Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Review: The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister



THE SCENT KEEPER

A Novel

Emmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the inconceivable happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world – a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that takes her from her isolated island all the way to the complicated world of scent branding, challenging the limits of her heart and imagination.

An Indie Next Pick

“Buzziest Reads of May, 2019” — Oprah Magazine

Praise for The Scent Keeper:


“Lyrical…transformative…Richly rewards all your senses. I was mesmerized.”
–Jamie Ford, author of The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet


“An artfully crafted coming-of-age-story that will take the reader on an exquisite olfactory adventure.”
—Kirkus Reviews


“Heartbreaking, thrilling; pure pleasure reading…with a heroine who might be kin to Jane Eyre.”
–Adrianne Harun, author of A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain


“One of the most enchanting, unique books I’ve ever read.”
–Anna Quinn, author of The Night Child


“A book to be devoured, no, to be inhaled, and held deeply.”
–Dave Boling, author of The Lost History of Stars


“For lovers of Chocolat… evokes emotion and magic.”
–Jennie Shortridge, author of Love, Water, Memory


“Fascinating, totally original and captivating.”
–M.J. Rose, author of The Book of Lost Fragrances


“Deftly weaves plot and language into a luminous discover of love.”
–Carol Cassella, author of Oxygen



What I thought about The Scent Keeper



In this coming of age women’s fiction novel, Emmeline lives an isolated life on an island with her father who teaches her about the natural world, including using her senses. The story is told in three parts and offers three different voices throughout which was not something that I expected. At times that worked for me and at other times not so much but overall there was a quality to the writing that I found engrossing and beautiful.


When Emmeline has to leave the island and learn about life for herself and how her senses process what is going on around her.  She uncovers secrets, learns about broken trust and promises.  Scent colors the story throughout in different ways and from different perspectives as the story progresses, sometimes as a backdrop, sometimes as a central component.  It was really a different book for me and I enjoyed it.  I loved Emmeline’s search for herself.


Overall, an interesting tale of a isolated young woman learning that there is more to the world around her than she experienced on the island.    


An ARC was provided for review.


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