UEL English PEN Society Book Reviews

This was a book that I discovered in my creative writing module handbook (we had to analyze a small part of the book) and I found it very intriguing, especially since I work at a place that has to deal with scents (but I am in no way a murderer :)) Its dark imagery is absolutely fascinating and even though the plot is far from ordinary, the reader is able to imagine the places and people quite clearly.

The book is based in France in 18th Century and it starts by introducing the main character, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, who is born with a strong ability to smell everything and everyone around him. He becomes an apprentice for a perfumist(?) who taught him how to create perfumes. As he created different scents, he was determined to find the ultimate perfume - which he later on discovered was coming from a woman. He is determined to capture that scent, no matter what it takes.

Even though I wouldn't classify this novel as a horror story, there were times when it was quite graphic, but there were other times where the story seemed to drag on. Nevertheless, it is still an amazing, different story, especially if you're into historic books.

Happy reading!

xoxo Mandy