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Home / New releases / December 2026 / The Perfumer’s Secret: A WWII Novel
The Perfumer’s Secret: A WWII Novel by Fiona Schneider book coverOut in 46 days
Historical FictionWorld War IIHistorical

The Perfumer’s Secret: A WWII Novel

by Fiona Schneider

DEC1Tue
Publishes Tuesday 1 December 2026Paperback · Harper Perennial · 448 pagesSee everything out in December 2026 →
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About the book

From the publisher

PRE-ORDER THE LATEST, SWEEPING, BREATHTAKING AND HEARTBREAKING HISTORICAL FICTION FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE PARIS AFFAIR


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In order to save her family’s future, Stella Penhallam is forced to uncover the secrets of their past…

With her family’s perfumery in dire straits, Stella Penhallam needs a miracle. So, when her great-aunt’s journal from 1940s Paris lands on her desk, Stella realises that the missing pages could hold the answers she seeks.

In 1939, as war breaks out across Europe, Iris Penhallam is forced into an impossible situation, one that will cause her world to come crashing down.

Paris is no longer safe, and when her mentor’s family is at risk from Mussolini’s fascist thugs, Iris must find a way to save them. Using her role as a perfumer, she travels to Italy on the Orient Express under the guise of creating five exotic scents with her partner, Alessandro.

Five scents that are lost to the war along with the man she loves.

As Stella delves deeper into the past, the two lives of these women intertwine in the present and the five lost scents will forge the start of their future...

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PRAISE FOR THE PARIS AFFAIR:

‘A sweeping, and heartfelt tale of love and sacrifice’ Amanda Geard, author of The Moon Gate

‘This is a heart wrenching story of love, bravery, and impossible choices’ Louise Fein, author The London Bookshop Affair

'I loved every page of this gorgeous, transportive, and highly moving tale!’ Jenny Ashcroft, author of Beneath A Burning Sky

‘An epic tale of love and loss.’ Caroline Khoury, author of Still Unwritten

Description supplied by the publisher.

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Out the same day

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