As the book's subtitle suggests, The Perfect Scent is the story of "a year inside the perfume industry in Paris and New York". Author Chandler Burr is the scent critic for The New York Times (a scent critic! I'd never heard of such a thing, but of course it makes sense that there are people whose job it is to critique perfume).

In The Perfect Scent, Burr shows readers the perfume industry from the inside. In it, he chronicles the development of two very distinct perfumes--in two different environments--over the course of the year. The first, is Hermés' Un Jardin sur le Nil (I'm so intrigued by this one - I need to get myself to a high-end department store so I can smell it for myself), the second, Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely (which is on the scented bookmark that accompanied my copy of the book).

Honestly I wasn't sure whether I'd like this book. These types of industry profiles can be fascinating or boring. While The Perfect Scent isn't a page turner, it is a very interesting read. Though the narrative is occasionally too personal and his technical explanations are sometimes too detailed, Burr is a very good writer. He knows his subject, he's opinionated (I love his descriptions of "bad" perfumes - actually I like his perfume descriptions in general), and he's passionate about educating consumers.

The Perfect Scent made me want to go smell out a perfume for myself. It confirmed some of my preconceptions about the industry, and dismantled others. Most importantly it intrigued me. It made me think about perfume, which is not something I normally do, and it helped me to understand what's behind a good scent.

I passed this book on to a new reader at the Rochester bookcrossing meetup.

I passed this book on to a new reader at the Rochester bookcrossing meetup.

Why do I think I can go to a BookCrosser meeting and come home without more books? :-) Thank you, Karen!

Just finished reading this book which I would never have picked up on my own. Karen, thank you for recommending it! It amazed me that designers and celebrities think the public believes they design their own scents; however, Sarah Jessica Parker truly did have an idea and much to say about hers. I find myself inhaling deeply when someone wearing scent is near me. I have lived in the heads/noses of the author, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jean-Claude Ellena. I know I will be making a trip to a department store soon to inhale some perfumes for myself. Even more definite...I am saving up to buy a bottle of Ellena's Un Jardin sur le Nil. Having not yet inhaled it, I know I must have some. Delightful reading even though I quickly skimmed the "scientific stuff."

Have given this book to a non-bookcrossing friend. She was interested in the concept, and I hope she at least makes a journal entry after she reads it.