I needed a break from a book I'm reading, and managed to knock off Patrick Suskind's novel Perfume in just a few sittings. I was hooked on the first page, and was looking forward to a riveting read, especially since I have a heightened sense of smell and this promised to be the focus of the book.Set in the late 1700s, the main character has a superhuman sense of smell. The novel follows his life from his horrific birth at a fish stall, where his mother squats to give birth, cuts the umbilical cord with her carving knife and throws him on the scrap heap.
His life to this point is fascinating, however the plot tends to get more and more unrealistic until it becomes just plain preposterous towards the end. I understand that this novel has been made into a film, and I'm very interested to see it, although I probably wouldn't recommend the book.
Rating = **
Carpe Librum!
P.S. I've now seen the movie, and am able to compare the two. Sadly the movie didn't capture the essence described in the beginning of the book; which in my view was the best part of the novel.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the movie was even more preposterous than the book at the end, so I wouldn't recommend watching it.