Preview
  • Elixir

  • A Parisian Perfume House and the Quest for the Secret of Life
  • By: Theresa Levitt
  • Narrated by: Esther Wane
  • Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (47 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Elixir

By: Theresa Levitt
Narrated by: Esther Wane
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

For centuries, scientists believed that living matter possessed a special quality—a spirit or essence—that differentiated it from nonliving matter. But by the nineteenth century, the scientific consensus was that the building blocks of one were identical to the building blocks of the other. Elixir tells the story of two young chemists who were not convinced, and how their work rewrote the boundary between life and nonlife.

In the 1830s, Édouard Laugier and Auguste Laurent were working in Laugier Pere et Fils, the oldest perfume house in Paris. By day they prepared the perfumery's revitalizing elixirs and rejuvenating eaux, drawing on alchemical traditions that equated a plant's vitality with its aroma. In their spare time they hunted the vital force that promised to reveal the secret to life itself. Their ideas, roundly condemned by established chemists, led to the discovery of structural differences between naturally occurring molecules and their synthetic counterparts, even when the molecules were chemically identical.

Scientists still can't explain this anomaly, but it may point to critical insights concerning the origins of life on Earth. Rich in sparks and smells, brimming with eccentric characters, experimental daring, and the romance of the Bohemian salon, Elixir is a fascinating cultural and scientific history.

©2023 Theresa Levitt (P)2023 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Elixir

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Well narrated good story

If I could speak French I would have enjoyed this book more. But all of the history was a good listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing, wish I could find more like it

Devoured this book in the space of several days. I’m currently shopping for a print copy so I can loan it out to every other person I know who are likewise fascinated by the intersection between history, technology, and scientific exploration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Misleading title

Too long; a rambling history that desperately needed a good editor.
Narrator excellent and her French was flawless.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thrilling History of Organic Chemistry

You need to know as little about organic chemistry, but very little.

The book is filled with vivid images of the chemists and the races to uncover secrets. Fortunes were made and lost selling ingredients for perfumes and medicine.

I thoroughly enjoyed it—and the welcome escape from our tawdry world where liars and demagogues dictate political agenda and drown out truth seekers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A lot to think about

I’m a chemist but this book brought up issues never broached in school. The mysteries remain Although now, we have asteroid dust. Hmm.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I Thought I Would Like It More Than I Did

It's chemistry. It's physics. It's history. It's boring. The title is somewhat misleading for the content. And the offhand mentions of scientists' cruelty to animals are just revolting. This book was not for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved This!

Levitt tells the history of the development of organic chemistry in 18th and 19th century France through biographies and anecdotes, with a strong grounding in historical context. The book is accessible to those (like me) with little or no chemistry background, the prose is well-written, and is a delightfully interesting and engaging read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Misleading Title

I have to add this book to the very short list of books I purchased and then just couldn't finish. I thought it might be about the current perfume industry, but it is really a chemistry book - and you would need some substantial background to appreciate it!

The narration was good, but the text is loaded with names and places that just don't mean anything to a contemporary US reader. I found it slow and boring, For me, life is just too short to spend time on this book. I wasn't learning anything, just listening to a background of words.

This might be terrific for the right reader but not for a non-chemist, general reader.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Painful, long drawn out.

A struggle most definitely to get through!!! Way too much and yet nothing of interest?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!