This is the latest in a series of occasional posts featuring books I read years ago about which I was wildly enthusiastic at the time, wanting to press a copy in as many hands as I could.
I might well not have read Michel Faber’s The Crimson Petal and the White which weighs in at a thumping 864 pages had I not needed to for work but despite its door stopping length, it never plods or drags its feet propelling its readers through the story of Sugar, the object of a rich man’s sexual obsession, and Agnes, his wife.
Sugar is prostitute, bright, sassy and beautiful, who sees an opportunity to make something of herself when the heir to a perfume fortune buys her from her mother and sets her up in a luxurious flat. Agnes is the antithesis of Sugar, otherworldly, delicate, hardly aware of her own daughter. As Sugar uses her business acumen to further William’s career, inveigling her way into his household by becoming Sophie’s governess, Agnes becomes increasingly unhinged but a curious sympathy between the two women begins to develop. Faber takes these two Victorian female archetypes and reworks them into a thoroughly modern piece of fiction that had me gripped.
My expectations of Marc Munden’s adaptation of The Crimson Petal and the White for BBC2 were low having enjoyed the novel so much, not least because it’s a mere four hours, but I loved it. I’m sure it’s lurking somewhere on YouTube or the like should you be interested in seeking it out.
What about you, any blasts from the past you’d like to share?
You can find more posts like this here.
Oooh. 864 pages? That is a commitment. I’ll put it on the back burner for now. And you’re right. It’s not available on i-player just now, But they do sometimes bring Golden Oldies back for a season.
You can see why my heart sank at the idea of reviewing it but it was hard to tear myself away once I got started. Fingers crossed the adaptation pops up on iPlayer.
I absolutely loved this book and I am not usually a historical fiction fan, nor do I like really long books, but I think it is a fantastic, immersive read. The TV adaptation was great too.
Same for me, Cathy. The characters are so well done, and Chris O’Dowd was a revelation in the adaptation.
I had mixed feelings about this one but I do really appreciate Faber as a writer. I like his short stories and The Book of Strange New Things.
I remember reading that. It was written when his wife was dying, wasn’t it. I also remember Under the Skin. All very different from each other.
Yes – he said it would be his last adult novel as he couldn’t imagine writing another one after the death of his wife.
I remember it being very poignant, like a long goodbye.
I went to a reading of The Book of Strange New Things at Waterstones and got there early to find the author taking pictures of a pair of shoes he kept moving around the seats set up for the audience. He later told everyone they were his wife shoes and because she had died this was his way of making sure she was present at all his events. It was kinda creepy but also poignant.
That must have been quite unnerving, and tough for him to do an author tour with her loss so recent.
Oh, I absolutely LoVED this book. So evocative and immersive and totally unforgettable.
Isn’t it superb? One to lose yourself in.
I bought the book having seen the TV adaptation, but I still haven’t read it. The time might be right now that I’ve forgotten quite a lot of the story.
Definitely! I hope you enjoy when you get to it, April.
Faber is such an interesting writer and for me too the book flew by despite its hefty size! I also thought the adaptation wouldn’t work but it really was so well done.
I was amazed at how the screenwriter managed to cram so much into four hours. Brilliant acting, too.
I remember this book coming out and all the excellent reviews! I’d love to read it, but I have to accept that almost 900 pages is beyond me on audible (I made it through The Count of Monte Cristo and never, never again will I undertake anything so long) and too long for my poor, dry eyes. But it’s a pleasure to read your brief review of it and it DOES sound really good!
I completely understand, and well done for staying the course with The Count of Monte Cristo!
I loved this one, too. I read it on a long ferry ride to France and it really helped the hours pass (I hate being on boats).
Definitely one to lose yourself in. Me, too – I’ve avoided ferries for years.
I was *obsessed* with this book when it came out. I remember devouring it! I wonder how it would hold up?
It’s wonderful isn’t it. Next winter’s reread maybe?
Ohhh, Laura, if you decide to reread, count me in: I’ve meant to read it for ages!
I just couldn’t get into this book – did manage to read it but found it rather a slog. I think I’m in a minority though
Very sorry to hear that but I’m amazed you stuck with it given its doorstopping length which certainly put me off initially.