The Perfume Collector - Couverture souple

“Fragrance, fashion, and a puzzling bequest lead a 1950s British socialite into a whirl of Parisian intrigue in Kathleen Tessaro’s The Perfume Collector.” (Good Housekeeping)

“A lovely tale of a young woman in London who receives a mysterious inheritance that brings her to Paris and eventually to an old perfume shop.” (New York Daily News, The Summer’s Best Beach Reads)

“A colorful, stimulating journey through time.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“A bewitching, compelling novel, full of dark desires, long-buried secrets, revisited memories, and new opportunities.” (Booklist)

“Dazzles the senses.” (Publishers Weekly)

“A compelling plot in a truly magical Parisian setting. . . . Charming read. Tessaro does a marvelous job of conveying the atmosphere of a fairytale trip to 1950s Paris. . . . Readers of the works of Emily Giffin and Laura Florand will enjoy. (Library Journal)

“Beautiful imagery and prose are the strong points of this seductive story that paints the most bewitching picture imaginable of perfume creation and the muses who inspire it. The themes are brilliant . . . and likely to leave readers feeling awestruck by the end of this classy and unforgettable novel.” (Romantic Times)

“This evocative novel spins you back a few decades to the ‘20s and ‘50s where a young bride suppresses her intellect to be the trophy wife her husband desires. She is devastated when he is unfaithful but could it be the making of her?” (Glamour (UK))

“The Perfume Collector is a crackling, beautifully paced story that weaves the world of fragrance into the lives of two vibrant women in a way few have experienced. Inhale deeply―a new way of telling a story of the heart.” (Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker)

An inheritance from a mysterious stranger . . .
An abandoned perfume shop on the Left Bank of Paris . . .
And three exquisite perfumes that hold a memory . . . and a secret

London, 1955: Grace Monroe is a fortunate young woman. Despite her sheltered upbringing in Oxford, her recent marriage has thrust her into the heart of London's most refined and ambitious social circles. However, playing the role of the sophisticated socialite her husband would like her to be doesn't come easily to her—and perhaps never will.

Then one evening a letter arrives from France that will change everything. Grace has received an inheritance. There's only one problem: she has never heard of her benefactor, the mysterious Eva d'Orsey.

So begins a journey that takes Grace to Paris in search of Eva. There, in a long-abandoned perfume shop on the Left Bank, she discovers the seductive world of perfumers and their muses, and a surprising, complex love story. Told by invoking the three distinctive perfumes she inspired, Eva d'Orsey's story weaves through the decades, from 1920s New York to Monte Carlo, Paris, and London.

But these three perfumes hold secrets. And as Eva's past and Grace's future intersect, Grace realizes she must choose between the life she thinks she should live and the person she is truly meant to be.

Illuminating the lives and challenging times of two fascinating women, The Perfume Collector weaves a haunting, imaginative, and beautifully written tale filled with passion and possibility, heartbreak and hope.