The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume

Written by Tilar J. Mazzeo

Narrated by Liz de Nesnera

“Who knew that such a tiny bottle housed so many secrets?” —Michael Tonello, author of Bringing Home the Birkin

Tilar J. Mazzeo, author of the New York Times bestseller The Widow Clicquot (an Amazon Best of the Month book in October 2008) returns with a captivating history of the world’s most famous, seductive, and popular perfume: Chanel No. 5. Mazzeo’s sweeping story of the iconic scent (known as “le monstre” in the fragrance industry) stretches from Coco Chanel’s early success to the rise of the seminal fragrance during the 1950s to the confirmation of its bestseller status in today’s crowded perfume market.

“Here is the life of one of the 20th century’s most interesting and deeply complicated women, a fascinating cultural history, and the story of an extraordinary perfume.” —Chandler Burr, New York Times scent critic and author of The Perfect Scent

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Nov 9, 2010
• ISBN: 9780062007148

Tilar J. Mazzeo

Tilar J. Mazzeo is the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle bestselling author of books that include The Widow Clicquot, The Secret of Chanel No. 5, and Hotel on the Place Vendôme. The Clara C. Piper Associate Professor of English at Colby College, she divides her time among coastal Maine, New York City, and Saanichton, British Columbia, where she lives with her husband and stepchildren.

Reviews for The Secret of Chanel No. 5

[heroineinabook · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not much really new here if you've read any bio of Coco Chanel. While the brief history of perfumeria is interesting, it's not enough tif you're familiar with Chanel's life. However, I would recommend this to those interested in Chanel's life but unsure where to start since the book is well-researched.

[byshieldmaiden · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not much really new here if you've read any bio of Coco Chanel. While the brief history of perfumeria is interesting, it's not enough tif you're familiar with Chanel's life. However, I would recommend this to those interested in Chanel's life but unsure where to start since the book is well-researched.

[dark_phoenix54 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Chanel No. 5 is the world’s best selling perfume- and has been for decades. It’s been so popular for so long, in fact, that it’s actually become a sort of cultural icon- a symbol of luxury, capable of being recognized by the bottle shape, even by those who have never smelled the juice inside. This book is the ‘biography’ of No. 5. I have a great interest in perfume, so I had high hopes for this book. As I made my way through it, though, I kept feeling like I’d read it before. I hadn’t, but I had read a biography of Coco Chanel a number of years ago. Unlike many modern fragrances which are created by committee (independent niche perfumes excepted), the story of No. 5 is closely tied to Chanel’s life. The majority of the story of No. 5 IS the story of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. It had great personal meaning for her; supposedly it combined scents from her past- rich flowers from around the convent school she grew up in, clean sheets, and the sweaty body of her great love, Boy Capel. There are a great many myths out there about No. 5, and this book lays them to rest. It wasn’t the first perfume to use synthetic ingredients- not by a long shot. It wasn’t the first perfume to use aldehydes. And it wasn’t even a new perfume- it was a remake of one made for Russian royalty. It’s an interesting story, how this one fragrance has held up all these years, despite business infighting, world wars, lack of (and even disappearance of) raw materials, terrible decisions, and changing tastes. But the book is repetitious- the author repeats the same facts chapter after chapter. It would have been a much better book had it been shorter. And it really never does discover the final secret- what is it about this scent that has made it survive so well?

[birdsam0610 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was another of my $5 sale books. I don’t wear this perfume (I prefer Bvlgari or Estee Lauder) nor am I a particular fan of Chanel cosmetics or fashion. Coco Chanel was an interesting character though and several beauty bloggers have read this book and enjoyed it, so I thought I should try it.The first thing that hit me when I started reading this was the excessive amount of descriptive language – adjectives were dominating every page! I’m not sure if this improved or I just got used to the style of the narrative. Perhaps it was because I become more and more engrossed in the story – for behind that bottle, there’s a lot of fighting and heartache. The book describes Chanel’s early life and why some of the scents in No.5 had powerful memories for the young Coco. It then goes into the development of the perfume (but not too much technicalities) and the business war that ensued over decades as Coco sold her rights to No. 5 very early on. This caused No.5 to take over the market, being available everywhere and anywhere, from pharmacies to army stores. Coco fought very hard to retain control of her perfume post World War II.If you’re a devotee of Chanel’s other perfumes, there’s not very much in this book for you – other perfumes are mentioned but not in great detail. Similarly, there’s not a lot about her fashion house. It is an interesting story though and will entertain history buffs and beauty fans alike.

[lindap69 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the history of the times and the iconic perfume but the writing style was lackluster and several facts were repeated too much, unable to camouflage the lack of information available.