The book follows Luca Turin, a brilliant and unconventional biophysicist with an extraordinary gift for identifying and describing scents. Turin challenges the scientific establishment with his radical theory of smell—suggesting that we perceive odors not by shape (as traditionally believed), but by vibrational frequencies of molecules.
Burr chronicles Turin’s journey through the perfume industry and academia, highlighting his battles with skeptical scientists, his poetic obsession with fragrance, and his struggle to publish his controversial theory. The story unfolds like a scientific thriller, complete with intellectual intrigue, political maneuvering, and moments of revelation.
Naila, brought some scents for us to smell and give short reports of what we could describe them as - very difficult. Interestingly enough the classic scent Chanel No 5, none of us got, although we did say we knew the smell but couldn't place it. It was an interesting exercise of trying to recoginise a smell without it's packaging!
Marks out of 10: between 4 - 6
Words used to describe it: poorly written, frustrating, informative, needed an editors pen, impenitrable,
Next book
The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Woulden
Next meeting
Tuesday 21st October at 67 Mendora Road
