COLLECTOR OF DYING BREATHS
M. J. ROSE
Esta semana está siendo muy histórica ;o)
Decidí leer este libro porque me apasiona el Renacimiento
italiano y más si la novela incluye misterio, una obsesión prohibida y dos
historias paralelas que suceden en tiempos y lugares diferentes.
"El coleccionista del último aliento", por
traducirlo de algún modo, relata una misión rayana en la locura por capturar el
hálito final de un ser humano en un frasco. Trata sobre la búsqueda de la
inmortalidad a través de la alquimia más oscura y perfecta. En realidad,
refleja el ansia de toda persona por agarrarse a la vida presente y por no
perder jamás a los seres queridos que abandonan este mundo demasiado pronto.
Con una prosa bella y elegante, la autora relata en capítulos
alternos la historia de René el florentino y Jac L'Etoil. En el Medievo
francés, René es aprendiz de un monje obsesionado por preservar la vida en su
laboratorio clandestino del monasterio. Casi a punto de perderlo todo, René
acabará trabajando al servicio de Catalina de Medici. Resulta absorbente y
didáctico aprender sobre hierbas, elixires, las costumbres de la época y las
traicioneras políticas de la corte.
Por otro lado, Jac vive en la Francia actual. Ha crecido como
co-heredera de un imperio del perfume aunque trabaja investigando mitos
históricos y tiene un programa de televisión. Cuando la tragedia vuelve a
abatirse sobre ella, se ve compelida a descubrir el secreto de un elixir que
puede devolver el alma de una persona querida a la vida.
Aunque he echado de menos las anteriores novelas, es cierto
que la autora repasa los acontecimientos previos de manera que sirva para hilar
tanto su romance condenado a la destrucción como el poder de regresión a vidas
pasadas que tiene Jac. Ha sido sorprendente y muy intenso asistir a esos episodios
que recuerdan las reencarnaciones de Jac. Está vívidamente conectada al pasado
de René y puede redescubrirlo a través de olores. Ella es una experta en
perfumes y los ingredientes en que están basados. Y por eso es reclutada por
una pareja de hermanastros ricos y excéntricos que quieren completar la
investigación del elixir que comenzó el hermano de Jac.
La trama se despliega mediante una descripción pausada,
pormenorizada y con un estilo rico e imaginativo. He aprendido muchísimas cosas
sobre hierbas, laboratorios medievales y gabinetes de curiosidades. La Historia
es un tesoro esperando ser descubierto, en serio. Los personajes son
tremendamente interesantes, tanto los dos protagonistas como los hermanastros.
Además, las reencarnaciones han sido un extra muy atractivo. Lo que no me
esperaba y ha sido precioso aunque muy, muy dramático, es la doble relación
amorosa. Tenemos la historia de Jac con un hombre que parece abocado a morir
por ella. Y tenemos la historia de René con una dama alejada de su esfera
social. Ambas son bellísimas. Aunque la relación de René me ha colmado de
recuerdos dolorosos.
Vista de principio a fin, la novela es cautivadora, está
llena de secretos y giros que son estimulantes, propone varias tragedias y
vínculos románticos y obsesiones oscuras que dejan huella en la mente muchos
días después de terminar la lectura.
MY OPINION
I wanted to
read this book because I'm passionate about stories set on certain historical
periods. Renaissance Italy is one of my favourite places and times. Then, I
couldn't help myself when I found out that this book had two parallel stories
that revolved around a perfumer and his quest to encapsulate life.
In an
elegant, lush style that evokes rich images in the mind, the author introduces
two lifetimes through a chain of alternate chapters. There is the man who
delves in potions and esoteric fragrances in sixteenth century Florence. From
humble origins and dire circumstances, René le Florentin strives to serve
Catherine de Medici at the same time he longs to uncover the secrets of alchemy
and capture a dying breath to pursue immortality.
And there is
Jac L'Etoile, a mythologist who has grown up amidst perfumes renowned in
present France. She has suffered the loss of her loved ones in different ways
and is besieged by visions of past lives. The only way to survive is to find
out why so many secrets haunt her.
It's a
magnificent story that soothes the spirit thanks to the author's prose. It was
a pleasure to read all those wonderful descriptions of beautiful houses,
fragrant aromas and ancient alchemy. It is also enlightening in the way it
brings to life the dark world of herbs and poisons, the twisted ways of the
royal court, the mystic experience of reincarnation, and a deepening sense of
lasting love.
What blew my
mind was the coexistence of the parallel stories set in different times and
places, both beguiling in their own way. I was especially pleased with the
recounting of the perfumer's life and endeavours. And surprised by the tender
and passionate romance that arises in both time lines.
Even though
the author recapitulates what happened to Jac and her family in previous novels,
I still missed having read those adventures before this one. Nevertheless,
everything is explained in detail so nothing is lost and the new events can
connect easily.
As I was
reading, the romance wowed me. It's beautifully written in an explosion of
feelings and colour and scents as intense as the most expensive perfume.
In the end,
both stories come together in a heart-wrenching way. The immortality of the
spirit achieved through the immortality of scents and elixirs that reach to us
through the immortality of the words bound in those books we read and write
throughout time. It's a beautiful circle.
The novel
inspired me to search for more information about medieval laboratories and old
cabinets full of secrets. Part of its captivating magic is how it unearths
plenty of interesting facts from the past. And I appreciate for my mind to be
surprised and intrigued by such unknown treasures.
Rife with
dark deeds and sensuality, this novel tells a compelling tale with a gripping
conclusion. Now, after I've finished it, I look back with pleasure at
everything I've learned and also how much it made me suffer. It's a safe bet
for readers who like historical mysteries, mystical love stories and tragic,
passionate characters.
M.J. Rose
"It is with irony now, forty years later, to think that if I had
not been called a murderer on the most frightening night of my life, there
might not be any perfume in Paris today. And that scent—to which I gave my all
and which gave me all the power and riches I could have hoped for—is at the
heart of why now it is I who call myself a murderer."
From The Collector of Dying Breaths “
“When a woman is in the arms
of a man she loves, in the dark of the night,
the perfume she is wearing plays
a very important role.” ―Jean-Paul Guerlain
About the Author...
M.J.
Rose is the international best selling author of fourteen novels and two
non-fiction books on marketing. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in
many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in
the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR
radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the ’80s in advertising,
has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the
first marketing company for authors – Authorbuzz.com. The television series
PAST LIFE, was based on Rose’s novels in the Renincarnationist series. She is
one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and runs
the blog- Buzz, Balls & Hype. She is also the co-founder of Peroozal.com
and BookTrib.com.
Rose
lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and
their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.
¿Qué os parece el tema de las reencarnaciones? ¿Habéis leído alguna novela sobre este tema?
Babel que recuerda haber vivido en Florencia.
