Perfume
The Story of a Murderer
by Patrick Sskind
Should I read this?
Recommended by 1 source and appears in About France, Thriller & Suspense, and Mystery & Crime.
In the slums of eighteenthcentury France, the infant JeanBaptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift: an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs.But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not ...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 1 source and appears in About France, Thriller & Suspense, and Mystery & Crime.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Kurt Cobain
“I've read "Perfume" by Patrick Süskind about 10 times in my life, and... I can't stop reading it. It's like, something that's just stationary in my pocket all the time. It just doesn't leave me and uh, every time I'm bored, like, when I'm on an airplane or something I read it over and over again. 'Cause I'm a hypochondriac and it just affects me.”
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Recommended by 5 sources.
“This sprawling, detail-rich historical novel follows cathedral builders, nobles, and townspeople across decades, delivering immersive scene-setting and a steady accumulation of plotlines. Its useful part is the sustained attention to craft—architecture, politics, rivalry—that makes the medieval world tangible. The main limitation is repetitive melodrama and swings in pacing: long, satisfying set pieces sit beside stretches that feel slow or contrived. Better read slowly rather than skimmed; readers who stick it out will find payoff in the concluding convergences.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.