Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

18 reviews

lugotthecinema's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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dhyani's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A once in a lifetime kind of book, I don’t think I would ever read it again. Humanity is shown as bare as imaginable, the main character is the embodiment of everything that a human loathes in himself and everything that is opposite of a  human. The role of perfume in this book makes you think about the senses and how they affect people. 
I think it’s refreshing in the sense that it’s so thoroughly different and dark, I would even say disgusting. 
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ninocapipoca's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Wow. What the fuck did I just read. It’s disturbing on so many levels, but in a self-aware way. It makes you think a fair bit about how humans interact & develop relationships and the human psyche in general. The ending left me with my chin on the floor at how gruesome it was. The main character is despicable, by no means lovable and does not draw sympathy from the reader, which I think is the point. I also found it quite well written. Would recommend, but only if you’re ready for a story in which there is truly no hope, no happy ending, just a narcissistic desire taken to the extreme.
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jo35_21's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

"Perfume" follows a serial killer who develops an obsession with scents. Upon discovering that he himself has no natural odor, he creates perfumes using grotesque ingredients including deceased animal remains, rotting food, and horrifically, body parts from murdered young girls. These concoctions grant him an almost supernatural ability to manipulate others, perhaps due to his own lack of scent.

The story powerfully illustrates humanity's capacity for darkness, with the protagonist himself acknowledging his monstrous nature. In many ways, he embodies evil itself. The writing is simultaneously beautiful and horrifying, leaving me muttering "WTF" every few pages. It's possibly the most beautifully written yet disturbing book I've ever read.

While I was drawn into the story, I had some major issues with it. The way young victims are described is very uncomfortable and unnecessary. It's also frustrating that the killer only gets caught after killing someone from a wealthy family - what about all the other victims? Lastly, I really disliked the character Richis, who treats his daughter in very disturbing ways throughout the book.


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disguisedposer's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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megsspookysanctuary's review against another edition

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4.5

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thefriendlydragon's review against another edition

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  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

The writing style is nice, though there is very little dialogue and that usually bothers me.
CWs: the n word and g word are used in the text!
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zauet's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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bgick's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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miamoo1004's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


I really enjoyed the book the ending had me shocked. I also enjoyed Grenouille’s character and how he was perceived and that we got to see his thoughts and dreams it added a lot more depth to his character.
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