Morning, readers! I'm the first stop on the TLC blog tour for Kathleen Tessaro's latest, The Perfume Collector!Readers, I've been looking forward to this book ever since I turned the last page of The Debutante back in 2010. After such a long wait, I am thrilled to say that Tessaro has delivered yet another fabulous must read!
Grace Monroe doesn't really feel cut out for a life as a society wife. In truth, she feels like she's disappointed her husband and is becoming desperate to find purpose. When she receives notification of an inheritance from Eva d'Orsey, Grace is uncertain what to do. But a sudden discovery about her husband leads her straight to France to find out more. Grace has been listed as the sole beneficiary in Eva's will, but Grace has no idea who Eva is. She's sure it's a mistake and decides it's necessary to learn as much as she can about her benefactor if she's to accept the inheritance. What she discovers will change everything.
Tessaro's latest tells the story of two women in two different time periods - Eva d'Orsey in 1927 and Grace Monroe in 1955. d'Orsey's story unfolds as Grace learns more about her and tries to find out why she'd be named in her will. As with The Debutante there's a certain element of mystery and suspense as Grace tracks down people who can tell her about d'Orsey. And there's a certain amount of tragedy and innocence as well.
I find that there's an elegance to Tessaro's writing. The way she weaves a story, the language she uses, the characters she brings to life, all of this combines to create a luscious reading experience. I could see Grace and Eva as if they were standing in front of me. I could smell Andre Valmont's perfume creations. I could even taste Grace's first oyster in France.
Both The Debutante and The Perfume Collector are what Tessaro calls "found object" books, they both concern one character learning about another character through items left behind. It's a story device I particularly enjoy - I'm that person that always imagines finding an old attic filled with fascinating things!
The Perfume Collector is out on shelves today.
Rating: 5/5
To see more stops on the tour, visit the official TLC blog tour page here.
For more on Kathleen Tessaro and her work, check out her website here. You can also like her on Facebook.
1 comment:
I don't think I've read a "found object" book before but I find the idea intriguing. You can certainly learn a lot from people by the objects associated with them.
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
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