The Crimson Petal and the White

This book will keep you hooked start to finish! The scenes are well painted, the
Characters are enchanting and well developed, and the story is intriguing. I would have given it 5 stars but I disliked the abrupt ending. Hoping to give The Apple a go and see if it has the answers I'm looking for. All in all, I recommend this very well written book to anyone interested in the time period. The historical details alone make it worth the effort!

An historical novel of England and its many houses of ill repute. One Lady of the Night, Miss Sugar, has her special story told when she's discovered by a wealthy industrialist.

There were three issues I had with the book that made it a difficult read for me. First, the author spent 1/3 of the book in lurid sexual scenes and encounters that really, in my opinion, added little to the overall quality of a great story.

Second, Miss Sugar spends hours following her benefactor and his wife around in public places and is never noticed? I found that difficult to believe and that made it hard to believe in the other characters.

Third, the author missed an opportunity to introduce Miss Sugar and her mother at the beginning of the story to give the ending more significance.

The ending has been discussed by some of our book club members, and other reviewers as awful. I didn't mind it. The author really had no place to go except there and he did leave an opening for Book 2. But Book 2 would have to be better organized for me to purchase it.

This long, wordy novel would be a fine check-out for Prime Club Members, but not for your hard-earned dollars, thus I rated it 3 Stars.

This was an interesting glimpse into Victorian England's society. The plot was all thought out and the characters solid. I thought the author's description of Sugar's skin ailment was fascinating. The struggles of Agnes' psyche was very well represented. I must confess I hated the ending but what is our imagination for any way? The story was a bit lout it was never predictable.

A book with a lot of vulgarity. Beautiful writing style. If one is not offended by raw descriptions this can make you laugh.
I may look for other books by this author since I like the style of writing

When I saw an advertisement for the mini series that was based on this book I ordered it. The story is great, the characters are well-developed and the plot takes turns that I didn't see coming. I loved it & intend to read it again in after a few months have passed.

This book is definitely one of my all time favorities. It starts out in an odd writing style, but that only lasts for a short while. I was absorbed by the characters, their struggles, their prejudices, and their determinations. Now if I can only get it back from the person I lent it to, that would be great. Somehow I think I will have to order another one.

I first heard about this novel on the Diane Reims Show. I was so hooked by an incredible opening line. Then it sort of wandered away, but I didn't mind because it was summer and I was on the beach. I loved the feeling of being there, of the not-so-pretty details of the not-picture-postcard daily lives of ordinary Victorian era English. Faber paints a picture in direct contrast to our contemporary life, which was just the sort of perspective I needed when I picked up the book.

Excellent. I agree with all the rave reviews. As an avid reader, it was refreshing to finally find a book that I just couldn't put down. There was not one boring page and that's saying a lot for a book over 800 pages. It held my interest from beginning to end. Mr. Faber totally transformed me to 19th Century Victorian England - sights, sounds and even smells. I sincerely hope there will be a sequel.

After reading some of the more eloquent reviews written about this book, there is really not much more I can offer, except to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it highly to those people who love a good, juicy novel.

Amazing visceral book that doesn't shy away from any detail that is less than pleasant or romantic. The core characters are layered with complicated motivations. It really helped me get a sense of what Victorian England was really like - for all classes.

Where to begin? Here's a cumbersome story, over 800 pages in length. And what's more, it's a story that moves at a snail's pace--a story almost as frozen as icycles hanging from a Victorian setting. And the characters? We have William Rackham, a rebellious, unambitious cretin who, after just one visit to the remarkable prostitute Sugar, suddenly becomes a baron of industry by taking over his father's soap-making business, so that he may comfortably support his new toy. And Sugar? She's good at what she does, to be sure, yet her life of degradation has made her a manhater extraordinaire, as evidenced by the brutal novel she's secretly writing. There's poor Agnes Rackham, William's fragile wife, so mentally and emotionally unstable the reader never gets a chance to know her, and what's the point of Henry Rackham, William's elder brother--a man tormented by his faith and his lust for a widow--other than to fill a couple of hundred pages? Finally, the ending is as abrupt as a statement from my accountant.

And yet, I give THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE five enthusiastic stars. Why, you may ask? (Notice I'm lapsing into Victorian formality.) Because, my dear sir/madam, author Michel Faber is one of the most talented writers I've ever had the pleasure to experience. Faber doesn't just tell the story, a story set in London of the 1870's, he presents it in full, intricate detail. This book has been called a modern Dickensen novel, and the comparison to Dickens is certainly appropriate when it comes to Faber's meticulous attention to setting, background, attire, and the appearance of the people he brings to life. Yet Faber's descriptive prose is further enhanced by his marvelous mastery of the English language, by his ability to create fluid, flowing passages that are best read out loud, where they can be savored and tasted like fine wine. And then, just when the reader is mesmerized by all the elegant prose, the author will discreetly throw in a four-letter bomb (or other nasty vulgarity). Such a device is jarring, but oh so effective--and entertaining.

THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE, with its superficial story and (mainly) unlikeable characters, is carried, enhanced, and glorified by Faber's uncanny talent. This author could make tank manuals enjoyable. Highly, highly recommended.

--D. Mikels, Esq.

Read on the Kindle Reader. I enjoyed the historical detail and the use of a narrator to help tell the story. The story went on much too long for my taste and I admit to skipping over many of Agnes' diary entries - possibly because I just wanted to finish and move on to another book that was waiting for me.

This book is beautiful, darkly beautiful. The characters are top-notch, vivid, and well just feel alive. Michel Faber does a great job at setting the mood, great damp and hateful atmosphere. Perfect imagery and a narrating style that just needs to be read. Read this today!!

This book was a lengthy read, but surprisingly, it was worth it. The author provides an ongoing glimpse into the thinking and motivations of the characters. True to life, none of the characters were either crimson or white, but actually shades of each. Just when the reader is tempted to villainize men or society for their treatment of women or the mentally ill, a balance is found in another plot line. But my biggest feeling, by the end of the book, is that I am glad, as a woman, that I did not live in the Victorian era! Women had very limited options, then.

I really enjoyed the book. It showed the life of a prostitute who was finally able to get out. the man who she was mistress to really showed his true colors when he found out that she was pregnant. The ending was really a surprise which I enjoyed very much. He deserved to lose his daughter as he never paid attention to her only when it was convenient for him

Not impressed. Am half way through and waiting for it to make sense. Seems well researched but extremely depressing. Saw the previews for the television show based on the book. THAT looked interesting. Still, maybe the last half of the book will begin to make some sense. If you like graphic descriptions of abject poverty, Victorian London and sex you might enjoy this. I paid for this thing, guess I'll see it through.

This book is fantastic. It reels with novelty yet reads like a classic. I couldn't put it down. The characters are so well-hewn as to seem real, and the details and complications lent by the time period and setting are very thought-provoking.

The past, even the near past, is there. Dirt, smells etc...knowable. Take the journey, spend the time and it all will come alive. See how far we have come. Or have we?
The "Crimson Petal and the White" ( the color of the skin after ones fingers have pressed in on themselves ) is well worth the effort.

Like the characters in this book, I stumbled through, always hoping that there was a purpose, a hope, an understanding. But there was none of that. I kept thinking that perhaps there was a story that somehow justified the foul language and explicit descriptions of sexual acts, but, alas, the whole thing is quite disappointing. Even the "Reader's Digest" version - gross language and acts removed from the text - would not be worth the read. What in the world was the author trying to do?????

I enjoyed reasing this though felt a bit let down as the novel went ahead. It promised more than it gave. But good rounded, credible though not loveable character. the setting felt authentic but at times liked depth.

Although this book is sexually graphic, i loved the realism of the period piece. The point of view, that of a narrator leading the reader into the story by literally introducing characters and places, keeps it interesting. The characters are the most fascinating people. I saw the movie on TV and wanted to read the book, which did not disappoint me at all. A book to cozy up to.

This writer is obsessed with body functions and truly has an ugly view of sex and relationships. He seems to go out of his way to be crude and make the sex scenes disgusting. The dialogue is clumsy - every poor person pronounces "thank you" as "fank you". It's entertaining, up to a point, but it's too long. None of the characters are admirable or particularly interesting. I can only recommend it to someone naïve about sex, but they would be far better off watching a good porn film or reading a well written sex manual. I feel sorry for anyone who finds this kind of trash fun to read or erotic.

A journey through London , in a very different era , one in which social class standing is everything. A fascinating look at those times through eyes of different people, from all walks of life. A delight for the senses.

This is a very long but interesting and unusual novel...a bawdy and yet touching story of "the other side of the tracks" in old England. I got caught up in the story from the start and enjoyed it till end.