The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

One letter will turn newly-married Grace Munroe’s life upside down:

 ‘Our firm is handling the estate of the deceased Mrs Eva D’Orsey and it is our duty to inform you that you are named as the chief beneficiary in her will. We request your presence at our offices at your earliest convenience, so that we may go through the details of your inheritance.’

There is only one problem. Grace has never heard of Eva D’Orsey. So begins a journey which leads Grace through the streets of Paris and into the seductive world of perfumers and their muses. An abandoned perfume shop on the Left Bank will lead her to unravel the heartbreaking story of her mysterious benefactor, an extraordinary woman who bewitched high society in 1920s New York and Paris.

The Perfume Collector follows the story of Grace on her journey to find information about Eva D'Orsey who has named Grace as chief beneficiary in her will, problem is Grace has never heard of the woman and she feels uneasy about taking what has been left to her without trying to find out who this woman is what what connection they share.

I was intrigued by the story line and I enjoyed taking the journey with Grace as she slowly began to unravel Eva's past. The story alternates between Grace;s story to Eva's story back in the 1920's so we really get to know each of the characters well and I enjoyed reading from both women's perspective they were both as equally good. I found myself picking this book up any time I could snatch an odd moment at work just because I needed to see what part of the mystery was uncovered next.

The detailed writing surrounding the perfume making and also the descriptive writing when talking describing the scents clearly showed that the author had done her research and her writing style just felt so effortless. The author also managed to bring a topic that has never been of any interest to me but has managed to open up my mind to the skills and hard work behind the perfume business and it was nice to have a topic that has never come up in a book in such detail that I have read before.

The author has created a delicate and elegant storyline about a woman on her journey of self discovery. I loved this book from start to finish so much so I will be picking up a copy of her previous book Elegance after this book has won me over!

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