Rating: 
Summary: Simple review based on college study.
Review: Upon seeing the title of the book I was led to think that the plot would be an obscure tale set amongst murky perfumeries and employing obsessive perfumers as the main characters. I was not far wrong. I did not, however, at any time suspect that Suskind would have created such a twisted and complex novel relentlessly probing into the inner workings of an obsessives mind. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille makes a stunning lead character, as the plot revolves emotionlessly around his stunted life and dreams. The murders themselves are described blandly, as if Suskind has no interest in them as focal points in the novel but only as openings into a deeper and more sinister plot obscured by the main one. Although it is a difficult book to get into in terms of losing oneself in the pages it nevertheless draws you in and ties your imagination in knots as it leads you into eighteenth century France and a dangerously talented being with deformed features. It is not for the fainthearted but if you are intrigued by gothic literature encorporating murders and supernatural twists then this is a superb tale as a first novel by Patirck Suskind.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre Thriller
Review: Perfume was a major disappointment. It was an international bestseller and recommended by an acquaintance of mine. I found it to be uninteresting and uninspired.Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born and against all odds survive the gutter in Paris. He is born without scent and a powerful sense of smell, which for some inexplicable reason even dull noses in a world of stench pick up on, so the boy is ostracized. Not that this matters, mind you, because the boy is simply EVIL from the get go. As if that were not enough - that he is simple EVIL from birth - anyone who is a fixture in his life comes to an unfortunate and ugly end! Can you tell he is just EVIL?!? His nose leads him to the perfume industry, where he can indulge in further perverted EVIL. The conclusion of this book was contrived and awful, but I won't spoil it any further. While the diction may suffer from translation, the plot was bland and the characters completely uninteresting. This book is not worthy of your time or your money. Amazon shoppers would be well-advised to go elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste
Review: This book is a waste of time, trees, paper and money, let's begin:
The first part of the book is more or less regular, with that in mind and that the book has 400 pages or so and it could be written in less than 50 we will continue.
The book goes out of the main story so many times that you really don't know which was that story, I would throw this book to the waste basket but this book wasn't mine so at least I didn't waste my money.
The end of the book is just pathetic. P.S. I put two stars to this book because I know what is writing a book and just for writing it it has two stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Killer prose......
Review: Few times have I encontered a better narrator. With all due respect but this guy outwrites Hemingway, Garcia Márquez, Vargas Llosa, Dostoevsky...and the list could go on. This is a book for absolutely anyone who enjoys reading. The guy's descriptions are unsurpassed.
Rating:
Summary: Intoxicating
Review: The premise, characters, story, writing - all are topnotch, to say nothing of the incredible translation. I would have liked to have read this in the original. The hero, a wretched outcast of society, has been blessed among all men with a sense of smell that enables him to create new and incredibly complex perfumes. Despite his outward appearance and manner (his "talk" is indeed strange), his olfactory genius brings seekers and admirers. Susskind leads us into a Europe of yesteryear, when things were much more primitive and the times we call "modern" were just emerging. One of the byproducts of a market society is disposable income and in this case it is used for luxuries, one of these being exquisite perfumes, designed just for the individual. The act of creating these, the strange ingredients, the process itself was worth the read. Many reviewers have commented on the apparent strangeness of the book, most of which lays at the odd styling and bizarre conversations and actions. There is an odd literary quality here, one that seems mature upon presenting itself to the world. Kudos to Suskind and wishes for many more.
Rating:
Summary: In my top 3 of best books of all time.
Review: Perfume was recommended to me by an 'arty' friend and I was dubious.... However, from the first line I was captivated and totally unable to put this magnificent book down. The rich description of smell in this book is so compelling that you almost feel yourself rooting for the villain - although he is truly a monster. I forced my non-book reading husband to start this and he was unable to put it down.
I will give you an example, at one point our murderer has harnessed the scent of a brass doorknob quite perfectly and although this seems ridiculous you can almost smell the doorknob due to the fantastic description.
Quite frankly the weirdest book I have ever read, but weird in a totally fascinating, un-put-downable way. 10 out of 10 for Mr.Suskind and for Mr.woods for translating this so perfectly!
Rating:
Summary: Ten stars!
Review: This has got to be the strangest and most wonderful book I've ever read. I was mesmerized both by its content and style, but I can see how a reader either loves or hates it. The book was recommended to me by a friend who is a scientist, and he changed his career and is now in the perfume-making business!! Well, I won't change my career, largely because I don't have one (I'm a writer!), but I'll read anything that'll flow from Suskind's pen or from his bottles of perfume!
Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?
Rating:
Summary: a great find!
Review: another one of those books I snuck down from the forbidden section in my grandmother's library when I was around 12. A beautifully written, fantastic horror story. And highly evocative of smells. You can almost smell this book. Great for everyone!
Rating:
Summary: Reawakening your sense of smell...
Review: I thought this book was very unique, and I really enjoyed reading it. It was not quite what I expected, but that is not a bad thing at all--I like to be surprised. Suskind's writing really draws you in, and while Grenouille is a dispicable person, you are quite taken with his extraordinary power. Also noteworthy, the translation of the text from the German is very good. A book that makes you very aware of your nose and your sense of smell... Some of the descriptions of the Paris streets and the various other places that he travels are described so vividly by smell~it almost makes you smell it as well (not a good thing to smell the 18th French city street!)
Rating:
Summary: The book that changed my opinion on scents...
Review: I was reccomended this book off of someone's "So You Want To..." list right here off of [this site]. On a whim I picked it up and I was simply blown away. The way Suskind writes this story, it's simply unlike anything I've ever read before. Most books take you through a story through sight, sound, and touch. Never before have I read a story that was almost exclusively based purely on scent. In a way, it opened my eyes up to a whole new way of thinking. It made me realize how precious scent can really be, and that I should savor it as I do sights and sounds, rather than discard them as I usually do. Read this book, it will change the way you think of smells.
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