Rating: 
Summary: Unique plot, crafted with excellence
Review: We couldn't understand the mixed reviews. This is simple the best murder mystery my wife and I have ever read.
Everything from the openng page was totally unexpected. We stayed on edge throught the entire read. The ending was a total surprise
I've read too many books where the evidence hints are obvious enough for even a first-grader to pick up. This is NOT that kind of book. The butler didn't do it (or should I remenisce: "Mr Green, in the dining room with the candlestick for those who have a clue and remember ...)
Don't read any of these reviews, even this one. Get the book. You will love it or you will hate it. One way or the other it will thoroughly entertain you.
Rating:
Summary: Unlike anything else
Review: A little background on why I chose to read "Perfume..." I had been studying abroad in Austria for a school year, trying to learn German and sing some Lieder as well. I had heard many, many people rave about this strange book, "Parfum," and it intrigued me. I remembered that I had bought it years ago at a discount book store.. having been seduced by the cover art and the intriguing title. Many of my (fluent in German) colleagues had their own copies in the original German and had read and re-read this book, cover to cover, time and time again. So, when I came home, the first book that I ran to my overstocked bookshelves to find was not Goethe's "Faust," but "Perfume: The story of a Murderer."
This book is olfactory genius... it surpasses the normal mystery or horror novel by grabbing the reader by the nose and leading him or her into the life of the ultimate villain (as evil as Robespierre and twisted as the Marquis de Sade) Grenouille. "Perfume: the Story of a Murderer" delivers exactly what it claims in it's title-- the life and times of a murderer... why he does it, what makes him do it, and even perhaps the most disturbing part- how he is himself erotically charged by the various scents he holds, not least of which is the highly desirable scent of virgins.
It is not until page 50 (in my edition) that Grenouille first kills... he doesn't kill again until the very end of the book. The genius behind Grenouille is that he defies and defeats everyone before finally letting himself be defeated with his death. I highly suggest that you compare the cave scenes with Hauptmann's "The Apostle" and Buechner's "Lenz"---the comparisons are uncanny. This is not like an ordinary murder novel: we know exactly who the killer is from the very beginning; the killer has hard times as a child, but that is not the reason that he kills; the entire book does not focus on the killings, but rather the perversion of scent in Grenouille's life; and lastly, the book is never dull--when there is a lack of action, the thoughts and discoveries are as new and exciting as any action packed storyline could promise.
I highly reccommend this book. In my experience, I began becoming much more aware of my own sense of smell after having read this gem. I bet that you will too... my only question is--why didn't someone come up with the idea of an olfactory obessed killer before? Even if one had been olfactory obsessed in distinct literature, no one wrote it as fluidly or eloquently as Patrick Sueskind.
Rating:
Summary: Technical novel
Review: I've read this book a long, long time ago, and in Russian - so no comments on the English translation - but I remember that what struck me most was that the whole book was essentially a novel about a craft, a technique, a profession. (I am not sure there is a universally accepted English term for this kind of fiction. I think Arthur Hailey is the quintessential master of the genre.)Technical novels (or movies - that was the only reason I liked "Proof of Life") always fascinated me, so I did not hesitate to give Suskind two thumbs up.
Rating: 
Summary: It had such potential....
Review: I think this story of the ultimate misfit could have been a 'must read.' However, the author fails to use Jean-Baptiste Grenouille's sad story for more than just that -- a sad story -- and misses a wonderful opportunity to teach his readers a lesson. To say anymore would be giving away too much, but just to suffice it to say I believe Jean-Baptiste's 'gift' is wasted...as is this story. The imagery is so right on as to pull the reader into olfactory oblivion....it's just a shame the author fails to use his gift for much more than a 'sensational' ending that leaves the reader wondering WHY? There was a missed opportunity here. Too bad.
Rating: 
Summary: It smells good!
Review: For a while I thought I was crazy because of how much I loved a good smell, but this book managed to convince me that I am quite sane compared to certain other scent-centric individuals in the world. This book was filled with so many wonderful descriptions of smells in the world that it almost seemed like you could smell them right of the pages! To read about catching an intoxicating scent and then wanting to sniff it all for yourself until it completely dissipates is pleasurable and indulgent. So if you love smells more than the average person, you should not deny yourself the pleasure of reading this book!
Rating:
Summary: In my top5 list
Review: This book is one of my favorites, inspiring and exciting.
I haven't stopped encouraging people to read it.
I have also bought it as a present for a few friends that were excited about it, too.
Rating:
Summary: sumptous reading
Review: beautifully written tale of a monster-man, an evil genius, inhuman in lacking a scent of his own, superhuman in his olfactory abilites, sumptously rendered for all its grim horror. It only lacks a fifth star because of a narrative flaw, the story fades out in anticlimax like its sinister superhero
Rating:
Summary: Literary eloquence in its most profound possibility...
Review: Literary eloquence in its most profound possibility. The ability to turn a simple floral description into a multi-sensory climax. I have never been so aroused by the English language
Rating:
Summary: Insinuates itself into your olfactory soul
Review: I just read Suskind's book for the second time. The first time was several years ago, and it has stayed with me during the intervening years. It's a book that remains tucked away in the imagination. The unique aspect of this novel is that it centers on the sense of smell, as the evil genius who occupies the main role has an extraordinary ability to discern scent. He can literally perform an autopsy on an odor, teasing apart each component which make up the whole. He kills simply to steal the essential scent of his victims. And why does this story stay so long in the readers memory and imagination? The sense of smell, so directly wired to our sense of emotional memory, serves as the link which brings the subconscious back to this book over the years. You'll read it again some day, as I did. This is a unique and fascinating novel.
Rating:
Summary: Albeit technically good, inevitably boring and ridiculous
Review: Like for many reviewers here, Perfume began interestingly enough, with a great concept and interesting scenes of life in 18th century France. However, round about the middle of the book, I began to read the words but not take any of them in(i.e. BORING). Suskind uses virtually no dialogue. He is TELLING you everything making you less like a fly on the wall and more like a bored(read: VERY bored) student just wanting to take a nap. His main character while in the beginning is intrigueing becomes a nauseating little creep that I could care less about. The murders ARE mandane and to make up for his lack of any real energy, Suskind(like Cormac McCarthy) gives you detail upon detail hoping you're SHOCKED- but really all you're doing is yawning. The end is the best part! Because it's so laughably ridiculous(unintentionally of course). I won't ruin it for anyone, but the way in which the main character gets out of his due punishment must have been pulled out of some feebile dream the night before Suskind wrote it. No one who has read three decent books would buy it, thus making the whole experience of reading this book maddening. So to sum up, guy can write but end result is convoluted, pretentious and dull.
| 
