Kathleen TessaroCritiques

A lightweight story of an American woman living in London who comes across a 1960's guide to being elegant and how she uses and misuses the guidance to direct her life.

Guess I'm just tired of books that bounce back and forth between different generations.

Really enjoyed this book.

Fluffy and witty, more engaging than expected but could use some more surprise in the twists... I saw it all coming as it unfolded...still a good story!

“Most people assume that a muse is a creature of perfect beauty, poise and grace. Like the creatures from Greek mythology. They're wrong. In fact, there should be a marked absence of perfection in a muse--a gaping hole between what she is and what she might be. The ideal muse is a woman whose rough edges and contradictions drive you to fill in the blanks of her character. She is the irritant to your creativity. A remarkable possibility, waiting to be formed.”
― Kathleen Tessaro, The Perfume Collector

Edited for spelling and content: review itself from awhile ago:

While I enjoyed this book, and loved the settings particularly Paris, I did feel myself sort of rushing through it. I found both stories to be interesting but what I wanted was more about the perfume industry which, based on the book's description, I thought it was going to be about.

For a book that is supposed to be about perfume and its muses, we do not get alot of that. I felt it was a bit Noirish in some places which I generally like but not here. I wanted to be enveloped into the world of perfume. And that did not happen as much as I would have liked.

I also found one woman's story way more interesting then the other. But neither of them really grabbed me if I am being honest.

There was also a "twist". No spoiler..you will be able to guess it. I did. I guessed the twist almost immediately but I kind of felt we were supposed to if that makes sense.

On a positive note, I did get drawn into these women's lives and I cared about them. I think that overall this was an interesting read, just very different then I thought it would be.

SPOILERS:

The ending was not what I expected and not very realistic. The husband barely had a speaking role in the book. I wanted a confrontation between him and Grace.

I guess I have mixed feelings..which is what a 3 rating is all about! Some may love it, some may hate it, I kinda sorta liked it but not all that much.Three stars seems fair.

I really enjoyed reading this book but it had a hurried up unsatisfying ending½

I learned so much about the perfume industry and there was also a story line. Interesting! I like historical fiction.

a surprisingly captivating and interesting story, with minute ties to pieces of history.

I wasn't seeking out this book but it called my name from the library shelf and I'm glad. This a trek through pre- and post-war England and France and the world of perfume creation (not a topic I'd normally care about!). Tessaro tells the story from different time periods and different characters' perspectives. There's one part of the book where I found this cumbersome but, for the most part, it works well. A good read if you like historical fiction not set way into the past.

This book opens on a hot day in London. We know it's hot, because we're told the temperature... in degrees Fahrenheit. Sadly, this lack of attention to detail continues throughout the book, with an obvious lack of understanding of the duties of a lady's maid, the intersection of Roman Catholicism with the British class system, and the melting point of silver all throwing me out of the story at times. I also never really found the hero a convincing character. However, the book made for a diverting way to pass a train journey, and the ends were tied up in a pleasing and surprising manner. Some lovely descriptions in there, too.

I really enjoyed this easy to read book, it has a good storyline with interesting mainly likable character

Over the top in exactly the right ways... kept me up well past when I should have gone to sleep.

This novel followed the parallel stories of Eva d'Orsey and Grace Monroe. Having read many other books with similar plot lines, it wasn't too difficult to work out the connection between the two women fairly early on.

Eva's story was interesting and she was a survivor, but I didn't like how the author ended it. Grace. on the other hand, was fairly average and didn't show much potential except at the end when her husband arrived in Paris. I never emotionally connected with either woman and found them both rather uninspiring and flat as main protagonists.

In particular, I struggled with the second-half of the book and was glad to reach the last page. The first half was okay when Eva worked as a maid and Grace received word of her unexpected inheritance from a woman she never knew existed, but the latter half was very mediocre.

listened on audio book. wasn't a fan of the characters or even the story line.

Een toevallig ontdekte tweedehands gids over elegantie helpt een jonge Amerikaanse een nieuwe weg in te slaan.

I wish I could remember where I read a short blurb about this book that intrigued me enough to purchase a copy to read. I don't know what I expected but I just didn't expect what I read. The reading of this novel was quite a disappointment so would have enjoyed going back to read the blurb again that originally caught my attention to figure out the attraction.

I didn't realize I was as far along in the book as I was :-) I felt like I had only just started it and then realized I was half way through.

The storyline and different aspects of the storyline is pretty amazing ... and then when the whole thing comes together ... you've fallen in love with the characters and it's just a beautiful thing :-)

Wonderful wonderful story and very well written! :-)

Adrianne

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this book was, specifically because of the person that suggested I read it (we're no longer friends). This book was so good. By the end, the words and tone wrapped around me like a hug from a good friend. And there were at least two times I gasped aloud. Such a great read!

Adrianne

This is a lovely, yet predictable novel about a woman who inherits an apartment in Paris from someone she has never met. Grace is living unhappily in England when she discovers the mysterious Eva d'Orsey left her a beautiful apartment and a generous stock portfolio. A richly-detailed work of historical fiction, Tessaro weaves together the duo plotlines of Grace in the 1950s and Eva in the 1920s. Grace unravels the mystery of an abandoned perfume shop as she discovers the truth about her benefactor Eva, which will change her life forever.

Kathleen K. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

There are two stories within this book: that of Eva D'Orsey and that of Grace Munroe. I guessed the relationship between them long before it was revealed in the book.

Eva was raised by her uncle, who found her a job as a maid at a hotel in New York. During her time as a maid, Eva met Madame Zed and her apprentice Andre Valmont, both of whom had keen senses of smell that they used in creating perfumes. She also met Charles Lambert, who admired her skills with math and cards, and Katherine Waverly, an aspiring actress.

Grace was raised by an English couple, and is now married. Out of the blue, she gets a message from a French lawyer that Eva has left her a bequest. Grace is confused because she doesn't know Eva D'Orsey from Adam. Grace decides that she wants to know more about Eva before deciding what to do with the inheritance. Tissot, the lawyer, helps her with this quest. The story Grace uncovers is a romantic tragedy, but she also finds a sense of self and of what she wants.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I'm a sucker for chick lit books set in England. However, at the end of it, I wanted more. I wanted more closure to the historical story than what I ultimately got.

After a slow start, I found myself captivated by this book.

It's a story about the power of life's choices. It's a story of love, of sacrifice, and of family. But at it's core it is the story of how two women's lives are intertwined, and how the past catches up with the future.

I also found myself intrigued about the process of capturing scents to make perfume. I have never been a big perfume person but after reading this book I want to run out and find a scent that really speaks to me. Or, better yet, have someone create a scent especially for me. An extravagance, to be sure, but the book made it seem so special.

Overall, an interesting piece of historical fiction. 4 stars.

Della Tessaro ho adorato Elegance, al punto da ridurlo più volte ai minimi termini per tutte le volte che l'ho riletto...
Questo non ha niente a che vedere con l'ironia di "Zucchetta", anzi, è una storia triste e complessa. Anche qui, l'autrice alterna il racconto dal tempo dei ricordi ad un tempo presente dove questi stessi ricordi in qualche modo sono ancora vivi.
La ricerca della felicità e di un obiettivo da raggiungere è resa ancor più ardua dagli scherzi della vita: Evie è, nonostante tutto, una donna forte e il finale vedo/non vedo è perfetto.
Speravo di sorridere di più, ma è questa l'unica delusione: tre stelle di cuore.

Not a bad tale, but the story seemed very rushed for an ending and I felt let down. I was so much more interested in Eva's story than Grace's and felt cheated at the resolution of the last couple of portions of her life's story. The perfume making process was also really interesting but didn't completely come together for Eva or Grace's story and certainly didn't end up tying it all together as well as I think the author intended. And the Lambert character was unfinished and I found it difficult to relate to him. The power shifts between him, Eva, and Albert (? I've already forgotten his name) lacked explanation and depth and were hard to believe as well.