The Scent Keeper: A Novel

This is a beautifully descriptive novel with a very original story line. Characters are well defined and locations vividly conveyed. Each generation carries its own social dictates and standards which as in real life is very different than the previous generation. Enjoy a true escape!

*Minor spoiler under “The Bad” 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 Summary: “Back before there was time, I lived with my father on an island, tucked away in an endless archipelago that reached up out of the cold salt water, hungry for air.” The story starts off on a secluded island in the Pacific Northwest where we meet Emmeline, a young girl who has always lived alone with her scientist father. Her father collects and studies scents that he preserves in small glass bottles and they both are completely isolated from the outside world (Emmeline believes that supplies are brought to them by mermaids). Emmeline finds out a bit of truth and becomes angry and makes a choice that will change her life forever. That choice forces her into the outside world where she is raised by a lovely couple in a small coastal town outside of Vancouver. The story follows Emmeline’s transition and her growth as she comes to terms with understanding and embracing who she is. The Good: The book is written so lovely it is almost lyrical in its style. I loved the premise too! I had no idea what I was getting into, but I am so glad I picked this one up and think most everyone would enjoy this read. In addition to lovely writing, unique premise, the plot is engaging and fast paced, and I really liked the two main characters. Moderate to more character depth, especially for Emmeline, and I really did like her. A nice light read with a bit of magic that is lovely to get lost in. 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. Favorite Quotes: “Scents were always about what was growing and what was dying. What would last through the next season. This was just with people instead of trees or flowers or dirt. Maybe I could read them after all. The thought gave me hope.” “Scents were like rain, or birds. They left and came back.” “It's amazing how easily we can cast ourselves in the role of hero.”

FINISHED! This book was a GREAT read! Thank you @reesesbookclub The Scent Keeper “Erica Bauermeister, the author of the February Reese's Book Club pick The Scent Keeper, presents a moving and evocative novel about childhood stories, families lost and found, and how a fragrance conjures memories capable of shaping the course of our lives.” This book follows the story of Emmeline, who was raised on a remote island with her father. At a young age she was taught to use her nose and learn everything about scents she could. She enjoyed her life on the island very much, but as she aged, she had more questions about how they ended up there. Her father uses a special machine to save scents in bottles on paper and he becomes increasingly obsessed with his work. Emmeline decides to throw the scents away one at a time to try and get her father back. She realizes this was the wrong thing to do. The rest of the story follows Emmeline through the next stages in her life. When she leaves The Island and meets Henry and Colette at The Cove. She lives with them for many years and becomes part of their family. She also starts to research about her father and her mother and what brought her to the island. On the way, she makes a friend, Fisher who becomes a staple in her life. Fisher is dealing with abuse from his father and Emmeline becomes his escape. Fisher leaves for the city and Emmeline decided to locate him. During this time, she meets her mother and spends time with her in her fancy apartment. Due to her scent knowledge, she starts to work at her mothers business creating scents. She realized she is amazing at this job and she feels at home. Things begin to add up and she learns secrets about her mom and how she treated her father. Once she has discovered her true self, Emmeline and Fisher head back to the Cove with Henry and Colette where she always felt the most at home. Emmeline was a very bright individual. She had a passion for scents of the world and scents bringing you back to specific memories. It made me realize I have been taken scents for granted. I will be looking at scents in a whole new light now thanks to this gem. At the end of the book Emmeline gives a great quote, “Base notes can come from dark places, but they can create beauty all the same. They are reminders of what we will do to live, and what we can give each other. My parents taught me that.” I highly recommend this book!!!!!

This book started out so well. The writing is gorgeous, the story was captivating. The way the author describes scent and the ability to identify scents is amazing. And then the story turns into a rant against a mom whose story never gets truly explored. And then the story just ends. What started out as a lush, wonderful story just ended. I wasn’t expecting a happy ending, I don’t need happy endings. But none of the characters got explored fully and the ending was just weird and abrupt. I’m so angry.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. It kept me up late at night and I woke early in the morning. I could not put it down. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

Right from the start this book was interesting enough. Then it turned a little into too much of the same and I started wondering what to do, put the book down or not. However I kept on reading and the book got better, especially as of part 2 (there are 3 parts). For me the book feels like something in between the lush habitat of Where the Crawdads Sing and the mysteries similar to the books by Glendy Vanderah. In one word: interesting and intriguing. Beautifully and well written. It was the first time I read a book by Erica B. and it will certainly not be the last! It's one of those books you don't want to end.

The book is divided in 3 parts: The Island, The Cove and The City. This book would have been a 5 star read for me since I adored the first and second parts but unfortunately, the story lost momentum in the third part (it was so different from the other two and a bit slower-paced). I loved Emmeline and Fisher as characters and how their relationship was built (seriously what a beautiful love story). I also liked Henry and Colette and would have loved to read more of them in the third part of the book. Dylan was an interesting character (though not a nice person) and I've always thought he acted the way he did with Emmeline because he secretly liked her and therefore wanted to get her attention. The weakest part of the book for me was Emmeline meeting her mother and working with her (or should I say 'for her') at Inspire, Inc (which was the main focus of the third part of the book). I found myself not as interested in that storyline as I would have liked even though it made sense to put it as it made the story progress. Regarding the epilogue, I would have loved if the author had included the scene where Emmeline and Fisher return to the Cove and reunite with Colette and Henry (it was just mentioned and that was not enough for me since Emmeline’s life at the Cove was pretty much what the entire part two of the book was about and therefore important enough to write how it felt for her to come back). So all in all, despite a few aspects of the storyline that I wish had gone different, The Scent Keeper is a fantastic book that I highly recommend since it’s a story that I don't think I'll ever forget

I read this in one sitting, I needed to understand how Emmeline's life changed. I loved the description and how the story grew, it has made me nostalgic for scents of my childhood.

Erica Bauermeister hits it out of the park again. The subtle scent of a storm on the horizon long before you can see or hear it coming. The pine tree that releases its aroma on a hot day. Or the hint of bread having been baked many days ago. All woven together to draw you into a story that is truly tantalizing. She is one of few authors whose books I could read again and again.

Ein Roman, der mal einfach etwas anderes ist. Zwar nicht in bezug auf den Inhalt - denn auch hier gibt es Drama & Liebe - allerdings auf eine andere (für mich 'neue') Art und Weise. Die Geschichte wird sehr einfühlsam erzählt. Was mir sehr gefallen hat war auch die Nähe zur Natur und wie intensiv diese - vorallem über die Gerüche - wahrgenommen wird. Es ist eh super interessant mal nicht nur das 'normal' erlebte in das Zentrum einer Geschichte zu stellen... Sondern Gerüche.