I really enjoyed this novel. I prefer longer books because you really get wrapped up the story lines and the characters. The book is based around a very likable and understandable character named Sugar. It's very easy to comprehend where Sugar is coming from and why she makes the choices she does. The back of the book is a bit misleading because it says she climbs the ranks of society which made it sound Evita-esque, which isn't the case. The narrative is refreshingly different and it pulls you along through the story and you get to be in the heads of most of the characters at one point or another. I expected it to be much more graphic than it was from what others have said, but in my opinion it's not very graphic at all. Normally I like a neat and tidy story ending to sum things up, but somehow the way this novel ended seemed very fitting.

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A fascinating peek inside English upper crust and the 'lower' crust. Set in the early 1800s (I think), it's the story of an intelligent whore and the man who is so captivated by her, he loses himself.

The pictures of her life on the street and his, spent navigating the murky waters of his wife's bizarre beharior, is rather Dickensian.

The title, which immediately sets a contrast, kept me guessing all the way through. Which character is the Crimson Petal and which is the White? Faber continually shifts the characterizations so that the reader is always guessing.

Would I read this book again? I loved it, but probably not. The reason? The major effect of this book is the mystery inherent in the title. Now that I've read it and know the ending the enigma is solved for me.

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If you can stomach through sexually explicit scenes and language, you'll find a delightful read. This will explore themes of religion, social stratification, cleanliness and family. The characters are vividly portrayed.

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A well-written but a bit rambly story of a prostitute in 19th century London. Some great details. Loved the way the story ended, although some I know felt that it disappointed. Just not sure it had to be as long as it was--a bit diffuse. Enjoyable read on the whole--I would recommend this.

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I picked this book up because my book club was reading it, and then I never got to read it at that time or discuss it with them. Not all that intrigued with the story synopsis on the book's cover, I read it quite a bit later. I thought I was going to hate it, but I had this brand new (very long, expensive) book and felt I needed to pick it up and give it a try. I was surprised... I enjoyed the story more than I thought I would.

The story takes place in victorian England. It's the story of a prostitute, her client, and his extremely proper family. The characters are all very interesting and well developed. There are parts of the story that are a little slow, but if you stick with it, it gets interesting again.

If you're easily offended, I would steer clear of this. There are some parts of the story that are a little gross. However, if you don't mind some graphic descriptions, you'll probably like this book. It's different from anything else you've ever read.

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The plot is simple, taking place in Victorian England. Customer (William) meets whore (Sugar), wants her for himself, installs her in her own apartment, then moves her into his home as governess to his daughter. The interest is in the characters who move through this plot. His wife, his daughter, his brother, his brother's love, the maids and, most importantly, Sugar are mysteries to him. A series of mishaps simply highlight his increasing befuddlement until the final, logical denouement.

This book is extremely gritty with detailed descriptions of horrible sights and sounds, extremely malodorous odors (lots and lots of malodorous odors), an excessive amount of both animal and human feces, bodily functions of the most unpleasant kind and graphic, albeit unerotic, sex. However, I believe I only encountered a single word that could not be aired on broadcast television (the slang for feces).

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I have been reading for many years and this is by far the worst book I have ever read. I started the book over 2 years ago, got approximately 100 pages in and could not go any further and abandoned it. I forced myself to pick it up recently and was determined to give it a 2nd chance and finish it. Unfortunately, it never improved. I felt the author was overly discriptive of everything and unnecessarily most of the time. I kept getting the feeling that he was trying too hard. The book was dark and depressing which in of itself wasnt a bad thing but you factor in the ending and it all just seems like a waste of time.

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It was a very good book until the end. I though my copy was missing the last chapters, it wasn't. In my opinion this book was ruined by its absolute lack of ending. This book just finishes like a door closing.

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The Crimson Petal and the White is an astonishing book. Apart from the author's somewhat unconventional manner of writing such that we are placed almost as voyeurs to the London Victorian Age, the characters drive this book and show us humanity at its best and worst. The strictures of the Victorian Age are juxtaposed against the bawdy outlets that the privileged class avails itself of nightly. It is heartbreaking to read of the conditions in the slums of London and then to read of the excesses of the wealthy.
The abrupt end of the book left me wondering whatever happened to the characters in the book. I finished it almost a week ago, and I'm still wondering. Needless to say, this is a gripping story!
I recommend it highly.

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A very enjoyable book. I found it hard to put down. It is more character driven with great discriptions. It is a longish book but you will fly right through it.

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omg this was a wonderful book! It did have some down time when it dragged but, all in all was a wonderful read. A shocker as well.

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This book is very long, but I found it addictive. I like long reads and was happy to have a book that I could go back to over a couple of weeks. It was like having a secret world to inhabit for a while.

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It took the author 20 years to complete this book. Here is a professional review

By Michel Faber - Harcourt (2002) - Hardback - 838 pages - ISBN 015100692X

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. 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 to 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 brings her into proximity to his extended family and milieu: his unhinged, childlike wife, Agnes, who manages to overcome her chronic hysteria to make her appearances during the Season; his mysteriously hidden-away daughter, Sophie, left to the care of minions; 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 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 teeming with life, rich in texture and incident, with characters breathtakingly real. In a class by itself, it's a big, juicy, must-read of a novel that will delight, enthrall, provoke, and entertain young and old, male and female. « less more »

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Slow start-it took about 100 pages or so to get into it. But then, I couldn't put it down. Interesting story about a prostitute in Victorian England.

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This was a very interesting read. I found myself pushing thru it trying to get more information. It was long and at times slow, but I had to know what was going to happen..... Only to be left not knowing at the end. The people were very real. There were no heros or villians, except for Sugar's mother. Each person had good points and bad ones. They could all be kind or cruel, gentle or rough. I don't think I would read again, but enjoyed it for the most part. It is a long book, but not a hard read.

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It was good for a fiction novel. A thick read and unique perspective, not your usual period romance nor prostitution tale.

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I ordered this because of all the great reviews I had read. It is a very good book, though long. I agree that once we got through the beginning narration, it got better. I would be careful who I recommend this too, as it is, as my mother would say, "racy!"

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