Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

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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alexander15's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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revremishores's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Weird ass book.

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charming_killerqueen's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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theyretakingthehobbits's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

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fernash's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

3.0

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parsniper's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

An interesting writing experiment in that it is written mostly using the sense of smell. The book is lush in descriptions and exploration of an evil main character is kind of fun. Its an interesting read but not fun or relaxing. There is not much plot until the second half of the book plot and there is basically no character development. I don't agree with it's lord of the flies-esque commentary on the inherent evil of humanity, but it is an interesting commentary. It is fairly misogynistic so fair warning.

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leanajs's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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