The Secret of Chanel No. 5

The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume

By: Tilar J. Mazzeo

Narrated by: Liz de Nesnera

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Every minute, someone buys an Art Deco-inspired, amber-hued bottle of Chanel No. 5 - to the tune of more than half a million bottles a year. Considering that nearly 90 years have passed since No. 5’s creation, this statistic alone makes a compelling case for the perfume’s stature as the world’s most famous.

However, its cultural impact might be even more staggering than its business success: Andy Warhol’s silk-screened version of bottle helped to make its image iconic; Mitch Ryder’s “Devil in a Blue Dress” famously wore it; and, when Marilyn Monroe was asked what she wore to bed, she replied, with more than a hint of flirtation: “Why, Chanel No. 5 of course.” Adding to the perfume’s prestige, some of the most glamorous actresses of our age, including Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman, and Audrey Tautou, have been its official face.

We all know the story of Coco Chanel, but how much do we actually know about her signature perfume - a fragrance that has enjoyed remarkable success for nearly a century? The Secret of Chanel No. 5 is the story of Tilar J. Mazzeo’s far-ranging and often quixotic search to discover the answer - and of the fascinating detours into the history of perfume that come from asking the question: What is the secret behind No. 5’s creation, iconic status, and extraordinary success?

©2010 Tilar J. Mazzeo (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Interesting, not life changing

Kept my attention and got me curious enough about chanel no 5 to track down a sniff of it.
No regrets listening - a good break from some heavy listens.

Fascinating behind the scenes story of an icon

I liked the story and was intrigued by how much impact one "little perfume" had. I found myself curious to know more about the Chanel firm - beyond Number 5 that is. Does a very good story of placing the story against cultural and historical background. I was not too keen on the narrator. Somewhat annoying voice, and her pronunciation of Coco sounded like Cuckoo, which got a bit wearing. I think she should stick to regular pronunciation for that word, and some of the other "foreign" words.

All in all a great book, and recommended for anyone wanting to know more about Chanel and the incredible importance of this product to the company.

Chanel No5

I didnt know how subconsciously I repeated Chanel No5 after each time Ms. Mazzeo said it, until my friend caught me on it.

Captivating and personal.

Fascinating story with poor presentation at times

Most of the first hour of this book borders on smut. After that, it's worth listening to for the intricate history of this famous fragrance.

The story of Chanel No. 5 involves the Romonovs, tales of industrial espionage, international incidents, political intrigues, celebrities, and marketing ploys that were, at times, pure genious and, at other times, pure folly.

I found the story, itself, to be enchanting. The presentation of the story, however, suffered from too much emphasis on sexual themes, occassional profanity (once or twice, but too much, in my opinion), and, mostly due to the meanderings into subjective opinions about the sensuality of the fragrance, a lack of cohesion. Thus the reduction of two stars from the Overall score.

The narrator, Liz de Nesnera, did a good job with the material. She wasn't stellar, but she wasn't bad. I listened at a speed of 3x.

If you're interested in the life of Coco Chanel, the history of the Chanel company, Chanel No. 5, or in the perfume industry, in general, this book is worth the money or the credit.

Very well narrated and exactly the right length.

I would recommend it to anyone that is interested about perfuming but also for people that are curious about product creation process, marketing and fashion.

Chanel as Product and Person

Perfume and biography fans will appreciate it. the technical details of advances in chemical synthetics and the story of Coco as a person is a little choppy.
I was unaware of Coco's decisions during WW2 Nazi Occupation of France or the business of Chanel complexities. Her life was as complex and almost as mythological as the famed perfume.