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'Faber's mastery of character, evocative descriptions of Victorian England, and rich dialogue, together with his weaving of enduring themes throughout a complex plot, creates a remarkable novel.'
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. Michel 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 into 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 of her brings her into proximity to his extended family and milieu: his unhinged, child-like wife, Agnes; his mysteriously hidden-away daughter, Sophie; and 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 is 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 a singular literary achievement -- a gripping, intoxicating, deeply satisfying Victorian novel written with an immediacy, compassion, and insight that give it a timeless and universal appeal.
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Don’t read this huge and weighty novel expecting neat conclusions and happy endings – you won’t find either. Do read it if you love historical fiction and finely nuanced characters. Short of finding a time machine to take you there in person, this is about as close as a modern reader is going to get to the experience of what it must have been like to live in Victorian London – and unlike most Victorians who were able to experience only their own tier of society, the reader is able to explore multiple levels, from the depths of poverty to far up the ladder of society.
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