagonist, Grenouille, lacks depth terribly, as the author has failed to depict the man with realism or even with slightest emotional insight. Thus Grenouille will only tease its readers with his journey and his magical power to sense and detect individual human and animal smells. But the readers can easily contemplate with Grenouille's struggle and desire to recreate the smells that he identifies amongst his fellow humans, especially amongst teenage girls. The author has failed drastically to decipher the explanation and the reason behind his protagonist's choices and irrational decisions to kill in order to reproduce human smells.In a nutshell, this novel is enjoyable, but from an educational or intellectual point of view, the novel fails tragically.

First and foremost, German author Patrick Suskind's novel, "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer," is a celebration of the written word, and an affirmation of good popular literature. Suskind's beautifully crafted narrative excites the imagination and expands the reader's senses - especially that least appreciated of faculties, the olfactory. John E. Woods should be lauded for bringing the richness and texture of the author's language to his English translation. "Perfume" is much more than a murder mystery or suspense thriller. It is an extraordinary tale that defies genre classification.Jean-Baptiste Grenouille was born in the most squalid, stinking marketplace of 18th-century Paris, perhaps even the most putrid place in all France, on July 17, 1738. And, as the author explains, the stench of 18th-century Paris is one that modern man cannot begin to fathom - manure, moldering wood, rat droppings, human excretions both common and exotic, caustic lyes and sulfur from the tanneries, congealed blood from the slaughterhouses, the great unwashed masses, spoiled and rotting food, etc., etc.. His mother, who suffered from "gout, syphilis and a touch of consumption," was otherwise healthy. She was not concerned when her labor began. She had delivered four other babies beneath her fish booth, all illegitimate, and disposed of all four, along with the bloody refuse of fish and entrails at the end of the market day. Amoral, she had no idea she was doing wrong, nor did she particularly care. Jean-Baptiste was fortunate. He cried lustily at birth, thus calling sufficient attention to himself, that his mother was forced to acknowledge him. The baby boy was allowed to live. Taken in by the church, he was placed in the care of a wet nurse.In the novel's wonderful first paragraph, Suskind introduces John-Baptiste. "In eighteenth-century France there lived a man who was one of the most gifted and abominable personages in an era that knew no lack of gifted and abominable personages. His name was Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, and if his name - in contrast to the names of other gifted abominations, de Sade's, for instance, or Saint-Just's, Fouche's, Bonaparte's, etc. - has been forgotten today, it is not because Grenouille fell short of those more famous blackguards when it came to arrogance, misanthropy, immorality, or, more succinctly, to wickedness, because his gifts and his sole ambition were restricted to a domain that leaves no traces in history: to the fleeting realm of scent."Grenouille had no scent of his own - absolutely no odor. This was a terrible handicap which caused all to shun him from infancy, without understanding why they avoided him. However, in a bizarre attempt to balance this aberration, nature provided Jean-Baptiste with the most acute sense of smell of any human that ever lived. At an early age, he was able to clearly distinguish differences in people with his eyes closed. He knew the different scents of wood, which he had to chop everyday, and even which of a variety of cows provided the milk he drank each morning. He spent his every waking hour identifying, ordering and classifying scent. This extraordinary olfactory gift, and his passion to pursue, capture and distill all scents, were to be the cause of his unforeseeable elevation in society, which rarely recognized one of his lowly class, and also, his ultimate downfall. Mr. Suskind chronicles here Grenouille's life - from his stint at the home of Madame Gaillard, who took in orphans like Jean-Baptiste, to his arduous apprenticeship with the tanner Grimal, his work with the famous perfumer Baldini, where he became a journeyman perfumer, and his wanderings throughout all Paris to learn the city's every smell. He aspired to become the omnipotent god of scent. He knew that the person "who ruled scent also ruled the hearts of men," for "scent was the brother of breath." Then came the day he discovered the single most exquisite scent of all, which he became obsessed to possess for his own.Grenouille had never known love or the slightest affection, not even a tender touch. No one educated him about right and wrong, and he had no inherent ability to distinguish between good and evil. From the earliest age, he did what was necessaey to survive. He was truly a man with no conscience - totally narcissistic. Morality played no part in his life - the pursuit of scent was all that gave him joy. It is to Patrick Suskind's credit that I felt such empathy for this creature. I don't excuse his behavior, but given his background and life, how else could he have been expected to turn out?"Perfume's" various settings are illustrated, and the characters depicted, as Jean-Baptiste would perceive them, through smell. The descriptions are so vivid, and the use of language so bountiful, that I found myself reading passages aloud at times, just to savor the words. The historic detail is meticulous and fascinating, as is the process of perfume making, much of which is described here. This is a compelling tale, that is surreal, almost otherworldly. It is also a chilling portrait of a psychopath with a mission. The conclusion is brilliant, unexpected and riveting. A marvelous read!JANA

A very good book. Thank you.

Delivered on time, condition was very good and the book is an excellent read. Couldn’t have been better on all accounts.