A wide ranging travel memoir about the ingredients of fine perfumery. Enough of the book is historical that it has a nice balance. It's not all about Roque's travels, it's also about the industry and its origins. That being said, this isn't a history text by any means. I think the balance works, but it very much depends on what you're coming to the book for.

I wanted to love this book when I started reading it, but it simply didn't hold my attention. I wanted more about the history of perfume rather than an actual personal story. Which is my fault for not realizing what this book was about before requesting it. Overall, it was well written. But I only got so far before I moved on to reading other books.

What an interesting topic! Perfumes are everywhere, but how many people know the history behind them? The writing was beautiful.

As someone who has had a love affair with scent, and perfume since I was a child, this book was a fascinating read. We follow the author, who is a perfume scout, as he describes the background of seventeen of the industry's most precious ingredients, including benzoin and tonka bean.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperVia for the fascinating look at the world of perfume!

There are subjects and their practitioners that just fascinate me. Experts on wine, food, and yes, even perfumes. I am in awe of people who can identify an object by taste or smell. It's always been a dream of mine to go to Grasse, France, and explore the perfume industry there. So....this book is right up my alley! Fascinating stories about perfume, the sourcing of it's materials, and the efforts to bring them to the public. It's like a great detective story, without the blood and gore. The author writes very well, and the book reads excellently. I really enjoyed it!

This book, translated from the French, chronicles the travels of a perfume expert as he goes in search of natural resources to make high end perfumes. Even though I generally don't wear perfume, I loved this book. The author has traveled to far flung places all over the globe. He had high respect for those who harvest and distill the resins and balsams used in perfume, most of whom are very poor and uneducated by Western standards.

Those who enjoy travel books and/or books on sustainable natural resources will want to read this book. The writing is top notch, and the subjects of the book are treated with thoughtfulness and intelligence. I genuinely looked forward to reading a chapter or two each day and learned much.

Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful nonfiction book on aroma and the small farms and communities that bring fragrance to life. It is a wonderful book to read a chapter at a time as each section dives into an obscure or maybe well known ingredient.

As someone on the beverage side of things, I love aroma and learning about the natural components that reshape fragrance for that industry. This is a lush and whimsical deep dive into the sites, people, and societal issues that shape and face the fragrance industry. I loved it!

Thanks to HarperVia and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating and engrossing book that opened up the world of fragrances to me in ways that I had never considered before. Before this book I was the kind of person who sniffed a scent and then bought a fragrance based solely on the way it ‘spoke to me’. I never really thought of ‘reading’ it for the tones and notes that were the foundation of that scent. However, Roques’ book has changed that, now I view smelling a perfume as something akin to tasting a fine wine. I want to see if I can spot what makes this fragrance work or see if I can discover how the scent of sandalwood blends with a Damask Rose vs that of a tonka bean. However, just hearing the names of these scents is not enough to appreciate the full power of this book, because the trials and travails that went into the gathering, processing, transporting and ultimately crafting that scent is a saga that held me spellbound within each chapter. Clearly and beautifully written, Roques invites you on a journey of discovery about more than just the scent, but shares a sense of awe at the full price that these fragrances cost. Before this book, I had never considered the toll that these ingredients take on the people that gather or distill them, nor the environmental price that is paid for fine scents that are combined in one small bottle. This book is an incredible read that will make you think twice about the price of a small vial of perfume, and wonder about the lives and stories of the people who gather these precious oils.

Overall this book was positive for me, I loved learning about the different farms and countries and people to help bring the world my favorite scents. I found Dominique to be a clunky narrator at times, and almost wished there was more from the individuals in each country rather than from him. Some parts struck m as a bit old-fashioned regarding colonialism and exoticism of some of the places he visits. That being said, I still recommend this book to anyone who loves perfume!

A lovely deep dive into the world of perfume a look at the creative endeavor goes into each perfume.As a perfume scout the author has an intimate knowledge of the process.A lovely informative read.#netgalley #harpervia

What a wonderful book! I am interested in all things botanical and travel so this really caught my eye. The writing was great and entertaining throughout as we explored the world for different botanical wonders that eventually get turned into perfume. I didn't realize how complicated the process was and now I understand why perfume is so expensive!

Thank you to the author and publisher for this advanced copy!

I was very excited to be approved for an ARC of In Search of Perfumes by Dominique Roques. The perfume industry is one I haven’t read too much about, which was why I was so interested in Roques’s book. Described as a “concoction of history, travelogue, and memoire” by someone who has had such a long career in the industry—and knowhow when it comes to the smells that make up well-known perfumes—my interest was more than piqued. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. In the beginning, I was hooked, but, by page eighty-seven, I struggled with trying to maintain my motivation to keep reading. For me, some of it got to be repetitive. And, at times, I felt like I was reading an idealized account of the process of gathering the necessary materials for making essential oils. For those reasons, In Search of Perfumes didn’t work for me. I still encourage other readers to check out more reviews and make up their own mind about the book.

This copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Harpervia) via NetGalley for this review, thank you!

As an Aromatherapist I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to stumble upon this book. And then to start reading it, I was instantly transported to the hills, the fields, the forests where these majestic plants flourish. Intimately familiar with the aromas discussed, I was fascinated by the stories of the families, landowners and harvesters. Fortunately my cabinet is filled with exquisite oils so I was able to enjoy the aroma right along with the readings and that was entirely next level. Brimming with historical information, it’s a beautifully written, highly enjoyable tribute to a life’s work in the world of scent.

I was scrolling through NetGalley recently looking for a new book to try and I came across In Search of Perfume. I thought, “huh, this could be interesting” and boy was I right! The book chronicles Dominique Roque’s travels across the globe to source major perfume ingredients. You are transported from lavender fields in Provence to sandalwood groves in Australia and everywhere in between. So informative and does a great job of acknowledging the stark differences between the perfume world and the farmers who supply the raw materials for some of the world’s most expensive fragrances.
I found it fascinating and highly encourage anyone who is interested in perfumes or essential oils to pick it up!

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This is a amazing book. I learned everything about the making of perfume. I knew there was a lot that went into the scents but I had no idea. You will learn what it take from the makers and the workers to the selling and advertising of the perfume how it’s done how they pick the flowers ,trees, grasses, and a lot of other scents and then pick and mix the scents. If you love perfume or just scents this book is a wealth of knowledge. Thank you netgalley

A beautiful exploration on perfumes and fragrances and the materials used to produce some of your favorite scents. As a fraghead, I truly appreciate this book and the background knowledge given

Thanks to HarperVia and NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my honest review.
What a great book! Yep, a book on permed wrapped me in its charm and the tales of over 15 different flowers, plants, trees and grasses that are used to make some of the worlds finest perfumes. Learned so very much about the perfume industry, the workers that pick the flowers or tap the trees, as well as what the perfume industry does to promote education, welfare and provide infrastructure to the area the scents come from, most all of which are ignored by their countries. So many wonderful stories about Sandalwood (most all of which is now grown in Australia), the difference between Vanilla and Vanillin, Lavender and Lavenderin, as well as Bulgarian Roses. Great book that is easy to read and can be read at one chapter at a time and put down until you feel in the mood for more perfumes. Well done, to put it mildly!

Dominique Roque, a sourcing agent working in the perfume industry, recounts his travels and travails in pursuit of natural ingredients used in perfumes and dives into the storied history and often precarious methods of the producers of those raw materials.

Perfume is a ubiquitous thing, to the point that you don’t really even register it. I have several bottles sitting on my dresser right now. But I’d never really thought about where the components of which they are composed of, which was why I found In Search of Perfumes so fascinating.

Roques has been a sourcing agent for thirty years, and his work has taken him all over the world to some very remote and beautiful places in that time. The best part of this book is how vividly he was able to recreate these places, painting lush scenes and of course evoking the scents that one might encounter here. Equally enjoyable is the true appreciation that Roques has for the industry and the far-flung people he has met over the course of his work. His care and curiosity shines through.

However, while I always enjoyed the reading about the production of the various ingredients, I did feel that the chapters began running into each other by the end, especially as we end on a trio of trees which whose stories have many parallels. I wouldn’t say that content should be cut – for every chapter is really very interesting and well-written – but this is definitely a book that cannot be binged.

What a wonderful read! 5 stars for content & a wonderfully friendly prose.

Part global travelogue, part history book, part fragrance supplier guide & part memoir — this tone has a little bit of everything. Depending on the season, it’s an easy enough read for a beach bag or for snuggling up with hot tea (there’s a chapter on cinnamon) or cocoa (chapter on the Queen of vanilla in Madagascar — which is truly thrilling & insightful about many sociopolitical effects on consumer goods and the livelihoods of the people who create the parts of the whole) in a big cozy chair. Escapades in the international jasmine trade of India, Egypt & Grasse; rebuilding the Rose industry in Bulgaria from literally the ground up; heritage Calabrian bitter oranges and many more & will certainly leave you with ample fragrance knowledge (the jasmine in Grasse is totally different) in time for your next cocktail party.

Absolutely recommend to all your fragrance obsessed friends or for any kind of reader who wanted to learn more regarding where & why those delicious (and often expensive) fragrances do the things they do.