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Summary: A sort of Masterpiece
Review: Strange and wonderful, hideous and tender, good and evil just the ways human like to explain what humans do or are. All and more of such thoughts is what comes up to my mind as I reminisce the hours spent reading this masterpiece. It is an enchanting, gripping and with a strong message novel not written for those that can't distinguish between black and white . Forget about shades or differences. Upbringing and learned. We are in many ways a product of our environment. Here we have a human being that what he does is not hideous to him since hideousness is all that was giving to him as a child. I do not condone what he does but understand it. Understanding the way he sees the world which is much different than the rest of us but still within his right and our respect is the key. To have the world at your fingertips is to loose our essence. He knew it and all of us should learn from it. Life when lived among us, in the society that we have created, is nothing but a game. To withdraw oneselft from this society is the only way we can be human. Is that what this novel tells us? In my opinion it does and it does it in a strange and wonderful way.
Rating: 
Summary: I was expecting a lot more
Review: I have to agree with the more mixed reviews that the minority of readers have posted here. While "Perfume" is entertaining (mostly), it never lives up to its fullest potential to enthrall. Maybe I was just expecting A LOT more because of all the gushing praise posted here. It's intriguing but ultimately the reader isn't drawn in enough to care for the main character, whether that means curiousity, empathy or rage. Yeah, he's odd and loathesome but Suskind doesn't delve deep enough into his psyche for the reader to ellicit a reaction. And the climactic final sections of the plot are done much too hastily in comparison to the long build-up.
Rating:
Summary: simply outstanding
Review: Fantastic !! I first read perfume 7 years ago and I still rate it as the best book I have ever read. I always recommend it when books come into the conversion. I love it.
Rating:
Summary: The scent of being human.
Review: I never used my nose the same way again. I tried to detect the faintest of smells for about a week... The Perfume is a giant metaphore for the human condition. The ideia of a perfumist trying to create the perfect fragrance by mixing the best parts of other peoples's odors... is... to say the least... fascinating. But it illustrates also the life of a social alchemist and his quest in search for the secret of pure beauty.
Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT (this book smells gorgeous)
Review: I am not a big reader, i usually find myself looking for the end of a chapter so i can get a rest from reading, and i am grateful for books like these. Thank you, PATRICK SÜSKIND, for this one !! I have just read this book for the third time, and it still surprises me ! It's extraordinary, not only for the very imaginative story, but also for the way it is written. It is funny, intelligent, and easy to read. One of my all time favourites (along with THE ROYAL GAME by Stefan Zweig and SOPHIE'S WORLD by Jostein Gaarder) . What a ride !!
Rating:
Summary: Scents and insensibilites
Review: Weaving a tale using smell and fragrance, we are drawn into a world where appearances deceive and the only truth is in the scent of our soul. Who is the evil one in this story? The souless murderer or those that curse him for having no scent?I share this book with all my friends and we have endless discussions on it!
Rating:
Summary: Perfume is the best book I have ever read
Review: At the age od 16, I can most probably confirm that this novel will probably be my favourite book of all time! The visual imagery on the sense of smell is so detailed that you as the reader actually can smell what is being described. I LOVED IT.. a must read!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't let Suskind waste your time
Review: I admit it. I was intrigued by the premise. In 18th century France, a madman with an incredible sense of smell seeks to create the perfect perfume. I have a lot of patience with madmen and an incredible tolerence for 18th century French anything. This novel abused both my patience and my tolerence. The story shambles from satire to thriller to historical fiction until it ultimately falls flat on its face and stays there for a good 200 pages. Do not read this novel if you can possibly avoid it.
Rating:
Summary: Breathe-taking and passionate
Review: I first heard about this novel at a party - the woman who told me about it simply said that it was about a serial killer with an amazing sense of smell - she could not even remember the title. I was curious from the start and searched for 'Perfume'. The language, setting and characters complemented each other to produce a fine read. This novel has amazing powers and this statement is agreed with by many - including Kurt Cobain, who wrote a song inspired by this tale "Scentless apprentice". This is one tragic yet compelling story that captured me and held me prisoner within its pages.
Rating:
Summary: The Genius of a Dog!
Review: Perfume is a marvellous piece of writing head and shoulders above most of the boring, languid, offensively unimaginative drival that passes for the majority of fiction today. What if a man were given the olfactory senses of say, a dog ( and all the moral character of a rotweiler too!), but with a human brain? What might he do with it, especially in a society as decadant as 18th century France (tones of Huysman here ). I will never ever doubt again the genius that is inherent in any one of the five (or is it six) senses. Suskind reminds us all of that, as well as the "skewered" nature of any mutatation that creates too great a gift for anyone person without the wisdom to handle it. Applause for Mr. Suskind, and loathing and bile for those critics who feel their "Mickey-Mouse" morality is far too black and white for this kind of thing, or who did not like the novel because they have some other silly "philosophical" ax to grind.
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