https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2024/05/2024067-perfume-collector-katherine.html ( )

It was a good story not very well told.

Typos, errors, and inaccuracies bother me; they distract me from the story, tending to make me go back and read again, thinking I had misread. This book contained many of these. For example:

Two farmers on their way to market early in the morning in 1920s France would not be riding on a train (they'd have a cart or wagon), and would not be heading from Monte Carlo out to the countryside but rather the other way around.

A client at a posh hotel in Monte Carlo would not be rudely treated by the front desk because when checking in he was wearing a worn suit. They would treat him like all other clients or they would refuse him service. They also would not give him a shabby room. A hotel like that has no shabby rooms.

And very distracting is when, at the end, one of the two main characters in the book is misnamed. If that was intentional, I can’t imagine what the purpose could have been.

But despite such annoyances, I enjoyed the book. Although the story wasn’t particularly plausible, it was still good fun.
( )

Guess I'm just tired of books that bounce back and forth between different generations. ( )

Fluffy and witty, more engaging than expected but could use some more surprise in the twists... I saw it all coming as it unfolded...still a good story! ( )

“Most people assume that a muse is a creature of perfect beauty, poise and grace. Like the creatures from Greek mythology. They're wrong. In fact, there should be a marked absence of perfection in a muse--a gaping hole between what she is and what she might be. The ideal muse is a woman whose rough edges and contradictions drive you to fill in the blanks of her character. She is the irritant to your creativity. A remarkable possibility, waiting to be formed.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, The Perfume Collector

Edited for spelling and content: review itself from awhile ago:

While I enjoyed this book, and loved the settings particularly Paris, I did feel myself sort of rushing through it. I found both stories to be interesting but what I wanted was more about the perfume industry which, based on the book's description, I thought it was going to be about.

For a book that is supposed to be about perfume and its muses, we do not get alot of that. I felt it was a bit Noirish in some places which I generally like but not here. I wanted to be enveloped into the world of perfume. And that did not happen as much as I would have liked.

I also found one woman's story way more interesting then the other. But neither of them really grabbed me if I am being honest.

There was also a "twist". No spoiler..you will be able to guess it. I did. I guessed the twist almost immediately but I kind of felt we were supposed to if that makes sense.

On a positive note, I did get drawn into these women's lives and I cared about them. I think that overall this was an interesting read, just very different then I thought it would be.

SPOILERS:

The ending was not what I expected and not very realistic. The husband barely had a speaking role in the book. I wanted a confrontation between him and Grace.

I guess I have mixed feelings..which is what a 3 rating is all about! Some may love it, some may hate it, I kinda sorta liked it but not all that much.Three stars seems fair. ( )