The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

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Title: The Crimson Petal and the White

Author: Michel Faber

Genre: Historical Fiction (British)

Length: 838 pages

Published: 2002

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Brief Synopsis (taken from Goodreads): 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.

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

"Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them." This is the opening line of The Crimson Petal and the White. I'm sure that it was designed to draw readers into the world of 1870s London, and draw me in it did! 

The story starts out with an omniscient narrator describing the slums of London. You follow a prostitute named Caroline and eventually she leads you to meet Sugar (also known as Shush). As time passes, you end up meeting William Rackham, the reluctant heir to a company which manufactures soaps and perfumes. The narrator was heavily present during the beginnings of the book but ended up having very little presence towards the end. My guess that the reason for this gradual decline of the narrator's presence is that the narrator is simply not needed as often after the majority of the characters have been introduced. Caroline seems like a minor character as she is mentioned at the beginning for a few chapters, and then disappears for a good portion of the book, but she's found at the beginning, randomly throughout the middle, and finally towards the very end. So while she's a minor character in the grand scheme of the novel, she's definitely important as she helps tie many of the plot points and characters together.

There are many random character that show up for a page or two and then either die abruptly or disappear completely. I believe that the author used these random characters and deaths as a way to show just how dangerous the streets of London could be during the time period that The Crimson Petal is set in. 

Sugar is an intriguing woman. A prostitute, she has horrible skin, and is not the most voluptuous or beautiful woman available. In fact she's rather plain and flat chested. Yet somehow, she's one of the most sought after prostitutes in London. She's oddly well educated and is writing her own novel. We are given an occasional sampling of her writings throughout the book. She's a man-hater, as many of the prostitutes whose lives we glimpse are. The way Sugar grows throughout the novel and the brief glimpses into her secret past, really caused me to love her. She makes some decisions at the end that seem both horrible and also for the best. Because as she states at one point, she "would sooner die" than return to the streets and being a prostitute.

William Rackham is one of those characters that I both loved and hated. In the beginning I felt bad for him: he was bordering on poverty because his father was trying to force him to take over Rackham Perfumeries, his wife was ill (though the depth of her illness was divulged slowly throughout the novel), and his young daughter needed to remain hidden away in order to protect her from her own mother. He comes across Sugar, pays off Sugar's madam, and makes her his mistress. He seems to have fallen in love with her. With Sugar's help he takes over his father's business, and begins to rise in the world. His wife, Agnes, ends up making a brief recovery and is the hit of the Season. Until she falls back into her madness again. Towards the end of the book, I found that I was beginning to dislike William more and more. There was one scene in particular which creeped me out and made me thoroughly disgusted by him. I won't divulge the details, because I don't want to spoil anything. 

I think the only reason I'm giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I was disappointed with the ending. It was rather abrupt and left me wanting to know more. I particularly wanted to learn more about what happened to Sugar. This was the main thing that was left open and it seemed like it could have been closed off just a little better, either with another chapter or actually having Sugar state her destination. In reading reviews on this book, I've noticed a trend with readers stating that they thought there'd be a sequel, and then being disappointed that Faber insisted there would be no sequel. The author did publish another book, however, filled with short stories and entitled The Apple: New Crimson Petal Stories, in 2006. I have yet to read this but will be doing so within the next few months and will put up a review when I get through it. According to the blurb, The Apple is filled with short stories about different characters found in The Crimson Petal from either the past or the future. I'm actually very excited to read these short stories, as I did love so many of the characters.

You can purchase The Crimson Petal and the White through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Crimson Petal and the White? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.