The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession and the Last Mystery of the Senses Heinemann ( 07 August, 2003 ) Book Our Price : £ 9.09 List Price : £ 12.99 You save £3.9 (30% off) Prices subject to change. usually dispatched within 24 hours.

Amazing Book!

This is such an unusual book that its difficutlt to know where to start! I guess that befits its hero, Luca Turin, who is an equally unusual guy. I loved this book...gripping like a novel. You find yourself learning all sorts of complex science in a completely painless way. And the science is interspersed with a wonderful look at the personalities and hypocrisy of both academia and big business in the shape (I use that word advisedly...read the book and youll see what I mean) of the Perfume industry. Chandler Burr has obviously lavished a huge amount of effort and care on this book and he writes like a dream...witty, erudite and eloquent. Especially if you enjoyed Perfume by Patrick Susskind, read this book... its a fitting companion to that tour de force and a breath of fresh (albeit perfumed!) air.

One of the most original books you will ever read.

I first read Perfume about four years ago. I knew from the first paragraph that I wouldnt be able to put it down, and I didnt; I stayed up until four in the morning reading it. In all honesty this is one of the most original and beautifully written books I have ever read, and my house has thirteen (full to capacity)floor-to-ceiling bookcases so Im not just grading on a curve here peeps, this is a stragight A grade! The decadence and filth that manage to co-exist in Grenouilles world are utterly disparate yet morbidly fascinating and Patrick Suskind has portayed them both with unerring accuracy and conviction. Even a writer whose subject is beautiful may not write in an attractive manner, but Suskind manages to visualise decay, poverty, stench, perversion, opulence and innocence in a style that does not fail to find its mark. Im a sucker for sentiment - two of my favourite books are Silk (if you like Perfume Im fairly sure youll like Silk) and Jonathon Livingstone Seagull - and I found it, in its own perverted way, in this book. I suppose Grenouille is what would be termed an anti-hero, yet would have been far less enthralling had he been a six-foot adonis, as his outer unsightliness seems to focus all attention and importance on his wonderful gift. Truly magnificent and well-worth the price. Buy it, read it, read it again, dont lose it!

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

This book starts stunningly, with a fresh, new idea which is sadly fading from modern fiction. The descriptions of Grenouilles unnatural ability to smell, combined with an almost degree level education in 18th century perfumery produces a magnificent opening to the book. However, something becomes painfully self-evident as the book progresses... there are only so many different words to describe the sense of smell. No matter how much you can try and love the word "olifactory" it does become a tad nauseating after the millionth time. This is, sadly, where the book falls down. Like Humbert Humbert of Lolita fame, the young murderer Grenouille is a convincing, eloquent criminal. His crime is utterly vile, however he does appeal as being the most skilled perfumer in all of France, and also appeals as seeking solitude in the style of Frankensteins Monster. There are numerous parellels which could be drawn, making this a possible book for students wishing to compare two novels, but it could be better in terms of a novel.