Perfumes: The Guide
by Luca Turin, Tania Sanchez
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Book Reviews of Perfumes: The Guide
Book Review: A review of: Perfumes The Guide
Summary: 3 Stars
The first part is a 49 page commentary about fine fragrances. The authors discuss the peculiarities involved in writing about a subject as evanescent as fragrance. Then they comment on the feminine and masculine properties of fragrances.
The second part of the book is over 300 pages, and the authors review nearly 1500 different fragrances. The authors assume that the reader already has a lot of experience with fine fragrances. I don't yet know a lot about fine fragrances. I bought this book to learn more about perfumes, and this book was not very helpful. If I just wanted fragrance reviews, I could have just read online blogs. I have since found other books much more helpful in learning about fragrances, particularly The Scent Trail by Celia Lyttelton.
Book Review: Well written and handy guide to perfume
Summary: 4 Stars
The Guide is a likable introduction to perfume. The chapters on the basics (genres, difference male/female, bit of chemistry, etc) are informative and to the point. Most of the reviews are pretty fair, well written and, not unimportant, at times very funny. The top-10's aren't without controversy and probably should not be followed/purchased blindly. The only problem I found was that some popular, albeit older male perfumes (for instance Quorum, indeed all of Puig is absent, Drakkar Noir, Lagerfeld or YSL pour Homme) are not graded although they still are in production. Well, you obviously can't review them all. Recommended reading if you want to have an overview of the field before you walk into a store for your next fragrance.
Book Review: Fantastic read
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading an outstanding review in the New Yorker for this book, I went out and bought it, and have loved it. As that review says, it is a model for anyone who is interested in aesthetics, particularly talking about food and wine. It is a fantastic combination of art (whimsical, evocative, and funny descriptions) and science (describing the chemical families and compounds that make up perfumes). The authors provide a five star rating system for lots of perfumes, which makes for amusing reading (a friend who had just spent $100 on a perfume was shocked to hear it called "reminiscent of ham"), and has interested me in seeking out some of the five-star perfumes. This book also makes a great gift.Book Review: Absolutely the best perfume guide
Summary: 5 Stars
This is, in my opinion, the absolutely best perfume guide. Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez review perfumes in a manner unlike any other. Their descriptions make use of all the senses to describe what is would otherwide be solely a very personal olfactory experience. They confirm what I have always suspected: that some very popular perfumes are overrated and that the "nose" should be educated much as the palate for tasting fine wines. Makes for quite enjoyable reading.Book Review: Not What I Expected
Summary: 2 Stars
I thought this book would name the top, middle and base notes of each fragrance reviewed. Instead it pointed out the leading fragrance notes without further explanation, and a little blurb about how the author(s) "rated" the fragrance. Obviously, their opinions are their own, since fragrance is so uniquely viewed by each individual. The book was more their "15 minutes of fame" instead of enlightening at all. The authors come across as fragrance snobs.