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The Crimson Petal And The White

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The Crimson Petal And The White

By: Michel Faber
Narrated by: Jill Tanner
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THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER, NOW A MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING Chris O'Dowd, Gillian Anderson, Richard E. Grant and Mark Gatiss.

'Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them . . .'

So begins this irresistible voyage into the dark side of Victorian London. Amongst an unforgettable cast of low-lifes, physicians, businessmen and prostitutes, meet our heroine Sugar, a young woman trying to drag herself up from the gutter any way she can. Be prepared for a mesmerising tale of passion, intrigue, ambition and revenge.

©2011 Michel Faber Fiction Historical Fiction
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Critic reviews

"This is an unputdownable book; there is no choice but to give in to this most unbelievably pleasurable of narrative rides . . . Faber's take on the nineteenth century English novel is a heady and intoxicating mixture of affection, respect and scabrous resistance"
"A sexy, bravura novel... wildly entertaining"
"Owes as much to John Fowles as it does to Charlotte Bronte. Which is to say that the book is both mind-bogglingly clever and page-turningly tempting. Don't miss it"
"When a book is this big, it had better be good - this one is. Dive in. Enjoy!" (Alice Sebold)
"An astonishing narrative sweep that encompasses Victorian society in all its colourful variety, it peels away the surface gentility and brings its world to vivid life. It's a feast for all five senses and in spite of its weight, it's impossible to put down" (VAL MCDERMID)
"Key to its success is the book's sly acknowledgment of its modernity without recourse to taking up the crude cudgels of irony . . . a sybaritic pleasure and a ripping yarn"
"Owes as much to John Fowles as it does to Charlotte Brontë. Which is to say that the book is both mind-bogglingly clever and page-turningly tempting. Don't miss it"
"An intensely imaginative time-travel experience"
"Takes the historical novel and, in the spirit of its subject matter, submits it to a good rogering in terms of graphically exposing the sexual details Dickens and Co. couldn't (or wouldn't) write about"
"It is a long read but a rewarding one. It is also, unsurprisingly, a sexy one. Indeed, at times it seems that the real central characters are the readers, good voyeurs that we are"
"The verdict: a scary tome, but crack the spine and you're into a gripping tale . . . Try if you like the thought of Dickens rising again to have a stab at erotic drama"
"At 828 pages, it's the size of a piglet and twice as heavy. Even so, I find myself lugging it to and fro on the train because my need to know what happens next outweighs the beast" (ROWAN PELLING)
"Down-and-dirty tale of an upwardly mobile Victorian prostitute . . . a scintillating tour de force"
"A cracking read, a Victorian page-turner with a twenty-first-century consciousness. Wilkie Collins would be proud" (LOUISE WELSH)
"The novel that Dickens might have write had he been allowed to speak freely . . . Faber's writing is so dizzyingly accomplished that he is able to convince you that, just sometimes, the old stories really are the best ones" (KATHRYN HUGHES)
"Wonderfully enjoyable . . . an intensely imaginative time travel experience." (Jane Jakeman)
"An achievement which may leave you wondering if this vast work is, if anything, a little too short." (Ross Gilfillan)
"There may have been many great novels set I Victorian times, among them A.S Byatt's Possession and John Fowles's The French Lieutenant's Woman. No disrespect intended, but none of them compares with Faber's morality tale. It really is that special." (Alan Taylor)
All stars
Most relevant
I've just finished reading this and I have to say that this book was absolutely superb! Some reviewers have said that it's too long. Long it is, but the level of detail carefully rendered in the words of this excellently written story serve to paint a vivid set of characters in an equally well defined world. Faber's style of writing is one of unhurried story-telling which allows the reader to better understand the characters that inhabit this world. It's a style I was instantly impressed with from start to finish. Other authors often rush a story fearing that the reader would lose interest in the plot if they didn't move things along at perhaps an unrealistic rate. No, Faber allows his story to slowly mature permitting the reader to "live" this world with him.

His story is character driven (as all good stories are) but the reader gains real insight into their inner thoughts and feelings over time just like actually getting to know someone in real life.

This tail is like a fine wine that can only be appreciated with time and care and Faber delivers both in generous measure.

I could go on uttering many superlatives about this book and all wouldn't do it justice in my opinion. Take the time to read this story and you will be drawn into a rich and enthralling place you wont want to leave.

Like others here, I too was desperate to find out more about what happens to the characters seen here as soon as I'd finished the book so acquainted you feel with them by the time it's sadly all over.

Yes, there is a peppering of bad language throughout, but it's required to give the story its gritty and visceral sense of reality that this journey is. Narration I found to be excellent with the various tones and accents of each character done with aplomb.

Finally, this book has a host of words I'd never come across, so it's given me plenty of opportunity to extend my vocabulary when I look up what they all mean.

Start your enthrawling journey today and enjoy!

An Enthrawling Journey

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I watched some of this story on television and was desperate to know what happened at the end. It was also really interesting hearing the difference between the screen version and the authors written word. Both were superb. I listened to the whole book almost without pause. Brilliant!!

Dark Masterpiece.

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An extraordinary amount of research has gone into creating this book about Victorian morality and fascinating it is too. It took me a while to get into it, long descriptions are often off putting, but it rewarded my patience and the 40 odd hours flew by. The choice of narrator is perfect and the story she tells is gripping and illuminating. I loved it. More please...a sequel perhaps...

Stay with it...

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Let me start by saying that I love the language of this book, despite the obsession with the word 'flaccid' (which is used to describe everything from a piece of paper to an overcoat). I also love the care and detail with which the characters are drawn.

What I HATE, however, is the ending. And I do mean ending, not conclusion, as Faber lacks the inclination or ability to wrap up any of the plots or elucidate the remaining mysteries. Regardless of whether there's a sequel, one has a right to expect every book to be a complete story and that The Crimson Petal and the White is not.

It also doesn't have any point to it, unless one counts depicting Victorian misogyny, which I think most of us are aware of and could have been dealt with in far fewer pages.

Infuriatingly unsatisfactory and pointless

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I put off listening to this as 41 hours just seemed daunting, but it's actually really engaging and easy to listen to. It flew by. Granted, I listened at double speed, but that's still a significant amount of time for a book. The narrator is excellent and really helps bring the characters to life.

The Crimson Petal and The White

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