The Secret of Chanel No. 5

Mazzeo's (English, Colby Coll.; The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It) "unauthorized biography of a scent" unearths the roots of the creation and fame of Coco Chanel's famous perfume, which still polls as the "most seductive scent" almost 90 years after it went on the market. Although Coco Chanel serves as a lens for the book, readers get a look at the explosion of the French perfume industry after World War I, the importance of American consumerism in skyrocketing perfume sales, and Chanel No. 5's place in 20th-century history. Mazzeo's lush prose covers relevant aspects of Coco Chanel's life, from the stark beauty of the orphanage where she was raised to the glamour and luxury of her adulthood, to the scents that wove through her life and shaped the development of her signature perfume. However, the book never bogs down in the details—despite the extensive research showcased in the bibliography—and a smooth pacing keeps it moving along at a fast clip.