The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
How far can one socially climb in late 1800s England? How is the process different for a prostitute, a businessman, a widow, a sheltered wife, and a child? That is what “The Crimson Petal and the White” is about, in a nutshell.
This one took a while because my lending period expired halfway through. I’m glad I was patient though because I found this book to be a very rewarding read. The plot? Honestly, there’s not a lot of it. This book is an exercise in character development.
Although the ending was ambiguous I liked it because I got to imagine my own happy ending for the characters I cared about. And the sex scenes (Sugar is a prostitute, so there’s much sexing) were written in a truthfully gross way that I admired.
It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea (or cocoa).
