Springtime with The Perfume Collector

"Perfume should tell a story - the story of who you are, who you might be, perhaps even of who you fear becoming..."

My spring book club just wrapped up our latest read The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro. I don't usually judge a book by it's cover, (okay, maybe I do), but this cover quickly became a favorite of mine. It has the chic look of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' with Audrey Hepburn with all the sophistication, culture and style that can be described only en francais ce livre parfaitement! 

The novel centers around two women, Grace and Eva living different lives in the 1920's and 1950's France, England and America. Who are these women and what is their connection with each other?

As the chapters take us back and forth between decades these women's lives will eventually intersect and in a profound satisfying ending for most of us in my book club. ​

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 The Bookmark Grade

• A  page-turning  novel
• Attention grabbing plot and enough engrossing characters for a lengthy book discussion
• Intense and somber in places made it tough for some to give it a higher bookmark rating
• The ending of the novel satisfied most of us but there could have been other alternate endings that made it fun to speculate and discuss

Overall, The Perfume Collector was enjoyed by the majority of my book friends. To each his own I say and that is what makes a great book club!

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The Perfume Collector Memory Game

'It's the easiest thing in the world, ladies!' Phillip Maxwell tipped his hat, giving them an exaggerated bow. 'Each tray has upwards of fifteen objects on it.  I remove the cloth for a minute, cover it again, and you have another minute to record as many objects as you can remember. The person who's able to remember the most objects correctly is the winner.' ​​

Quote from the novel ~  more on this game on Book Club Ideas ​

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Summer book clubs are finally here!  It's time to challenge your group and read a classic.  We start our summer reading with Captain Blood, written in 1922 by Raphael Sabatini. Looking forward to this swashbuckling, romantic adventure.  After that,  we will choose one more summer read something easy and breezy where we can feel the sand in our toes or the grass under our feet as we soak in the pages and the sun. Stay tuned!​

Happy summer reading!