Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Vintage International) Kindle Edition

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

I thought this story was well-written and very interesting. I found the plot captivating and wanted to read the entire book immediately upon starting it. Grenouille defied description. Was he a one-off entity ... evil, supernatural or human? Because he was born and grew up in such dire circumstances and overcame horrendous illnesses, which otherwise would have been terminal for anyone else, it almost seemed that he would have to have been some sort of special creature. I also feel that his supernatural vibe carried over to the people he encountered in his early life. As each stage of his life came to an end, they were phased out in one way or another. Did he cause it? However, I found the Paris ending odd. While I thought it was imaginative, it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. I would have given the story five stars, if not for that.

This was an amazing book. Plain and simple. The story flows like a Victor Hugo novel and it grabs you through the storytelling. But it dives into the thinking and the mindset of Jean-Baptisete Grenouille like the way Nabakov dives into the mind of Humbert in Lolita. It takes place in France pre-revolution and you feel you are in the period. Suskind puts you in the mindset of all the characters both rationally and emotionally.I loved how it uplifted and even exaggerated the sense of smell and smelling. The book has a total infatuation with smell, but it makes sense. It’s a sense we really never think about and Suskind was able to make it the star of the book. Most books describe beauty as a key characteristic. In other words, the eyes are the main sensor. But here, beauty is almost not even mentioned. In fact, the persons described were plain and some not even attractive. But smell defined the person. Even though the murders are gruesome, they are weirdly connected with Grenouille. I will not ruin the ending, but it was extremely original. I would have never guessed such as finale. This is a very colorful book and not for the light-hearted. But it is well written for a translated book. The characters and events in the story are so distinct, that I promise it will stay implanted in your memory, indefinitely.

This book was amazing from start to finish, and flows beautifully and it's an amazing read. Such a unique story that's phenomenal with detail, and it's hard to put the book down. I read the book in 2 days, and enjoyed every minute of it!

I was absolutely hooked from start to finish. It’s a *lot* so beware, but I couldn’t love it more

Ever since teen is my most fav novel of all the times!! 🖤🖤🖤“He possessed the power. He held it in his hand. A power stronger than the power of money or the power of terror or the power of death: the invincible power to command the love of mankind. There was only one thing that power could not do: it could not make him able to smell himself.”Perfume is a story about social isolation; it’s a story about not belonging in the world and the negative effects this can wrought on one’s mind. It’s also a story about obsession, a singular pursuit for perfection regardless of the costs.Consequences simply do not matter for Jean. He is completely detached from reality; he lives in his own world of scent, invisible to all others. Murder means nothing to him because he does not fully understand what he is murdering. He has no feelings. He cannot comprehend what it is to snuff out a life because he is not truly alive himself. He is dead inside and numb to all else in his differentness.“He realized that all his life he had been a nobody to everyone. What he now felt was the fear of his own oblivion. It was as though he did not exist.”“He had withdrawn solely for his own personal pleasure, only to be near to himself. No longer distracted by anything external, he basked in his own existence and found it splendid.”As such befalls misery for all those that meet him. His talent is remarkable and his motivation (when roused) is unstoppable. His singular pursuit for his goal is uncompromising and he will stop at nothing to achieve the most perfect of scents. The secret ingredient he has been looking for comes his way and he cannot rest until he has it. Innocence is a mighty hard thing to harvest, though it is the missing piece he has been looking for; it will give his perfume the power to inspire love: it will be irresistible.However, as the tale of Icarus taught us, those who fly too high will burn. As such the ending of this is simply perfection. The moment captures the heart of the book in one beautifully horrific frenzy of emotions and desire. The delivery is masterful. I knew it was coming (I’d seen the film many years previously) though I don’t think the film could every quite capture the intensity and euphoric nature of the situation.The only reason I have not given this five stars is because I found it rambled a little in places. I think the story could have been cut back and made tighter and more effective, though I loved the prose and the plot. Jean makes for an interesting character study for sure.

Je l’ai acheté car c’est le livre préféré de Kurt Cobain. Lors d’un vieux interview il l’a donné envie de le lire. Et je ne regrette pas, histoire sombre et prenante. A lire.

Olá!Venho falar com dificuldade desta obra, pois não creio ter a capacidade de usar as palavras de tal forma que façam jus a essa obra de arte MAGNÍFICA, FABULOSA, INCOMPARÁVEL. Que baste isso. Leia, é uma obra filosófica, que fala de maneira simples e clara sobre memória, sobre afetos e desafetos, sobre a mente humana e sobre a vida na terra e do que somos feitos.Quanto ao produto: chegou com leves riscos na capa, nada que incomode, a edição da capa é linda, as folhas são finas, cuidado para não rasgar!É o tipo de livro que se você encontrar: COMPRE-O!