The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister
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Web ID: 16778246Bauermeister's lyrical writing is beautiful...
Moving. Evocative. Immersive. Thought-Provoking... Emmeline lives a fairy tale childhood on a remote island with her father. He teaches her about the natural world around them through her senses, primarily smell. Drawers line their cabin walls—in each is a small jar with a mysterious scent inside. As Emmaline grows, her curiosity about the scents and her father's past intensifies. Unexpected events transpire that catapult her life off the island into the real world... My favorite part of this story is Emmeline's life on the island with her father, and I wanted her carefree life there to continue. Bauermeister's storytelling and beautiful writing are transportive, and there were moments that I felt I was on the island, in the cabin, and part of the story. An immersion experience, I read the paperback while listening to the audiobook narrated by Gabra Zackman. Her voice is whispery and deep as she begins telling Emmeline's story in a first-person perspective. The mixture of Bauermeister's lyrical writing and Zackman's voice is stunning! "The Scent Keeper" explores the power of scent on memory, the impact of untruths and family secrets, the search for one's identity and home, and more. Anyone with a strong sense of smell can relate to the power of scent, and its connection to memory, emotions, and past experiences. The feeling is almost magical! 4.25⭐
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
4 stars
THE SCENT KEEPER by Erica Bauermeister Emmeline has grown up on a remote island off the coast of British Columbia with her eccentric father John. They live in a cabin with a floor to ceiling wall of tiny drawers. Each drawer houses a small glass bottle containing scent-papers sealed with colored wax. The scent papers are infused with different smells that conjure a particular time, moment, event or place. Their lives are built around living off the land and gaining knowledge about their surroundings through their sense of smell. This story reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing (without the whole murder aspect). Once Emmaline (rhymes with vine) leaves the confines of her island, she has to grow up quickly and learn how to live and function in the 21st century. Her experiences at school and Fisher’s home life were really especially heartbreaking. I loved her friendship with Fisher, her love for Dodge, and the way Henry and Colette gave her the time, space and support to find her way. As we know, certain scents have the ability to transport us to another place and time or remind us of someone we once knew and loved. It’s an important part of our memories. This book will make you appreciate your sense of smell and if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to add on to your fragrance collection. I read this pretty quickly and even with the vague/open ending I enjoyed it. Overall, a lovely, well written lyrical story to get lost in. Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Good but slow start
Overall good story and it got better towards the end. It was just a slow start. If you can hang tight, it all starts to come together and it is artistic and beautiful. I wish it would’ve gotten to the good parts sooner. I feel like the last few chapters are the best.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Beautiful tale of the power of scent
"The Scent Keeper" by Erica Bauermeister is a captivating novel that weaves together the enchanting world of fragrances with a touching coming-of-age story. It’s a beautiful tale of family, secrets, and memories from the heart. The story follows Emmeline, a young girl raised on a remote island by her enigmatic father, who collects and preserves scents in small bottles. As Emmeline grows, she embarks on a journey to uncover the secrets of her past and the meaning behind her father's unusual obsession. Each character provides a reminder that we can quickly judge people as good or bad, but it can depend on which side of the story you’re on. Is Emmeline’s father a good father? Is Emmeline’s mother a bad mother? The secrets that we keep and the secrets we share can shape our views on others. You could argue both sides (which my book group did). How Bauermeister's lyrical prose evokes the power of scent, made it almost a character in itself. For me, the true beauty of the novel was the writing. The island came alive for me almost instantly. As the story starts, we’re not even sure of the time period. The heartache and how Emmeline dealt with the trauma of her childhood felt very real and I grieved right along with her. Bauermeister’s writing would reveal little tidbits along the way to where we got some answers. I happened to love the ambiguous ending. Others in my book group found it stopped abruptly. It’s definitely worth a read! Can’t wait to read her other book, “The School of Essential Ingredients.”
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Sadly disappointed
I was so excited to read this book but I was very disappointed with the storyline. I thought they would add more mystical things within the book and to me it was just about a girl who’s senses were really good, honestly I got tired of it halfway through and the only reason why I forced myself to finish it because I thought it would pick up. I felt like the Author could have done more with the storyline and make it more interesting but it was very boring. This book was not for me but it could be for someone else.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Very appropriate
The writer is an artist with words. The beginning of the book caused me much angst because so much agony could be avoided with communication. However, a beautiful story wrapped in the science of scent became a charming read. Thank you.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com