Perfume Collector, The
Tessaro, KathleenThe first time young Englishwoman Grace Munroe comes across the name Eva d'Orsay is in 1955 when she finds herself the beneficiary of her substantial fortune. Grace's quest to discover why she is to receive such an inheritance not only changes the course of her own life but reveals Eva's surprising and upwardly mobile story: from 1920s New York as a hotel maid, to Monte Carlo with all of its glitz and glamour, and on to the seductive realm of French perfumeries.
With a multilayered plot and strong female characters this book delivers a heady story of satisfying emotional intensity amidst an intoxicating world of style and high fashion. [Larger font]
Comments from Groups
This was a great read, and we all loved this book. Lots of twists and turns and a good ending. Omarama 001 We all loved this book. It was intriguing and humorous in parts. and it was interesting the way the story unfolded. It's nicely written, and an easy read that held our interest all the way through. Otorohanga 003 Generally, everyone really enjoyed this book. Dubbing it a good airplane or beach read, we decided it was a 'lighter than typical book group book', and 'a guilty little pleasure' Mapua 001 Quite a divisive book as far as our group was concerned - we either loved it or hated it with no midground. Just the thing to spark a good discussion. Wanganui 008 All of the group enjoyed this book; the writing style, the intrigue of the story, and the information gained regarding the making of perfume - the ingredients (both physical and non-physical) that go together with the gift of the artist. Hamilton 026 We generally enjoyed the book,although felt the characters were a little 'wooden'. We felt that the 'gift' of the book was learning about perfume and its complexities. Auckland 353 Lovely story. Although most, if not all, of us realised fairly early on where the book was heading, we enjoyed the journey...Auckland 009
Pages
456
456
Year
2013
2013
Reviews
22-02-2024
Enjoyed by all, a great story.
20-09-2023
We enjoyed the Paris connections!
06-03-2023
Very well received by the group. Intriguing information about the perfume industry, a pretty good mystery but relatively easy to predict the outcome.
10-10-2022
Gripping - within a week of receiving, it was finished... an interesting insight to perfume and its history.
30-06-2022
Overall we enjoyed this book - it wasn't the 'Chick Lit' we originally thought. Interesting writing with cameos of characters gradually linked through the passage of time. One of our group wrote of tendrils reaching from one space to another. Interesting insight into perfume making. All felt we wanted to know how Grace continued her journey.
30-06-2022
Everyone liked this book but didn't love it. We thought a lot more could have been made of a great story, and that was a little disappointing.
07-03-2022
An easy read, well-written, showcasing character development as individuals found themselves in differing circumstances and time. Lively discussions followed as to who wore perfume and why, and how did the fact add to or distract from the persona!
08-03-2019
The whole group enjoyed the descriptions of perfume development and the enhancement of the sense of smell. Most also thought the development of the story and the characters was good for three quarters of the book, but found the latter part was much less developed and wound up quickly. Generally though, a good read with excellent descriptions and a novel theme.
08-03-2019
Okay. A bit predictable and a light read, bordering on "chick-lit", but some members really enjoyed it.
08-03-2019
Everyone agreed that this was a firm favourite - so engaging and readable.
08-03-2019
We all loved this book. A great story, and lots of interesting discussion arose.
08-03-2019
Most of the group enjoyed this easy read. We had a lively discussion about how we would react to an unexpected inheritance. The perfume connection was interesting to some but not to others.
08-03-2019
We all LOVED the book.
08-03-2019
Most of us really enjoyed this book and were fascinated by the "perfume content", and now need to go to Grasse to be involved. We thought the character of Eva was well developed and intriguing, and we loved the Paris ambience - it brought back lots of wonderful memories for some of us. Overall a good book and one to be recommended.
10-12-2018
The whole group loved this book. They felt this was one of the best reads so far.