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The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York Audiobook
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(3.03) - 500 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
No journalist has ever been allowed into the ultrasecretive, highly pressured process of originating a perfume. But Chandler Burr, the New York Times perfume critic, spent a year behind the scenes observing the creation of two major fragrances. Now, writing with wit and elegance, he juxtaposes the stories of the perfumes—one created by a Frenchman in Paris for an exclusive luxury-goods house, the other made in New York by actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Coty, Inc., a giant international corporation. We follow Coty's mating of star power to the marketing of perfume, watching Sex and the City's Parker heading a hugely expensive campaign to launch a scent into the overcrowded celebrity market. Will she match the success of Jennifer Lopez? Does she have the international fan base to drive worldwide sales?
In Paris at the elegant Hermès, we see Jean Claude Ellena, his company's new head perfumer, given a challenge: he must create a scent to resuscitate Hermès's perfume business and challenge le monster of the industry, bestselling Chanel No. 5. Will his pilgrimage to a garden on the Nile supply the inspiration he needs? The answer lies in Burr's informative and mesmerizing portrait of some of the extraordinary personalities who envision, design, create, and launch the perfumes that drive their billion-dollar industry.
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"When Chandler Burr is good, he's very good, but when he's bad, he's better--meaning he can write beautifully about fragrances he loves, but when it comes to acerbic criticism of scents he hates, he is downright hilarious. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to pull the verlvet curtain back on the mysterious (and, at times, nonsensical) world of perfume."
— Stephanie (4 out of 5 stars)
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A thorough and often hilarious account of perfumery's colorful characters, the science and art of fragrance creation and the human experience of scent itself.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review
The Perfect Scent Listener Reviews
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" Not as good as Burr's Emperor of Scent, but I learned more of what I'd like to know about how perfume is made. Burr is a fine writer. This subject amuses and pleases me. "
— Paddy, 12/26/2013 -
" I loved this audio book! I'm going to buy samples of some of the perfumes and I want to read the print edition. "
— Francesca, 11/23/2013 -
" i tend not to read a lot of non-fict, but i loved this. burr did a great job of keeping me interested and making the science understandable. "
— Sienna, 11/7/2013 -
" Exactly the type of non-fiction reading that draws me to The New Yorker. Concise, descriptive, introspective. "
— Judy, 11/2/2013 -
" very interesting and engaging look into a very private industry. for me perfume is the intersection of art, science and business; a combination of three topics that intrigue me. "
— Maura, 10/29/2013 -
" Fun, frivolous, luxurious, aspirational. Lots of good (or totally ridiculous) descriptions of what must be sublime smells. Too bad it didn't come with echantillons. "
— Sps, 10/29/2013 -
" This author was our neighbor in Paris. He caused a bit of a rukus because he didn't like the way the restaurant on the ground floor smelled. "
— Sharilyn, 10/12/2013 -
" This was a fascinating look inside an industry I knew nothing about -- really interesting mix of chemistry, art, and fashion politics. "
— Laurel, 9/16/2013 -
" An interesting inside look at the perfume industry, with a touch of expose. Burr speaks frankly and eloquently of both the mechanics of the business, and it's products. "
— Anne, 8/15/2013 -
" The writing is extremely pretentious, and the author wastes no opportunity to let us know that he's really quite far above writing about perfume. "
— Memoriam, 5/26/2013 -
" Loved this book, fascinating. "
— Anna, 10/15/2012 -
" I found the insight into perfumery fascinating. Nerdy, I know. The part about laundry soap...wow. "
— Leslie, 7/7/2012 -
" I pick up a bottle of perfume every day and spray myself with its intoxicating scent -- but never, did I realize what went into the process of placing the bottle in my hands. Nor did I know the secrecy behind the industry that Chandler Burr carefully unfolds before you as the pages turn. A fun read. "
— Rebecca, 11/10/2011 -
" I love perfume and loved reading this book. "
— Lorie, 7/8/2011 -
" An interesting look at the perfume industry from two different perspectives. I sometimes got lost in the molecules, but overall I found it very hard to put down. Anyone into senses would find this book interesting. "
— Marie-claude, 5/28/2011 -
" Absolutely fascinating--an intriguing introduction to both the business and the science of frangrance. Very accessible and engaging. "
— Katherine, 5/28/2011 -
" A great read about the perfume industry. A bit too gushy about Jean Claude Elena, but really, can you blame him? "
— Market, 1/27/2011 -
" very interesting and engaging look into a very private industry. for me perfume is the intersection of art, science and business; a combination of three topics that intrigue me. "
— Maura, 1/13/2011 -
" Fascinating look at the tension between business and artistry, desire and outcome, old world and new in the world of perfume creation. "
— Juno, 6/14/2010 -
" I found the insight into perfumery fascinating. Nerdy, I know. The part about laundry soap...wow. "
— Leslie, 5/12/2010 -
" A great read for any olfactorily-oriented person. It's rare to find descriptions of smells, and naturally, this book is full of them. <br/> <br/>If I'm a really, really good person for the rest of my life, then maybe in my next life I will get to come back as a perfumer. "
— Becky, 4/27/2010 -
" The writing is extremely pretentious, and the author wastes no opportunity to let us know that he's really quite far above writing about perfume. "
— Good, 4/24/2010
About Chandler Burr
Chandler Burr is the New York Times perfume critic and the author of The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession, and the Last Mystery of the Senses and A Separate Creation. Burr, who earned a master’s in international economics and Japan studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, has written for the Atlantic; the New York Times Magazine; US News & World Report, where he was a contributing editor; and the New Yorker. He lives in New York City.
About Mel Foster
Tanya Eby is a novelist and an audiobook narrator who has earned several AudioFile Earphones Awards and been nominated for the Audie Award. She has a BA degree in English language and literature and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine.