I made the odd discovery that after finishing that book I would actually smell things better. Probably because now I pay more attention to it.

Fun fact, Grenouille is also the French word for “Frog”

This was shot last month - review starts at 3:10

I lie in the soil and fertilize mushrooms

I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO DO THIS FOR SO LONG YAS

Just finished the book today. I felt a myriad of emotions with this book. Had to put it down a few times to compute what I just read and digest the layers of emotions and symbolism. Especially, Chapter 49 and forward. I have to say it’s my favourite book thus far.

I read this book a couple of months ago, after you did a review of "The Pigeon". Thks for introducing Patrick Suskind. Love his work.

I think the book has an unreliable narrator. We are meant to believe that Grenouille does not love nor care about anything but his perfume. But I think that's why he tries to create the scent, and also why he dies the way he does - in a last effort to be loved. I think the novel leaves no doubt that he cannot be accepted or loved by his surroundings. Thus he is made the monster rather than being born as one... Yes, he is a murderer. But he never was given the chance to live a normal life in the first place. Even as a baby he was singled out as being unnormal... the narrator makes us believe that Grenouille is a monster from the start. Unreliable narration... that's how I see the novel.

I have a sudden theory that Suskind, Tykwer, and The Wachowskis read that biography of Bataille in the late 80s. Maybe it’s just because that was the era I personally devoured this book. And all sorts of other art. You know, just being young and alive. Feels a particular way. We loved this book.

This book made me smell everything more, I have always liked candles/Incense/perfumes but now I want to know all of the ingredients, what they smell like and where they come from

your channel enhances my life - you have no idea - thank you

Just started reading this book last week, what a pleasant surprise

I love that book! And, by the way, your pronunciation of "Süskind" was really good 👍

I didn't realize this was a book but I watched a foreign series on Netflix called Perfume and enjoyed it very much. From what I remember of it, it is similar to what you've described here, and yet different. I love how you think and analyse.

Did not know "Scentless Apprentice" was influenced by a book.

My favourite book... never read something so outrageous yet relatable!

I watched a little bit of it on Patreon, but never got to finish it properly. Everyone always talks about Perfume. And with everything everyone talks about I am always a bit skeptical. But with your approval, it's a go!

There definitely is a recurring theme of loosing everything before you die in the story.

Also in 'Grenouille' don't mind the lls it's just pronounced grenouye

Ah yes this is one of my favourite reads. Thank you for the review:) I enjoyed it very much. The epistemic question regarding self identity, therefore purpose in life, really stuck with me after I finished Perfume. If you have the time, I'd love it if you could do a review for The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. :) Thanks again.

I loved this book, and also The Pigeon (the latter maybe even more so). I think it definitely has a deeper meaning; Süskind is possibly commenting on or criticising the philosophy of sensualism. The whole book seems to have so much symbolism/depth...i think it would take a few reads to get the most of it! But its meaning is debated...

The day you'll start learning French, you'll be surprised by the pronunciation of ''grenouille''. ;) So, I'm sooo excited by this review! I've been following you since the very beginning and I was waiting for this video! Perfume is one of my favourite books. In my opinion, Grenouille is probably a psychopath... His lack of empathy is disturbing. He wants recognition more than love since he doesn't really know what love is. He's never experienced it. And I don't remember him feeling sad by his perfume's effect on people. He achieved what he felt he had to achieve, and now he can die fully accomplished. Grenouille isn't a normal human being. His vision of life and purpose are very different from our own understanding.He was obsessed, and now that he has done what he had to do in his own eyes, he doesn't have a reason to live anymore. Being eaten alive is, in his distorted mind, a glorious end. I was always amazed by the last lines of the book. I cannot find them, but I remember them in French. It was along the lines of ''They looked at eachother and started smiling, for they had done for the fist time in their life something out of love.'' That's Grenouille's twisted view of love, even if it means being craved for. Literally. What a great book. I was laughing so much when the orgy happened. I didn't expect that at all.

Just finished this book today! Great book! Cliff, have you seen the movie and is it worth checking out?

Oh, I was wondering if you've read The Notebook by Ágota Kristóf? It's the first novel of an amazing French trilogy. The books are short and can be read very quickly. The second one is The Proof and the third one is The Third Lie. You won't regret it. ;) These books are very close on my list of favourites to Perfume.

I'm happy you're doing this book. I loved it.

Just finished this five mins ago! Had no idea about the Nirvana link and they are one of my favourite bands.

I sought out your review because I wanted to hear your thoughts on one of my favourite books.

I really love your channel! Have you read The Croning by Laird Barron? It's an horror novel, but I think you'll like it. And, since is October...

Is that a copy of fanged noumena on your side table?

Has anyone here ever seen that old Chanel ad based off of this book? It's really well done - it's premise is basically that for every No. of Chanel perfume there was a murdered woman, and that No.5 was formulated as the result of that process. Look it up.

Nice reviews, can we maybe have a Pynchon's 'gravity's rainbow' on the near future?

Oh shoot! Are you doing a review of Nick Lands’s Fanged Noumena?

Please can you review some John Cheever? “The stories of” or “Falconer”

I also loved this book. For anyone interested there is a German crime series on Netflix that is inspired by the book but set in modern times.

Great review of my fave book! Grenouille is pronounced Gren-Wee

My favorite book. Loved the review. And the movie was the most perfect an adaptation could get, in my opinion.

One of my favourites. In my top 5 for sure.

I remember Irma.. it was so fun. Floridian here

I think I got a bit fooled cause I found the characters to be very one note or cartoonish around the protagonist but in my head it has become an amazing book

What an insane review! Good job! The only thing you didn't mention is that he didn't want to be a killer... he tried to pay a prostitute to do it without killing. I feel like that's important.

I'm in Florida , St pete, and was without power for 10 days after Irma. I'm here cause Kurt Cobain said he loved this book. Was curious what it was about.

Love this book

The Florida Keyes got hit bad, but the HEMMINGWAY CATS are OKAY! 😊👌

Dude, yes. My favourite Album: In Utero.

Could it be perhaps argued that there is a correlation between the perversity of grenouille and the perversity of god where both act upon a primordial urge to be adored/acknowledged and through their invisible/unknown/undiscoverable actions, they wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting bystanders/victims?

Loved Perfume and The Pigeon, both superb books and even enjoyed the film of Perfume.

So, do you believe that morals are non-subjective? If you think some are, do you think there are exceptions?

Does anyone know if monsieur still provides critique on writing? And how I can enlist monsieur's help?

Can you do Gravity's rainbow? Thank you so much for doing these, I really enjoy them!

Yeees!! I've been waiting for your thoughts on this magnificent piece of art for quite some time now. This and Blood Meridian are probably my two favourite novels. I'd say that Judge Holden is kind of jolly or at least funny sometimes :D and Grenouille definitely is not. Also judge is a lot more frightening, however they both absolutely have this odd mystique about them. I think Grenouille is like an extreme example of social anxiety too I'd say XD I kind of also pictured him as Arno Frisch from Funny Games. Anyways, great review man! I love that you often recommend books that aren't familiar to me, but it's AWESOME to hear you talk about books that I've read too so thank you a lot! In addition, I think these long, a bit rambling reviews are your best ones. Keep up the good work Cliff! (Also I recommend you watch Mindhunter, it'a bit like True Detective and David Fincher was involved in making it.) :)

I just bought this book resently, and always wanted to buy this. Its a pretty strange book so far

I have a novel I’d like you to review. It’s called The Birdshack Redemption, and it is a retelling of The Shawshank Redemption, the novella by Steven King. But, I can’t afford to pay ‘a dollar per page!’

The book is soo good Kurt Cobain even made a song about it

Im a fan of both the book and kurt cobain.

We love Kurt

Please Henry Miller! please! :)

Great review, thanks! I read "Perfume" many years back, and my problem with it was that, while I thought the story was compelling, the ending was rubbish and, I thought, sort of an act of desperation on the part of the author. The fact is that people respond very differently to fragrances. As we all know, some people turn us on in a big way - by scent, even if we don't realize it at first - and others simply don't, no matter how good-looking and charismatic they might otherwise be. This isn't exactly rocket science! There are other factors involved too. Some years ago, I thought the scent of my Great Love was the best smell in the world. After the relationship hit the rocks and turned severely toxic, however, she smelled downright poisonous to me. Also, as a straight guy, I find some women olfactorily attractive, whereas all men frankly stink as far as I'm concerned. The same applies to commercial scents, which can smell wonderful or disgusting. A GF of mine from some time back used to stink of chlorine, as if she had doused herself in scouring powder. That was always a bit of a challenge in love-making! I later realized it was probably some sort of expensive scent that just didn't work for me. I've also heard that those fancy pheromone fragrances people buy can smell either like sex or like slightly rancid meat to the opposite gender. My point is that no one scent, or even mix of scents, is going to provoke a vast orgy, let alone get the protagonist eaten alive in a graveyard. So the book did not convince me that a universal scent was possible, and thus the conclusion, while it makes a sort of literary sense, demanded more suspension of disbelief that I was willing to give.

Just upgraded my Patreon now. Want to try some coffee!!

I am 13, I got the book cause I saw an interview that Kurt Cobain recommended it. I really enjoy it so far.

Review Lust, Caution (pls). Also congrats for surviving.

Ever thought about reviewing some Nietzsche?

well your review quality sure came a long way from 2017 :)

Are you Dylan Carlson?

people ask for patreon when they spend most of their time editing and researching videos because it becomes their job. seems like all you do is read a book you would have read anyway and then speak to a camera for a few minutes. i didn't know people were this ignorant with their money. maybe i should ask for patreon members too.

I spy a Fanged Noumena paperback.

Review a book called Locust its available on amazon

Book about misanthropy

There is something very Grenouille about Jeffrey Dahmer

Jean Baptiste was autistic. Has no one realized this?

I remember watching this movie back in the day and really rooting for the guy to catch the girl and make the perfume. Something's wrong with me.

stop with those scams

Kurt Cobain

All of the analysis of this piece of work has gotten it wrong. All of it

First half of that book was amazing, the second half was a big disappointment.