The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

[Kylie]

I thought I'd bump up this thread now that a few of us are reading it at the same time.

 

Ooshie, you seem to be flying through it. I take it you're enjoying it?

 

I'm only 60 or so pages in and I'm really enjoying the whole atmosphere of the story. I love Faber's writing style; it's descriptive without being overly so and the characters are nicely written.

[chrysalis_stage]

(I just wrote a fair bit of stuff I liked about this book and then the pressed bloody backspace key and it deleted it all )

 

Ooshie is flying through it, it is very impressive!

 

Faber's writing style is simply stunning in parts, I really enjoy where he takes me. The detail he has put into this novel is apparent in many ways, one such case being the fashion change in corsets in the 1870's which he makes comment on through Agnes as well as the accents of characters bringing the whole thing to life and making me believe everything is possible.

 

It is a vivid tale, the crudeness is what makes it so believeable and obviously different from other (non-modern) Victorian novels which do not really include such things in detail. I like Sugar although there have been times I have not agreed with what she has done or thought but thats what makes me love this book more so, she as well as others are such believable characters it makes me care what they do and think like a friend. I am very impressed with Faber's ability to write female characters thoughts and feelings so convincingly and in such detail such as Sugar, Agnes and Mrs Fox.

 

The beginning of this book was fantastic too, I loved it, tis a very novel way of acknowledging the reader although it does wane in the large part of the book, not sure if it returns near the end, I expect so.

 

I do believe it is a book once picked up, hard to put back down, the only reason why I have not finished it sooner is partly because I love delving in these character's lives and I'm kinda stalling it so it lasts longer and stays in my memory much longer (I did the same with Paint The Wind - Cathy Cash Spellman) and I keep taking smaller books to read at work or out and about as well as my attention span is sh*ite of late and even if I was reading the perfect book for me I would still probably take an age

 

Currently have about 300 pages left, I do want to know the ending but I know I will miss reading about the characters once it is finished. I will have to get my hands on a better copy of this book, the book I am reading atm is from the charity shop which I got for 75p and is brilliant because I can bend the spine without feeling guilty as pages were falling out when I got it. The newer copy I get once finished will not have such manhandling thats for sure.

Edited April 12, 2010 by chrysalis_stage

[madcow]

I remember reading this and wanting more after I'd finished it

 

If your interested there is a bit of catch up novel called The Apple

[Ooshie]

Ooshie, you seem to be flying through it. I take it you're enjoying it?

 

Thoroughly enjoying it!

 

Only another 130 pages left to go, so might even finish it tonight. I'm trying not to skim my way to the end though; I really want to know what is going to happen, but I have been enjoying it too much not to give it my full attention.

 

I'm not usually one for lots of description/details in books, but I have really found that this world and the characters have been brought to life for me by the details.

 

 

Did anyone else want to shout "NOOO, DON'T DO IT!" when Sugar started angling to move in as Sophie's governess?

 

[Mac]

This novel is in my top ten books of all time. Thought I'd stick that information in here.

[Kylie]

It's always good to have more opinions, Mac! Did you have a favourite and/or least favourite character?

 

I'm about a third of the way through. I haven't made up my mind whether or not I like Sugar. The characters are all very interesting though, and I can't wait to see how their stories unfold.

[madcow]

I loved this book and it's characters so much that after I had read my library copy I went out and bought a copy to keep, along with The Apple, for future re-reads. I too can say it's in my all time top 10 perhaps even top 5

[Ooshie]

I finished the book yesterday and, like madcow, had to buy The Apple just for the thought of keeping the characters in my life a wee bit longer! I had never heard of TCPatW before seeing it suggested in The Rory Gilmore Challenge, and hadn't been sure how I would enjoy it, but I really enjoyed the way in which that whole world and the characters were brought to life.

[nin0uch]

I already have so many books to read !!! You made me add another one on my list !! ^^

This book sounds great !!!!

[Ooshie]

I should say that, despite how much I enjoyed The Crimson Petal, I didn't enjoy The Apple much and wished I had just enjoyed the main story rather than trying to stay with the characters a bit longer through the subsequent collection of stories. I hope you enjoy The Crimson Petal when you get it!

[madcow]

I already have so many books to read !!! You made me add another one on my list !! ^^

This book sounds great !!!!

Thats the joy of BCF your TBR list will soon become a mountain or as in my case a mountain range

[nin0uch]

Thats the joy of BCF your TBR list will soon become a mountain or as in my case a mountain range

 

I don't even dare to read the other subjects !! My list is already such a mountain !! But well, not so bad having so many things to read, isn't it?

..... I'd like to start reading ALL of them

BTW, I'm happy because "The Crimson Petal and the White" exists in French too ! hehe !!

[nin0uch]

Sorry, I made a mistake and did not find a way to "erase" it !!

 

So I said : "But well, not so bad having so many things to read, IS it?"

 

...now I feel better

[Kylie]

Once you get to 10 posts, you'll find a little Edit button at the bottom of your posts in case you need it.

[nin0uch]

hehe ! I got it now Thanks for the information Kylie

[SueK]

Darn! another book I've just ordered on the back of reviews here:irked:.

 

Note to self: stop looking at BCF book reviews:readingtwo:

[madcow]

Darn! another book I've just ordered on the back of reviews here:irked:.

 

Note to self: stop looking at BCF book reviews:readingtwo:

You won't be disappointed Sue

[SueK]

You won't be disappointed Sue

 

Thanks madcow. It's been shipped today so it may arrive in time to be my holiday reading.

[Kidsmum]

Now i know what i'm going to be reading next

[SueK]

Thanks madcow. It's been shipped today so it may arrive in time to be my holiday reading.

 

Well my copy of this book arrived yesterday but I'm not sure I shall take it away with me as it weighs a ton (and it's a paperback) - I'll be paying excess baggage:lol:. Still it looks a good book, I was skimming through it and found it quite engrossing. I shall now save it for a bit later.

[Kidsmum]

Well i really enjoyed this book as well, i thought Sugar was a fantastic character & i also had a soft spot for Mrs Fox she was so eccentric & wonderful. I would have liked to have known a little more at the end but over all a fantastic read.

[smilerbabeuk]

Just finished reading this, and I thought it was fabulous. I do find it frustrating not knowing what happened, I am tempted to read the sequel and put off by your reviews in equal measure. Ah, such a quandary!

[chrysalis_stage]

 

Cast announced for BBC Two's The Crimson Petal And The White

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/08_august/11/crimson.shtml

[madcow]

I do hope they do it justice, such a fantastic book one of my top 5 reads

[chesilbeach]

It's taken me four months to finish The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber, but I have loved every single page. A tale of a prostitute, Sugar, one of her customers, William Rackham, the unwilling heir to a perfume factory, and his wife, Agnes, a young woman whose health has failed her of late, all set in Victorian London. Written with the flavour of a Dickensian style and elegance, this modern novel is able to delve in to the real depths of Victorian morals, lifestyle and sexual attitudes, in a way that Dickens never could.

 

Eminently readable, I felt instantly swept up in the story, but there is such a depth and detail to the lives of the characters on the page, that I couldn't read more than a chapter at a time, in order to savour and envelope myself in this society that Faber has created. There is no getting away from the fact that there are some graphic descriptions of sexual scenes, but they feel that they fit within both the plot and period of the story.

 

But, for me, the overall glory of this epic book, is the wealth of characters. No character is too small or insignificant not to warrant a colourful description, from the larger secondary characters of, for example, William's brother, Henry, with his tortured goodness, to his shallow, hedonistic friends, Bodley and Ashwell, to the calculating servant, Cheeseman. All come alive on the page and alongside the descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of historic London, made the whole world of this book a completely immersive place to visit each time I picked up the book.

 

The end comes quite suddenly, and although you don't really get a resolution for the characters, this felt right, as no-one's life should be able to have all its loose ends tied up nicely, and after spending so long with these people, I was actually quite glad to be able to think for myself where their lives would take them next.

 

I'm actually sad I've finished it, and won't get to come back tomorrow for another installment, which must surely be the highest praise I can give any book.