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  • The Crimson Petal and the White

  • By: Michel Faber
  • Narrated by: Jill Tanner
  • Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (52 ratings)

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The Crimson Petal and the White cover art

The Crimson Petal and the White

By: Michel Faber
Narrated by: Jill Tanner
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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)

What listeners say about The Crimson Petal and the White

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent tale - bizarre ending.

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.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Dickens-like ribaldry

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 ...

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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

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 … …

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