This is probably one of the best stories I have ever read. Just like smelling your favorite scent or perfume, this story will make you heady with all the smells and descriptions that are so vivid. It was like being there myself in Grasse, France, testing for myself the different scent samples. It was a very delightful experience.
Have you ever smelled something and remembered a whole story from that smell alone? This story is like that. A single scent, very vivid that it will bombard you with varying emotions that they will appear so tangible that you can taste them. From that single aroma, it's like going through the emotions the perfumer has gone through while creating that scent. You will smell and taste all the heartaches and triumphs with just that one long whiff. Reading this story is like that. Yes, you will definitely discover the perfumer's secret.
One of the characters here that I don't really like but stood out, not in a good way, is Philippe. He's this type of person who knows that what he's doing or planning is not right but he still chose to do it. So unbelievable, right? Good thing, in the end, he chose to do the right thing. Finally, he actually has a conscience. That saved his character there but still, I did not like him. What bothers me most about his character was he was not actually the most notable one. But his refusal to stand up was a major red mark that makes him a big eye sore.
This story just elicited and demanded a lot of emotions from me. My heart bleeds with the same hurt caused by the heartaches and broken hearts in this story. I was upset and discouraged when Zoe's efforts turned out to be another false lead. But I also rejoiced when she finally found the secret, her secret. This was such a roller coaster ride of emotions. I felt like my heart was bruised but the whole ride was so exhilarating that I can't help but want to take that roller coaster ride over again.
This is a very sweet and aromatic story that will take your emotions up and down. The descriptions are so rich and detailed that you will feel like walking the streets of Grasse and agree that being a perfumer is a very grand profession. I feel like wanting to be one because of this story. This profession is so grandiose and filled with so much passion that you're either in it with everything you've got or better not at all. It's a job that demands your whole being and a passion that's so unyielding. It's like a job that will take you even beyond yourself, beyond your boundaries, and beyond your strictly self-imposed restrictions. Zoe's passion for this science and art is so overpowering that I can actually touch it. It's this overflowing passion that will drive you to fall in love with her character and this story. The author perfectly captured that.
So yes, this is definitely 5/5 elegant bottles of the most exquisite and expensive perfumes. It's so intoxicating. I think I sat dazed minutes after reading this book. I was so fascinated that I think I was still imagining the scents hours after the story was over. This story will stay with you, just like the scents here that will seem to haunt you. Ah, even while writing this review, I find myself going back and recalling the smells and the feeling associated and involved in creating a specific and unique perfume. I want to relive the feeling I had while reading this story and how this somehow squeezed my heart and made it want to live life with so much passion for just life itself. So it's true, the greatest emotions can always create a powerful scent. Just ask a perfumer.
Men are like perfume. They envelope us with intensity, and then slowly but surely, they drift away.
- Adria J. Cimino, A Perfumer's Secret -
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