The Crimson Petal and the White

By: Michel Faber

Narrated by: Jill Tanner

Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins

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)

Where's the ending?

Story was amazing, narrator did a great job then it all ended!! It was as if the author was tired of writing and stopped.

Lived it.

Small problem with the performance, in that she spoke so slowly. I changed the speed to 1.4 which pretty much solved the problem, but made breaks between paragraphs a little confusing.

Story and Narration, Bravo!

I viewed the Season 1 four episode simultaneously with the book. The episodes were of course a condensed version of the book. Even though we the readers and viewers are left hanging in both the book and the episode series, the series did give the viewer a tease about the fate of Agnes Rackham, whom I thought was quite wise sometimes in her childlike insanity. I enjoyed both!

Absolutely takes you to another world!

Where does The Crimson Petal and the White rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

At the very top, I had to watch the movie afterward because I didn't want to leave that world.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Crimson Petal and the White?

When Sugar and Sophie leave for a new life.

Which scene was your favorite?

Sugar writing her book about what she wants to do to punish the men who are her customers while laying in her bed is the one who will change her life.

If you could take any character from The Crimson Petal and the White out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Sugar, to ask her what happened, where she went, how did she survive? How was she able to care for Sophie alone, and if Sophie ever became resentful .

Any additional comments?

This story is a doorway to another way of life that is made as real as possible, although life in those times and in that district are harder than any of us could comprehend or imagine. Women in those days had no choices, the choices were made for them by men. One wrong move and they could end up in the petticoat lane area, and in those days, unmarried women were not protected and had only one thing to offer, the alternative was to starve to death or have your children starve. I think of Sugar as heroic, she didn't want to do these things to survive, she was never given a chance to do anything else or marry. But she looked after helpless people from the poor to the very rich and had a compassion that was never given to her.

Marvelous

I can't remember the last time I so strongly rooted for someone in a novel. The narrator's characterization of Sugar was moving and spectacular, and I dont think that's nearly complimentary enough. Most of my reviews have a tendency to praise, and then say 'However,.......' but not in this case. I would change nothing about the story or the recording. This narrator was *brilliant*, and the novel itself one that I will revisit again and again. I hope you will be inspired to listen, too.

Narrator needs to loosen up a little

What did you like best about The Crimson Petal and the White? What did you like least?

I have a serious issue with the narration here. It is so incredibly aggressive all the way through. Jill Tanner doesn't ONCE change her tone. She sounds so hateful and angry it makes for a very unpleasant listen, especially considering how long this book is. Yes, I understand the character is very angry towards the world, but that's not a reason for such a monochrome performance.

In regards to the writing, I personally hate how the author directly addresses the reader and makes assumptions on their thoughts, suggestions on what they should observe in a scene or who they should follow next. I don't see what that does for the story apart from be annoying.

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

It is well researched and full of detail, but I'd rather recommend Sarah Water's works over this.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

For the first time ever, I can say I liked the tv adaptation more than the book. It was incredibly faithful to the story, yet got rid of everything I didn't like about the writing.

LOVED this book

The Crimson Petal and the White has everything I want in a book. I'm often intrigued by reading the bad reviews on books I like. In this case I'd like to address the top three complaints. For those that suggested it needed trimming by an aggressive editor I could not disagree more. Every word appeared well thought out to construct the vivid picture of historical accuracy, attention to detail and full character development I appreciate in a well written book. Then there were those that complained the book was too 'dirty'. If one is old enough to read this book they have heard every word and description of sexual practice contained within. It's a book about a prostitute for crying out loud. If one's sensibilities are too delicate to see these words in print then find a nice book about cats. The final criticism I saw far too often blamed the book for having an 'unfinished' ending. If one has any imagination at all they don't require a big bow wrapping everything up at the end. The joy of reading the work of an intelligent, eloquent author is all I require to be thoroughly entertained. That I was able to enjoy that masterful work for 41 hours and 32 minutes for the mere price of a credit was quite a bargain. Having the very talented Jill Tanner read it to me was icing on the cake.

The best and the worst

Michel Faber's tome, *The Crimson Petal and the White* is both the best novel I've read this year and, unfortunately, the worst. Interestingly, the narrator acts as a tour guide, guiding his audience through the filthy, squalid streets of Victorian London of the 1870s, introducing us to the despicable ne'er-do-wells who frequent the bawdy houses on seedy Silver Street and to Sugar, the self-educated prostitute whose claim to fame is that she will perform ANY sex act requested, no matter how perverse, and will perform it with zeal. We also travel to the more prosperous Notting Hill section of London, where we meet the more genteel (but seriously warped) Rackham family.

Our tour guide drags his readers through the wretched underbelly of Victorian society, deftly pointing out the hypocrisy at which the Victorians excelled . Men held all the marbles, so to speak, even in death; the men characters took full advantage of their societal superiority, wrecking and ruining lives with careless abandon. Women, on the other hand, had their lives wrecked by these men, even by their death, seemingly with no recourse.

None of the characters are really very round or dynamic. The novel is more character-driven than plot-driven, but the characters all remain very flat and superficial. We see them taking all sorts of actions, but we never really know what motivates them to do so; it's frustrating that we never see inside the enigmatic Sugar's head (although I imagine it must be a scary place) or find out what motivates her. We're simply along for the ride, being told about her exploits instead of being taken along. The fatal flaw of writers, telling instead of showing.

I fell in love with Faber's rich language and breathtaking similes; this made the novel worth slogging along for. I also quite enjoyed the editorialized point of view of the narrator. Breaking the fourth wall and addressing his audience directly is an ingenious plot device.

About mid-way through, though, I began to get bored with these characters. They were acting quite outrageous, without much reason. Frankly, I quit caring. By the time I reached the conclusion, which was awesome and totally unexpected, I'd lost interest in the whole affair.

Don’t be afraid of the bad reviews of the ending

Oh, this is a glorious book.

I was hesitant at first because of all the reviews that say the ending is terrible. What sold me in the end was I knew Audible wouldn’t waste the prodigious talents of Jill Tanner on a clinker. I was not disappointed.

Was the ending abrupt? Yes. Will you know how things turned out for any of the major characters? Nope. But in no way was this a “just got tired of writing “ ending. It was clearly, craftily intentional and fits perfectly with the story and everything the unknown, unseen narrator has been telling you all along if you’ve been paying attention.

Never a dull spot, this was worth every word, every minute. Jill Tanner’s performance is extraordinary.

Wonderful

Yes, the ending leaves you wondering, but the story makes up for any annoyance you feel about being denied the answer to all your questions.