The Crimson Petal And The White

By (author) Faber Michel
Short description/annotation:
Michel Faber''s bestselling blockbuster set in 19th-century London and adapted by the BBC
Description:

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

''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.

Review quote:
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
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A sexy, bravura novel... wildly entertaining
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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
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When a book is this big, it had better be good - this one is. Dive in. Enjoy!
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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
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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
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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
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An intensely imaginative time-travel experience
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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
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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
Biographical note:
Michel Faber has written eight books, including the highly acclaimed The Fire Gospel, The Fahrenheit Twins and the Whitbread-shortlisted novel Under the Skin. He has also written two novellas, The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps and The Courage Consort, and has won several short-story awards, including the Neil Gunn, Ian St James and Macallan. Born in Holland, brought up in Australia, he now lives in the UK.
Promotional headline:
Michel Faber''s bestselling blockbuster set in 19th-century London