I’m just going to start out with this: I loved this book! Why? For numerous reasons: the historical aspect of the book, the theme of le droit de choisir (the right to choose), and the education the reader receives on perfume making.
The book alternates between Paris, 1955, and earlier locations such as New York, 1927, Monte Carlo, 1932 and Oxfordshire, England, 1935. This is primarily Eva d’Orsey’s (or Dorsey as she is also known) story. It is not a glamorous story. We first see Eva as a young girl of fourteen, then follow her through her fall at approx. 15, to her relationship with a drunken gambler, Lambert, through her early 20’s, to her relationship with Andre Valmont, her bisexual lover. She is a woman, who because she is used by almost every one and unloved by every man in her life, is a very cynical woman. The one person to whom she is connected, Grace Munroe, is taken from her, and when she tries to form some sort of bond with her, she is again rejected and turned away. Because of the shackles of her own life, Eva determines to give her own daughter the right to choose, le droit de choisir.
I am a huge fan of women’s fiction. I love books that give insight into the treatment of women throughout different times in history. Set first in 1927, we learn that Eva is illegitimately born, and that her mother is deceased. She was raised by an Uncle who didn’t want her, and who brings her to the hotel in New York where he is employed, to work as a housemaid. After she is hired, we only see the uncle one more time; Eva has basically been abandoned by the only family she knows, and learns about life in the hardest ways possible. The clientele of the hotel are actors and actresses from the “Follies”; people of low moral character. Eva witnesses drunkenness and lewdness frequently in her early days as a maid in the hotel. Actors and actresses at this time in history were not regarded highly; they were compared frequently to prostitutes. In fact, they frequently acquainted themselves with prostitutes, and Eva, being young and innocent, falls prey to one of these women, who uses her to further her own acting ambitions. Throughout the years, Eva is used by other men: the English Lord who uses her to further his gambling addiction; Andre Valmont, who uses her in his quest to become the world’s best perfumer; and Jacques Hiver, her last lover.
Even Grace Munroe’s story shows the mindset of women, even in 1955. Grace is married to a man who she discovers is cheating on her. She goes to Paris, and bemoans the fact that the man doesn’t call her for days after she gets there, and when he finally does, dismisses the affair. When he does show up in Paris, she seems to allow him to take over her business.
I love the theme of the right to choose. Eva’s story is primarily one of hopelessness. She is indebted to men; she is shackled to them, needing their protection throughout her life. In fact, she dies a reject of society as the mistress of a very wealthy man. However, though Eva’s story is bleak, because of her innate ability to succeed, she leaves Grace a legacy of hopefulness. Eva dies a very wealthy woman, due to her cunning, and ability to work well with numbers. She demands stock from her lover’s wife, as payment for a perfume she sold to keep the company afloat during World War II, and she turns the stocks into a fortune that she leaves her daughter. This frees Grace. She realizes that she doesn’t have to accept the behavior of her philandering husband; that she can choose her own path.
Lastly, I love books in which I learn something I haven’t ever known before. Ms. Tessaro, through Andre and Eva’s story,describes how perfume is made. I was totally intrigued! The sources of perfume, the many and varied ways perfume is created, was absolutely fascinating to me. I loved every minute of these scenes. The fact that the perfume creation was so integral to the story just added to my enjoyment.
If you are a lover of women’s fiction, or historical fiction, I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to read more of Ms.Tessaro’ s books. I’ll be looking for them for many, many years.
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