Recommended by Denise Hamilton, and 1 others. See all reviews
Ranked #2 in German, Ranked #16 in Murder — see more rankings.
An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of smell—leads to murder.
In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift—an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop... more
In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift—an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop... more
Reviews and Recommendations
We've comprehensively compiled reviews of Perfume from the world's leading experts.
Denise Hamilton It’s a very lush, richly imagined book. It just bursts with sensuality and the smells of Paris in the 18th century. (Source)
Rankings by Category
Perfume is ranked in the following categories:
- #100 in 20th Century
- #28 in Barcelona
- #86 in Controversial
- #56 in Crime
- #52 in Crime Thriller
- #71 in Fiction Crime
- #93 in Folio Society
- #21 in France
- #95 in French
- #42 in Gothic
- #99 in Interesting
- #90 in Magical Realism
- #75 in Modern
- #33 in Paris
- #100 in Postmodernism
- #77 in Psycho
- #86 in Psychological Thriller
- #27 in Roman
- #25 in Serial Killer
- #21 in Stars
- #98 in Thriller
- #75 in Thriller Crime
- #80 in Thriller Mystery
- #80 in Thriller Suspense
- #36 in Translated
- #57 in Weird