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The Perfume Thief
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
11 posts | 3 read | 7 to read
"This is a superb novel, enchanting and brutal in equal measure. This is historical fiction at its finest, vivid and beautifully rendered; and yet in their longing for a lost world, Schaffert's characters feel entirely contemporary to our present moment."--Emily St. John Mandel, author of The Glass Hotel A Gentleman in Moscow meets "Moulin Rouge" in this stylish, sexy page-turner about Clementine, a queer American ex-pat and notorious thief who is drawn out of retirement and into one last scam when the Nazis invade Paris on the eve of World War II. Clementine is a seventy-two year-old reformed con artist with a penchant for impeccably tailored suits. Her life of crime has led her from the uber-wealthy perfume junkies of belle epoque Manhattan, to the scented butterflies of Costa Rica, to the spice markets of Marrakech, and finally the bordellos of Paris, where she settles down in 1930 and opens a shop bottling her favorite extracts for the ladies of the cabarets. Now it's 1941 and Clem's favorite haunt, Madame Boulette's, is crawling with Nazis, while Clem's people--the outsiders, the artists, and the hustlers who used to call it home--are disappearing. Clem's first instinct is to go to ground--it's a frigid Paris winter and she's too old to put up a fight. But when the cabaret's prize songbird, Zoe St. Angel, recruits Clem to steal the recipe book of a now-missing famous Parisian perfumer, she can't say no. Her mark is Oskar Voss, a Francophile Nazi bureaucrat, who wants the book and Clem's expertise to himself. Hoping to buy the time and trust she needs to pull off her scheme, Clem decides to tell Voss the real story of the life and loves she came to Paris to escape. But Clem doesn't have much practice telling the truth and it turns out to be more dangerous than she could have imagined. Complete with romance, espionage, champagne towers, and haute couture, this full-tilt sensory experience is a dazzling portrait of the underground resistance of twentieth-century Paris and a passionate love letter to the power of beauty and community in the face of insidious hate.
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Amandajoy
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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My new library chair came in! The library‘s not finished, but I‘m going to sit here in my new chair and finish my book.

Bibliomania Cosy :) 2y
Bklover Oh isn‘t it wonderful to be able to turn your head and see all those books!!? Enjoy your new chair! 2y
AmyG Enjoy!!! I have a little library where I read and it‘s the best! 2y
54 likes1 stack add3 comments
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phantomx
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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Pickpick

A mesmerizing story about thievery, queer love, perfume and resistance during the eve of WWII. I enjoyed this story, and I loved looking into Clementine's memories #round13 #groupP #lmpbc

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Tonton
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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Got on a little ricocheting roll of doom-scrolling and reading to make it all go away; here‘s more on my tbr to plunge into. Book cut off at the top is Ghosts of New York by Jim Lewis, the book at the bottom is The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton!

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phantomx
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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Making time between breaks, meals, and bedtime today to read a couple chapters. I'm hoping to get deeper into the book and send this out on-time before Round 14 starts.

I'm enjoying the story-I don't usually read historical fiction, but the writing style, imagery, and MC has caught my attention
#lmpbc #groupp #round13 @IndoorDame @WanderingBookaneer @bibliobard @suvata

BethM Your astronaut is awesome! 3y
phantomx @BethM Thank you! They've been the most reliable bookmark for reading books 3y
11 likes2 comments
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bibliobard
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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At a busy post office to mail #LMPBC so it‘s on the way to you @WanderingBookaneer

review
bibliobard
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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Pickpick

So glad I finished this book before the new year! This was a great historical fiction piece that does just what a good historical fiction should: make you want to learn more about the people/time. In this case I definitely want to explore more about LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 people putting up a resistance in WWII! We never hear about that in history class. Thanks for sharing @IndoorDame great pick for #LMPBC #GroupP

17 likes2 stack adds
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Mitch
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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Only click if your TBR can take the strain! 🤣

I‘ve read a few from this list and enjoyed them lots - the tagged one though hasn‘t crossed my path … but it might soon!

https://crimereads.com/the-best-historical-fiction-of-2021/

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IndoorDame
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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Pickpick

Finished my #LMPBC book for #GroupP Hoping to get this in the mail tomorrow. I‘ll update you when I do.

I don‘t want to say too much about this before everyone has a chance to read it, but I really enjoyed this one! It‘s a well done piece of historical fiction. Schaffert chose less commonly written about aspects of both WWII and queer life to focus on, and managed to tie them together with a clever artistic plot.

WanderingBookaneer I can‘t wait! 3y
64 likes1 stack add1 comment
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IndoorDame
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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So many exciting readathons coming up this weekend! My goals are to be finish my 2 #LMPBC titles (the tagged book and Lowriders), to read One Last Stop before it‘s due back to Libby and disappears from my Kindle, and to finish The Testaments on audio to make sure I get off the couch and get some chores done.

Eggbeater Thanks for joining! 3y
Andrew65 Will be a busy few days. Great to have you with us. 3y
MatchlessMarie Testaments on audio is good!! Happy reading! 🙌 3y
48 likes3 comments
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IndoorDame
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

If you‘re picturing me in some ladylike frock printed with posies, lace at the collar, don‘t.

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IndoorDame
The Perfume Thief: A Novel | Timothy Schaffert
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Some titles I‘m considering for #LMPBC round 13 group P. Let me know if you all have read any of these, or if any particularly appeal. Top left book is tagged in post, I‘ll tag others in comments.

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bibliobard My vote is Perfume or Dead :) 3y
phantomx Perfume Thief or Future Feeling 3y
IndoorDame @bibliobard @phantomx @WanderingBookaneer Since we have 2 votes for Perfume Thief I‘ll go with that one 3y
WanderingBookaneer That‘s fine by me. I‘ve only read 3y
38 likes7 comments