Reading a great book can transport you to a different place. This weekend alone, I traveled from WWI era Russia to ancient Egypt and France -- all from the comfort of my favorite reading spots. To round out my MJ Rose posts (Pre pub and blog tour stop), I wanted to give you my own thoughts on her latest, The Book of Lost Fragrances.
In the book, Jac L'Etoile goes on a frantic search for her missing brother after a dead body is discovered in their family's perfume shop. Robbie and Jac had been arguing over how to mend the many business debts incurred by their father who is no longer in a state to run the company. Jac's solution is to sell two of the famous L'Etoile scents, but Robbie believes that he's on the verge of a breakthrough that could be their salvation.
The amount of research that Rose puts into her books comes through so well in her writing. Cleopatra, the Tibetan belief system, the catacombs in France, perfumes in general... all of these elements were so intriguing and added layer after layer to the story. By the time I finished the book, I wanted to know more about all of these things. To be honest, Rose could have padded out the book with minutia and tidbits and I would have been perfectly happy -- though she doesn't. There's definitely no filler or unnecessary elements in Rose's prose.
And though The Book of Lost Fragrances can be read as a complete stand alone, it does tie directly into Rose's Reincarnationist books with the Phoenix Foundation playing a significant role in Jac's tale. The Book of Lost Fragrances leaves room for Rose to continue with the Foundation and the idea of memory tools in future books as well. I'm confident that newbies and long standing fans will all be pleased with Rose's latest!
The Book of Lost Fragrances is out on shelves now. Other titles tied in are:
The Reincarnationist
The Memorist
The Hypnotist
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