[OT5]≫ Read Gratis The Crimson Petal and the White Michel Faber 9780156028776 Books

The Crimson Petal and the White Michel Faber 9780156028776 Books

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The Crimson Petal and the White Michel Faber 9780156028776 Books

On average, I read one book a week, so it's amazing to me that I would spend roughly four weeks reading this very magnum opus. OK, I've been drowning in work and haven't had much time to curl up with any book, good or bad.

Speaking of good and bad, the good news is that I didn't put the book down. Faber creates a complete world of characters, time and place. His London of the 1870s is extremely real; you can almost smell the dog turds he writes about, taste the bland food he comments on and hear the cacophony of the city. The characters, too, are profoundly real; I never once doubted their existence. And while I wouldn't say that the book was gripping, it did hold my interest throughout.

The bad news is that there's very little plot. In fact, if you read the back cover (of the paperback version), you get the whole story - prostitute lures a wealthy man into keeping her. The book doesn't end there, but that's what keeps it going for most of its 890+ pages. And [SPOILER ALERT] it leaves the end, well, undone - you don't know what happens to the characters, or if (or how) they will survive.

Soother you have it - good news and bad news. I'm glad I read it, but not thrilled to have taken up a month of my life.


Tags : The Crimson Petal and the White [Michel Faber] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV>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,Michel Faber,The Crimson Petal and the White,Harvest book,0156028778,Historical,Great Britain - History - Victoria, 1837-1901,Great Britain;History;Victoria, 1837-1901;Fiction.,Historical fiction,London (England),London (England);Fiction.,Perfumes industry,Prostitutes,Young women,ENGLISH HISTORICAL FICTION,FICTION General,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction Historical,Fiction-Historical,FictionLiterary,GENERAL,General Adult,Great Britain,Historical - General,History,Literary,United States,Victoria, 1837-1901,historical fiction; romance; adventure; Victorian; London; brothel; prostitute; prostitution; 19th century; British literature; England; Victorian England; women; sex; society; social custom; omniscient narrator; epic; feminist; history,historical fiction;romance;adventure;Victorian;London;brothel;prostitute;prostitution;19th century;British literature;England;Victorian England;women;sex;society;social custom;omniscient narrator;epic;feminist;history,Victoria, 1837-1901,Fiction

The Crimson Petal and the White Michel Faber 9780156028776 Books Reviews

I had read, and loved, Faber's Under the Skin and The Book of Strange New Things, so I decided Crimson Petal and the White would be my first purchase. I read nearly 200 pages before admitting I was bored. Reading it became more and more of a chore, and by the end I detested all of the characters and the endless, go-nowhere plot. All of the characters are wretched in various ways, and while Faber does a masterful job of writing "in the period," I got the feeling that what primarily interested him was literary texture. I find it hard to reconcile this with his other two books, which were so imaginative and profound I couldn't put either one down (both resonate with me to this day). I would have given this one star except I have such respect for the author. If following the lives of a mass of unhappy people living in the seedy underbelly of England during the industrial revolution doesn't put you off, your reward is Faber's thorough knowledge of the period. I'm sure he has captured those wretched lives precisely.
This book has one of the best beginnings I've ever read. It's instantly engaging, as the narrator, speaking directly to the reader, draws you in to the seedy, grimy underbelly of Victorian London. It follows ambitious, embittered prostitute Sugar as she claws her way out of a second-rate whorehouse by means of a rather bumbling (married) heir to a small fortune. The details are extensive (the books weighs a ton), gritty and salacious. Faber displays as much interest in Victorian religious debates as in primitive contraceptive techniques, and he's clearly done his research (over a decade of it, he says). I absolutely devoured the first 300 pages and then--then I slogged through the rest. What began as an exceptionally promising twist on a Victorian novel simply wallowed on too long. The characters either did not evolve at all, or changed in implausible ways. The ending is more of a sudden, unresolved stop than a satisfying conclusion--not what you want after sticking with a book for that long. In short, it feels like a very good idea that the author hadn't thought through and eventually tired of working with. Read the first 300 pages. Don't bother with the rest.
Having watched the mini-series on Acorn TV, I was all ready to read the novel. It met my expectations and then some. If you are interested in life in England during this time in history, you will love the book. It's very well written and never lags. It is also beautifully descriptive of the prostitutes' life and living standards of that time. It is particularly interesting to see how a marriage was accepted and continued when it was only for show. The book went into detail about how sheltered some women were before marriage. The wife in this novel remained sheltered and never grasped what life was all about. In contrast, Sugar, the prostitute was taught about survival and reality at a young age by her own mother, the madam. The book is never sleezy or crude. It is realistic and well written. If you feel daunted by the number of pages, give it a try. You may find yourself finished with this book and wishing it would go on. I recommend this book and consider it a masterpiece.
On average, I read one book a week, so it's amazing to me that I would spend roughly four weeks reading this very magnum opus. OK, I've been drowning in work and haven't had much time to curl up with any book, good or bad.

Speaking of good and bad, the good news is that I didn't put the book down. Faber creates a complete world of characters, time and place. His London of the 1870s is extremely real; you can almost smell the dog turds he writes about, taste the bland food he comments on and hear the cacophony of the city. The characters, too, are profoundly real; I never once doubted their existence. And while I wouldn't say that the book was gripping, it did hold my interest throughout.

The bad news is that there's very little plot. In fact, if you read the back cover (of the paperback version), you get the whole story - prostitute lures a wealthy man into keeping her. The book doesn't end there, but that's what keeps it going for most of its 890+ pages. And [SPOILER ALERT] it leaves the end, well, undone - you don't know what happens to the characters, or if (or how) they will survive.

Soother you have it - good news and bad news. I'm glad I read it, but not thrilled to have taken up a month of my life.