The Crimson Petal and the White cover art

The Crimson Petal and the White

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The Crimson Petal and the White

By: Michel Faber
Narrated by: Jill Tanner
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About this listen

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 Fiction Historical Fiction

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)
All stars
Most relevant  

What did you like best about this story?

I'm generally an anti-Dickens reader and this story had many of the same elements - but a large dollop of humour and sex lightened the otherwise Gothic mix.

I've also got a soft spot for being addressed directly by the narrator.

What does Jill Tanner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Tanner deserves a standing ovation, if only for her 40+ hours of stamina! ... but mostly for bringing such life and colour to this sizeable cast of characters.

I doubt this is a print book I'd have finished but the narration was addictive.

Any additional comments?

What, that's it?! ... the ending finished as prematurely as some of Miss Sugar's clients ...

Dickens-like ribaldry

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I love the whole of the book except the ending - after 41 hours invested in it I feel hollow and incomplete. A bit like I have been tricked or had something stolen from me - but mainly because I enjoyed it all so much until then.

Excellent tale - bizarre ending.

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My wife was a primary school teacher. Some of her students wrote some terrific stories – but all too often with endings that we classify generically as, “and then I woke up, it had all been a dream”. While I enjoyed the ‘tale’ – and the reader – a lot I have to say that this book falls into this category! If only … …

“and then I woke up, it had all been a dream”

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