Scent Keeper

Product Information

NetGalley and St. Martin's Press provided me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

But when she discovers the truth about the island on which they live, everything starts to change, and her father becomes more and more obsessed with the scent papers stored in their cabin, to the detriment of everything else, including himself. Without warning, Emmeline is suddenly thrust into the real world, forced to interact with people other than her father, and having to experience first-hand the violence, betrayal, and pain that people cause each other, willingly and unwillingly. Overall: A beautifully written, lyrical, unique story about love, courage, finding oneself, and scents. A very sweet and light book that was easy and fun to get lost in 4/5 or 7/10

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At one point in the book, Fisher’s mother says: “Martin used to tell me how salmon always return to the same stream to spawn. They say it’s the smell that draws them upstream. Maybe we’re more like fish than we think.” How does this apply to the characters in the book? Do you agree with the statement? The following observation falls under personal preference: I think the one weakness is that this engaging and beautifully told story deserves a more satisfactory conclusion (however, other reviewers have disagreed with me!). This explains why I didn’t give five full stars. This is a novel about scents and the memories they evoke in us and one man's quest to preserve them. If determination, courage, thoughtfulness, loyalty, and compassion are traits that you admire in characters, then you might love Emmeline. Reminiscent of the main character in stories such as Where the Crawdads Sing, The Great Alone, The Glass Castle, or Educated, Emmeline is resilient, relentless, and fearless as she grapples with the truth of her father’s actions and reconciles his love for her with his choices to protect her. Throughout the story, I cared for Emmeline and what happened to her. Nevertheless, I fully recommend The Scent Keeper for fans of contemporary literary fiction, for readers who appreciate beautiful prose, and for book clubs.

Secrets are an important element in The Scent Keeper. Which secrets do you think the characters were right to keep? Which should they have told and when? Looking at her was like gazing into one of those enchanted mirrors and seeing a beautiful, older, far more assured version of myself. If you appreciate writing that is multi-layered, you will find The Scent Keeper stimulating. I love writing which allows me to create my own meaning! I can’t know if this was the author’s intent or not, but I kept thinking of the SCENTS that the father was so desperate to capture and save as a symbol for memories. He stressed the idea of creating them, keeping them safe, the preciousness of them, and taking them out with the utmost of care to relive or experience them again. The beginning of the story is rich in symbolism and metaphor (with a sprinkling of magical realism), and the latter half of the story moves into a more literal and realistic realm.What do you think about Emmeline’s decision to take Fisher to the island? How does it compare to her father’s decision to take her there as a baby? For lovers of Chocolat, The Scent Keeper evokes emotion and magic through the senses." –Jennie Shortridge, author of Eating Heaven who her parents were, but also to find her place in a world that once seemed so foreign to her. It's a beautiful story that I highly recommend. Bet kas svarbiausia, jog skaitant neaplenkė jausmas, jog tai jau kažkur skaičiau. Ogi todėl, kad autorė vis pylė tą patį per tą patį. Perskaitai daug, o informacijos apvalus nulis: tie patys veikėjų išgyvenimai, emocijos, jausmai, mintys. Emelinė, kaip pagrindinis personažas, neaugo. Nuo dvylikos iki devyniolikos metų nepasikeitė nė trupučio. Mąstė ir elgėsi vienodai. Jokio pokyčio.

At one point, Emmeline comes to understand her father has been revealing his past through stories. What do you think he’d been trying to tell her? There’s a machine in their home that creates scents, and all kinds of fragrances are stored in drawers that cover the walls. Emmeline’s father doesn’t talk about that, though. I thought this was a fascinating and beautiful book, full of gorgeously lyrical imagery (how else could Bauermeister make you understand the scents that swirled around Emmeline and the other characters) and a powerful if familiar story of love, trust, family, and our relationship with the natural world. I enjoyed reading this book immensely, even when I wanted to shake the characters for not saying what they were thinking or feeling. Much like sommeliers are super-tasters, they are super-smellers. The cabin is lined with small drawers, each holding a vial containing a scent. Each vial contained not just a scent, but a memory. When I was in college I did a research paper on the power of subliminal messages and I loved this aspect of the story.The Bad : The major critique is the ending and also why did they have to kill off both the goat and the dog?! I really don’t think either did much to help the story and just made me very sad. Magical realism is not a genre I typically gravitate toward but I’m so glad I took a chance on this one. I absolutely loved it. If, like me, you didn’t care for Where the Crawdads Sing, don’t be dissuaded by the comparisons. I found the two books to be completely different.

Finally, he agreed. He took out a leather book filled with numbers and carefully added one to the list. Then he turned to the wall of drawers, pondering his choice. This plot is one best discovered on your own so I won’t say more than that. This is a book about family, and acceptance of your parents, flaws and all. The theme of compassion and forgiveness of yourself and others runs throughout.

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Deja. Skaičiau ir niekaip nesupratau, kaipgi veikia tas kvapų išsaugojimo aparatas. Kol galiausiai veikimo principą paaiškino vos ne knygos pabaigoje. O kodėl negalėjo pradžioje? Taip ir plavinėjau nieko nesuprasdama. Pirma dalis "Sala" buvo neįdomi. Taip laukiau tos laukinės gamtos aprašymo, salų auros, bet nieko. Trūko detalumo, niekaip nepavyko įsivaizduoti nei salos, nei kanalo, nors fantazija nesiskundžiu. This coming-of-age story delights the senses, immersing the reader in the sights, sounds, and scents of the In the book, The Scent Keeper, we learn the importance of scent in the life of Emmaline. She had been taken away to a deserted island by her father, hidden away from the sights and smells of the congested world and allowed to grow with his love and his desire to imprint on her and others, the scents that he had tried to capture in his scent machine. The Scent Keeper is told through Emmeline’s perspective. Imagine if it had been told through the varying perspectives of the major characters—Emmeline, Fisher, John, and Victoria. How would that change the book? One day Emmeline must leave the island and all the she knows to begin a new life full new and interesting challenges. One thing she brings with her is her very own strong ability to recognize scents and how they tell her a story. As she grows and matures, she begins her own quest fueled by her need for the need for truth, scents and to learn more about herself.