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© 2000 Kathy Craig |
The Crimson Petal and the White
by Michel Faber
December 2003/January 2004
Synopsis
"At the Heart of this panoramic, multidimensional narrative is the compelling struggle of a young woman to lift her body and soul out of the gutter. Michel Faber leads us back to 1870s London, where Sugar, a nineteen-year-old whore in the brothel of the terrifying Mrs. Castaway, yearns for escape into a better life. Her ascent through the strata of Victorian society offers us intimacy with a host of lovable, maddening, unforgettable characters."
"They begin with William Rackham, an egotistical perfume magnate whose ambition is fueled by his lust for Sugar, and whose patronage of her brings her into proximity to his extended family and milieu: his unhinged, child-like wife, Agnes; his mysteriously hidden-away daughter, Sophie; and his pious brother Henry, foiled in his devotional calling by a persistently less-than-chaste love for the Widow Fox, whose efforts on behalf of The Rescue Society lead Henry into ever-more disturbing confrontations with flesh. All this is overseen by assorted preening socialites, drunken journalists, untrustworthy servants, vile guttersnipes, and whores of all stripes and persuasions."
"Twenty years in its conception, research, and writing, The Crimson Petal and the White is a singular literary achievement -- a gripping, intoxicating, deeply satisfying Victorian novel written with an immediacy, compassion, and insight that give it a timeless and universal appeal." (Publisher)
Reviews
- "Readers...are in for a lasting love affair; the intimate relationship one develops with the characters after reading for 834 pages is much more staisfying than the mere one-night-stand promised by most novels."
(People)
- "Faber's labyrinthine novel of Victorian England features William, the bored, married son of a wealthy perfumer; Sugar, the otherworldly whore he defiantly loves; his odd wife, Agnes; and his puritanical, reformist older brother Henry. There's a feeling of anticipation as the book's narrator leads readers down seedy London streets: 'Watch your step,' he cautions. 'Keep your wits about you; you will need them.' Faber is an energetic storyteller, and this book is often as lively as its characters." (Chris Barsanti, Book Magazine)
- "Ambitious and accomplished....Nothing could have prepared readers for the sweep and subtlety of The Crimson Petal and the White". (The New York Times Book Review)
Book Club Rating and Comments
If you or your book club has read this book and would like to share your comments, please email us at upthecreekbc@yahoo.com.
Other Books by Michel Faber
- The Courage Consort
- The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps
- Some Rain Must Fall
- Under the Skin