Reviews

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

spriteluver's review against another edition

5.0

there are a million words i could utter about this book, and none would suffice????? it has so many themes i've been OBSESSED with in films, and to read it is so intoxicating OMFG.

wickedwitchofthewords's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

3.0

Very interesting 

hanzy's review against another edition

4.0

This was a highly fascinating and brilliantly composed novel. I'm a little baffled at how I can feel sorry for a character so abhorrent and detestable, someone so misaligned with my moral compass. I LOVED the writing and descriptions and thoroughly enjoyed it despite the grotesque elements that were a significant part of the plot. The ending was quite shocking, but I should have expected it.

noemie_vdb's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

maskath's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

3.5

orbitsquids's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rosacalhoun's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

I enjoyed the story immensely, and while I do like the writing style, there were times where I would skip whole paragraphs (once two whole pages!) full of unnecessary descriptors. For a book translated from German to English, this reads pretty easily. The story is a slow buildup to a rather fast ending, and the ending is the best part! Very strange and dark!

cbarschdorff's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

angus_mckeogh's review against another edition

3.0

What a strange, strange story. The first three quarters of the book were basically an odd tale about a man creating perfume and all that that entails (outside of one random strangling near the beginning). Then the final quarter just launched into a murderer’s tale, arrest, trial, and subsequent “pied-piper” existence in a somewhat disjointed manner. Almost as if it could have been two completely different stories. So while it was perhaps a little better than average it was a far cry from what I’d classify as one of my favorites.

crisrobb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5