The Perfume Collector - Hardcover

Tessaro, Kathleen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062257838 ISBN 13: 9780062257833

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2013

Synopsis

A remarkable novel about secrets, desire, memory, passion, and possibility.

Newlywed Grace Monroe doesn’t fit anyone’s expectations of a successful 1950s London socialite, least of all her own. When she receives an unexpected inheritance from a complete stranger, Madame Eva d’Orsey, Grace is drawn to uncover the identity of her mysterious benefactor.

Weaving through the decades, from 1920s New York to Monte Carlo, Paris, and London, the story Grace uncovers is that of an extraordinary women who inspired one of Paris’s greatest perfumers. Immortalized in three evocative perfumes, Eva d’Orsey’s history will transform Grace’s life forever, forcing her to choose between the woman she is expected to be and the person she really is.

The Perfume Collector explores the complex and obsessive love between muse and artist, and the tremendous power of memory and scent.

About this title

Review:

""The Perfume Collector" is a crackling, beautifully paced story that weaves the world of fragrance into the lives of two vibrant women in a way few have experienced. Inhale deeply--a new way of telling a story of the heart."--Kate Alcott, author of "The Dressmaker"

"A colorful, stimulating journey through time."--"Kirkus"

"Dazzles the senses."--"Publishers Weekly"

"A mesmerising novel of passion and scent."--"Woman and Home" (UK)

"The Perfume Collector" is a crackling, beautifully paced story that weaves the world of fragrance into the lives of two vibrant women in a way few have experienced. Inhale deeply--a new way of telling a story of the heart. --Kate Alcott, author of "The Dressmaker""

A colorful, stimulating journey through time. --"Kirkus""

Dazzles the senses. --"Publishers Weekly""

A mesmerising novel of passion and scent. --"Woman and Home" (UK)"

The Perfume Collector is a crackling, beautifully paced story that weaves the world of fragrance into the lives of two vibrant women in a way few have experienced. Inhale deeply--a new way of telling a story of the heart. --Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker"

Fragrance, fashion, and a puzzling bequest lead a 1950s British socialite into a whirl of Parisian intrigue in Kathleen Tessaro s The Perfume Collector. --Good Housekeeping"

From the Back Cover:

An inheritance from a mysterious stranger . . .
An abandoned perfume shop on the Left Bank of Paris . . .
And three exquisite perfumes that hold a memory . . . and a secret

London, 1955: Grace Monroe is a fortunate young woman. Despite her sheltered upbringing in Oxford, her recent marriage has thrust her into the heart of London's most refined and ambitious social circles. However, playing the role of the sophisticated socialite her husband would like her to be doesn't come easily to her—and perhaps never will.

Then one evening a letter arrives from France that will change everything. Grace has received an inheritance. There's only one problem: she has never heard of her benefactor, the mysterious Eva d'Orsey.

So begins a journey that takes Grace to Paris in search of Eva. There, in a long-abandoned perfume shop on the Left Bank, she discovers the seductive world of perfumers and their muses, and a surprising, complex love story. Told by invoking the three distinctive perfumes she inspired, Eva d'Orsey's story weaves through the decades, from 1920s New York to Monte Carlo, Paris, and London.

But these three perfumes hold secrets. And as Eva's past and Grace's future intersect, Grace realizes she must choose between the life she thinks she should live and the person she is truly meant to be.

Illuminating the lives and challenging times of two fascinating women, The Perfume Collector weaves a haunting, imaginative, and beautifully written tale filled with passion and possibility, heartbreak and hope.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0062257838
• ISBN 13: 9780062257833
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 456