‘A paean to hope and home, written with such gentleness and deep adherence to emotional truth that to me its words become a fierceness to cast against harm, hardship and hurt. I loved it and it will haunt me for a long time.’ Helen Macdonald, the author of H is for Hawk

‘[A] poignant, gently unfolding . . . elegant family narrative of myriad characters traumatized by the deep-seated Russia-Ukrainian struggle. . . Throughout this powerful text, readers will encounter numerous satisfying layers.’ Kirkus Review

‘The familiar village symbol of a rooster on the roof hides a dark secret in Victora Belim’s marvellously vivid and often heartbreaking account of a personal quest, one that leads us deep into the complexities that lie behind news headlines while introducing us to an unforgettable group of characters. I read it in a single enthralled sitting.’ Miranda Seymour, author of I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys

‘Wild Swans for Ukraine … rich and magnificent.’ Bookseller

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I am a recent convert to the pleasure of a scented body cream. I used to think that a plain lotion was sufficient, and as for fragrance, I could always spritz on a perfume. Yet, when a friend gave me a jar of Chanel No 5 Body Cream, I discovered how enjoyable such a luxurious product can be. Not only does applying it entail a special pampering ritual, it leaves one’s skin fragrant and moisturized.

To ensure a lasting scent, selecting a cream with a high proportion of aromatic oils is essential. I recommend testing a cream the way one would try a fragrance—applying it on clean skin and taking an inhale throughout the day to observe how the scent evolves. For instance, Chanel No 5 Body Cream has a brighter floral fragrance than the matching perfume, but its musky drydown lingers for the whole day. It creates an intimate sillage, which makes Body Cream ideal as a daytime scent choice. While it can certainly be layered with No 5 Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum, Body Cream pairs perfectly with an iris composition like 28 La Pausa or a violet bonbon like Misia, both from Chanel’s Les Exclusifs collection.

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Our “Recommend Me a Perfume” thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite scents, and to ask any questions about scents, aromas and flavors. Or you can just tell us what perfume you are wearing!

I also wanted to mention that the great writer Nikolay Gogol (Mykola Hohol) was born on this day in 1809 in Ukraine’s Poltava region. He made his name as a Russian writer, but Ukraine inspired his writings and left a deep imprint on his work. Whichever of his work you read, you will find it resonating with today’s situation, as I did when I re-read Gogol’s Dead Souls. Please let me know in the comments which of Gogol’s works you’ve read.

How does it work: 1. Please post your requests or questions as comments here. You can also use this space to ask any fragrance related questions. To receive recommendations that are better tailored to your tastes, you can include details on what you like and don’t like, your signature perfumes, and your budget. And please let us know what you end up sampling. 2. Then please check the thread to see if there are other requests you can answer. Your responses are really valuable for navigating the big and sometimes confusing world of perfume, so let’s help each other!

To make this thread easier to read, when you reply to someone, please click on the blue “reply” link under their comment.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

Our Ukraine fundraiser is now closed. Thought Group Chile and I are grateful for your generous contributions that allowed us to raise almost $5000. Cristián Wittig, the director of the group, will explain how these funds will be used to rebuild devastated Ukrainian cities.

“Thank you very much indeed for your generous and valuable donation and contribution to our cause. With your contribution we were able to continue developing the final part of our architectural proposals for the Memorial of the Civilian Victims of the Massacre in Irpin and Bucha, the New Public Library of Irpin, which, as you know, were awarded and selected to be built as soon as possible. Likewise, your help also allowed us to develop our proposal for the New House of Culture in Ivanivka, Chernihiv, which was officially presented to its authorities, being received with much gratitude, emotion and impression for the seriousness and quality of the proposal developed, and we obtained their approval and commitment to be built, as soon as possible, since it collects and reflects much of the essence of that local community, its requirements and desires for modernity and the future.

In parallel, as you may know, we are moving forward with the other conceptual architecture proposals commissioned by the City of Irpin (3 additional projects) and the City of Chernihiv (4 additional projects). As you can see, your contributions and those that will come in the future are absolutely essential in order to continue this extraordinary work of architecture for the reconstruction of Ukraine. We will remain in active contact to inform you of our progress.”

Now onto the winners of the contest.

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I look forward to the Passa Porta Festival that takes place in Brussels from Thursday, March 23rd to Sunday, March 26th. On Sunday, I will join the Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko for a conversation with Peter Vermeersch, writer and professor of political science. If you are in Brussels, I hope to meet you there.

SUN 26.03.2023 16:30 – 17:30 Ukraine Writes Back: Oksana Zabuzhko and Victoria Belim

For tickets and other details, please visit the Passa Porta Festival website.

For my other book news, please take a look at The Rooster House book page.