The Secret of Chanel No. 5 cover art

The Secret of Chanel No. 5

The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume

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The Secret of Chanel No. 5

By: Tilar J. Mazzeo
Narrated by: Liz de Nesnera
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About this listen

“Who knew that such a tiny bottle housed so many secrets?” —Michael Tonello, author of Bringing Home the Birkin

Tilar J. Mazzeo, author of the New York Times bestseller The Widow Clicquot (an Amazon Best of the Month book in October 2008) returns with a captivating history of the world’s most famous, seductive, and popular perfume: Chanel No. 5. Mazzeo’s sweeping story of the iconic scent (known as “le monstre” in the fragrance industry) stretches from Coco Chanel’s early success to the rise of the seminal fragrance during the 1950s to the confirmation of its bestseller status in today’s crowded perfume market.

“Here is the life of one of the 20th century’s most interesting and deeply complicated women, a fascinating cultural history, and the story of an extraordinary perfume.” —Chandler Burr, New York Times scent critic and author of The Perfect Scent

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Such a lovely book. Well read and full of Interesting details and stories. I have already listened twice and will probably listen again at some point
Highly recommended:)

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What did you like best about The Secret of Chanel No. 5? What did you like least?

I enjoyed delving deeper into the story of the world's most famous perfume. It was interesting to learn how it came about, and the behind the scenes wrangling that went on for decades. It isn't a particularly scholarly read and light on detail in some parts. Unfortunately the narrator was extremely irritating to the extent that I couldn't concentrate on the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Not applicable.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator had a very annoying way of pronouncing French words. Whenever she pronounced a French word it sounded bizarre, forced and affected. As others have noted she repeatedly pronounces Coco like cuckoo. Very jarring and I was constantly braced waiting for the next French word.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

Possibly yes.

Any additional comments?

In summary this is a great book if you like perfume and like finding out how perfumes are created. There are much better biographies of Coco Chanel herself but this book's focus is more about the perfume and the intense relationship the designer had with it. However the story is somewhat ruined by the narration.

An interesting read for perfume lovers

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