The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister
Fiction
2019 St. Martin's Press
Finished on May 16, 2019
Rating: 3/5 (Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
Erica Bauermeister, the national bestselling author of The School of Essential Ingredients, presents a moving and evocative coming-of-age novel about childhood stories, families lost and found, and how a fragrance conjures memories capable of shaping the course of our lives.
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 unforeseen 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 challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.
Lyrical and immersive, The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek, and even help us find our way back home.
I'm a big fan of Erica Bauermeister's books and I've read and loved all three of her previous novels: The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, and The Lost Art of Mixing. I was thrilled when I won an ARC of this latest release earlier last month from Goodreads. I started reading it while we were on our roadtrip and got pulled in from the opening pages.
Mystical realism is subtly infused within the pages and the writing is lovely, but sadly, I lost interest when I reached the third portion of the story. I never felt a connection with any of the characters or their dilemmas and the ending was quite abrupt, adding to my disappointment. I really wanted to love this book, as I have her others, but it was simply not a favorite of mine by this wonderful author. If you haven't read any of her previous works, please don't let my review discourage you from trying this one or any of her others. I will certainly continue to read whatever she publishes, as this may have been a case of bad timing on my part.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
I, too, loved her earlier books so I'm disappointed to see you didn't love this one.
ReplyDeleteKathy, you never know. You may enjoy this one. I hope you still plan to give it a try, as I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.
DeleteI loved the audio version of School of Essential Ingredients and the second one in print. Sorry this was only good, not great.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I listened to The School of Essential Ingredients for a re-read and thought it was just as good as the print version. Yeah, I'm sorry this one wasn't a great read. Maybe my expectations were too high.
DeleteVicki, my favorite is The School of Essential Ingredients. I've read it and listened to it on audio. Hope you enjoy whatever you choose to read.
ReplyDeleteI know I read Joy For Beginners and loved it. I wrote the author and told her that and got a lovely note back from her. Can't remember if I read the others. I noticed that this one was coming out and wondered. I've got it on my list to try at some point.
ReplyDeleteKay, I'm eager to re-read Joy For Beginners. I remember really enjoying the premise of the story. How lovely that you got a reply from the author. That's always so special, isn't it?
DeleteI'm thinking I must have read The School of Essential Ingredients, but going back and reading your review of it, I'm not sure that I did! So I'm going to start with that one. I'm always on the lookout for something good to read, and your reviews really help me. We seem to have very similar taste in reading. :-)
ReplyDeleteLaurel, I'm glad to hear that my reviews are helping you find some good books to read. I would love to know what you're reading. Are you on Goodreads?
DeleteLes, I keep telling myself if I ever get our blog caught up I'll join Goodreads and start reviewing books (I read at least a book a week just reading at night before sleep), but as you can see, despite my best efforts I never get caught up with our blog. :-(
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm reading the Harry Potter series because I never did, and our grandson is reading and loving it, and I thought, "Why not?" I'm having fun.
Laurel, I'm pretty sure I will never get caught up on my travel blog posts. I'm still working on the trip to Texas from last Sept/Oct! We've been on two more trips since then. :)
DeleteThe Harry Potter books are fun, aren't they? I enjoyed the earlier books more than the last few in the series, but I'm glad I read them.