Fiction Book Review: The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
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- The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro - Book Club Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions: 1. The book is described as a secret history told in scent. The three perfumes Andre Valmont creates for Eva mark significant turning points in her life and changes in her identity.
Do you have a secret history in perfume? What three perfumes best describe different turning points in your life? Discuss the significance that perfume plays in your own life to alter mood or trigger a memory. Each of the main characters is not quite what they seem to be upon first meeting. How do they appear originally, and how do they change? What do you consider to be the significance of this in the story and how does it alter your opinion of them?
Should perfume always be pleasing? She was born into a wealthy, aristocratic family and only discovered she was actually the child of another man in adulthood, when he left his Paris apartment to her in his will. This woman was never able to reconcile her true history.
Do you think Eva a good mother? Point to examples as to why or why not. Why do you believe this is kept ambiguous? Imagine you discovered that your parents were not biologically related to you. What part of your identity would change as a result? What personal backstory about who you are and who you ought to be would you feel free to let go of? Would it alter your values or place in the world? Or would it not make any difference to you? It forms the principal legacy that Grace inherits. How does she pass on that legacy?
If you have a passion for reading and, like most, have no time to find the right book, browse the most popular books trending right now. They are all page-turners, and they all let you escape from reality. Browse A Little. All rights reserved. The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro. Discussion Questions by Author. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid In this entrancing novel "that speaks to the Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in us all" Kirkus Reviews , a legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman's act of violence against her husband-and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
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- The Perfume Collector Summary | SuperSummary
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Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. A remarkable novel about secrets, desire, memory, passion, and possibility. Weaving through the deca A remarkable novel about secrets, desire, memory, passion, and possibility. The Perfume Collector explores the complex and obsessive love between muse and artist, and the tremendous power of memory and scent.
Get A Copy. Hardcover , pages. Published May 14th by Harper first published April More Details Original Title. Eva d'Orsey , Grace Munroe. Other Editions All Editions Add a New Edition. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Perfume Collector , please sign up. This question contains spoilers They have an appointment, she is early. Is it an error? Latarsha I came here looking for an answer to the same question!
It would seem that on a second printing of this book that the typo and a few others would ha …more I came here looking for an answer to the same question! It would seem that on a second printing of this book that the typo and a few others would have been corrected. Unless, as a commenter below said, maybe Eva was so concerned about discretion that she made the appointment with the attorney under Madame Hiver's name. That seems odd though considering the real Madame Hiver is indeed alive.
If this is a typo, what a huge one to make. I figured that there were enough hints early on "she likes you, it should be easy" amd then there's the drama, she leaves, and he wins the 20, francs, sends her the info re grace, and dies.
And then the actress gets in the car wreck, face destroyed, goes back to mn. I get that she was the prostitute from ny, but where was the revenge?
How did Eva orchestrate it? Lea This answer contains spoilers… view spoiler [I assumed Lambert slept with her and gave her syphilis. See all 17 questions about The Perfume Collector…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3.
Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of The Perfume Collector. Jun 23, Amy rated it it was amazing Shelves: love-stories , realistic-fiction , historical-fiction. I seriously loved this book. I only have one complaint that I will share at the end, which is a spoiler, so beware Grace, Eva, Monsieur Thissot, Mr. Lambert, Rita, Valmont, Madame Zed, Madame Hiver, and the rest of the characters in this book are eclectic, strange, maniacal, subdued, eccentric, and at times, plain crazy.
Each one of them added to the overall character and life of this book. Add to the characters a unique and quirky story involving the smells of our lives and the life of a per I seriously loved this book. Add to the characters a unique and quirky story involving the smells of our lives and the life of a perfumer, and you have the recipe for an amazing book.
I especially love books where I can learn a little while reading. I love books where the author has had to do her or his research into the time period, or technical issues pertaining to a book. I loved this twist of perfumes-- of how one smell or a combination of smells can take you back to a place in time, a moment, an hour, a day.
I loved how this story was slowly revealed to the reader from two time periods. I felt my mind wandering ahead trying to figure out the connections, like a child's dot-to-dot picture.
Of course, I guessed how Eva was related to Grace, long before Grace figured it out, but how their lives became intertwined and how and why Eva did what she did, took more time. I wanted to be Grace trying oysters for the first time. I wanted those bottles of perfume in front of me so I could smell the scents. Maybe this book was particularly interesting because I am living in the Middle East and I see oud shops and perfumers all over the place.
They will concoct your own special blend of myrrh and frankincense and oud to burn in your home. Maybe it is just a world that I took for granted, but I loved the whole thing!! I will think twice the next time I smell something particularly unpleasant or odd because of this book.
I wanted to see Grace in a year's time. I wanted to know what she had been up to, what she had done with the family jewels, with her own life and her mind. She was not a woman to be content to sit in her lavish apartment, biding her time.
Her brain was too active for that. So, what then? Was she happy? We see the book leaning to that direction, but I really wanted an epilogue!!! I really did!!! View all 33 comments. Set in both pre and post World War II, the story follows one woman's journey through a very eventful life, which ultimately affects another's by leaving her a small fortune plus a beautiful apartment in Paris.
These perfumes though are special, creating not just a beautiful odour, but also creating bespoke fragrances with specific memories. It's a well told story that is saturated with this Set in both pre and post World War II, the story follows one woman's journey through a very eventful life, which ultimately affects another's by leaving her a small fortune plus a beautiful apartment in Paris.
It's a well told story that is saturated with this interconnecting perfume theme, and you can almost drown yourself in it's beauty, very enjoyable. Now excuse me while I dash off to my nearest perfumery!! View all 39 comments. Sep 27, Lori rated it it was ok. Eva's story was interesting; Grace's story left me yawning.
But the worst part about this book was the absolutely horrible editing job. I have seen fewer grammatical and word usage errors in an advanced reader copy. It was distracting and infuriating. I am mentally composing my letter to Harper Collins in which I offer my services as a copy editor. They need me. View all 27 comments. Grace Monroe receives an inheritance unexpectedly from someone named Eva living in France who she does not know.
Grace takes a trip to France to figure out who Eva is and work out certain personal issues in her marriage. It's a short and easy read and has a interesting plot line. A lot of it was pretty predictable and the plot is a little all over the place. Not the next great american novel but it's a good read for when you just want to relax and not think too hard, when you need one of those f Grace Monroe receives an inheritance unexpectedly from someone named Eva living in France who she does not know.
Not the next great american novel but it's a good read for when you just want to relax and not think too hard, when you need one of those feel good books where the protagonist figures it all out. View all 12 comments. Feb 02, Dem rated it really liked it Shelves: war.
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