• The Crimson Petal and the White

  • By: Michel Faber
  • Narrated by: Jill Tanner
  • Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (1,160 ratings)

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The Crimson Petal and the White  By  cover art

The Crimson Petal and the White

By: Michel Faber
Narrated by: Jill Tanner
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Publisher's summary

NOW A MAJOR BBC DRAMA starring Romola Garai, Chris O'Dowd, Gillian Anderson, Richard E. Grant, Shirley Henderson, and Mark Gatiss.

'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.

©2011 Michel Faber (P)2011 W.F. Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"A big, sexy, bravura novel...wildly entertaining." (The New York Times)
"Irresistibly readable." (Ruth Rendell)
"Faber is the master of the spine-tingling page-turner, while creating a wholly believable universe." (Dazed and Confused)

What listeners say about The Crimson Petal and the White

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    571
  • 4 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Performance
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful language

Loved the rich language and well developed characters but was quite disappointed by the very abrupt ending.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Incredibly Unsatisfying Ending

When you listen to a book for as long as this one took, you expect an actual ending. Very disappointing that things did not wrap up more fully than they did.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Oddly interesting

Would you listen to The Crimson Petal and the White again? Why?

No. I don't generally listen to a book more than once.

Would you recommend The Crimson Petal and the White to your friends? Why or why not?

I don't think so. It is a very queer book and the folks I know would probably not enjoy that.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jill Tanner?

Yes I would

Any additional comments?

Very disappointed in the ending. I very much wanted to have it come to an actual conclusion.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hello? There was absolutely a defined ending!

For those complaining about the ending being abrupt and leaving you hanging, let me simplify: Sugar realized that the way to true love was not with a man, but through her connection and unconditional love with this little neglected girl. She achieved her goal in a different way than she had envisioned. Character growth, done. Why is this so difficult to understand? It’s a very satisfying ending. Both she and Sophie were alone and neglected by those who were supposed to love them. They found each other. William- got his just desserts, ended up alone for being the jerk he is. The rest died, so that’s pretty cut and dry. Emeline Fox, well she didn’t really have much conclusion. I will admit that. Plus, she seemed to take Henry’s death like it was no big deal, even though he was the love of her life. Overall, this story literally transports you into this world and it’s often seedy, raunchy and graphic. But it’s real and it does it’s job. Want to literally travel to 1870’s London? Here you go! Right down to the smallest detail, everything is painted perfectly.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Add my name to the list of devoted fans!

What a brilliant book. I hung on every word of this amazing tale. I thought I would be less than pleased with the ending, but it felt just right to me. I'm so glad I took a chance on it. It will be one of my favorite "re-reads" in years to come. Michel Faber is a genius. And Jill Tanner does him proud!

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Keeps you interested, but no driving force.

The book starts off in a peculiar format that is intriguing for the reader, but as it progresses there is no real driving force to the plot. This isn't so bothersome if you are content just to listen about various stories of general life, but if you are looking for more of a plot, find a different book. The characters are fairly well developed which is good since the entire book focusses on learning more about them. The ending leaves much to be desired though.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow!

I must say considering how long the book is, at no point is it not intriguing. However, it abruptly ends, but that's how life is I suppose! You won't regret this book!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration, lazy ending

What a ride! Such a beautifully written book, narrated so brilliantly.....

Though the ending is so lazy and unsatisfying that it is making me reconsider how much I enjoyed the book!!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Too explicit for my taste.

The story could have been told without being so vulgar. Very disappointed. I will avoid this author in the future.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

intriguing plot

I really liked the concept of the main character. she was strong then weak then strong again. The narrator was great.

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