'The Crimson Petal And The White' takes us back to the 1870s where Sugar, an alluring, nineteen-year-old whore, yearns for a better life.
Her ascent through the strata of London society introduces us to a host of loveable, maddening, superbly realised characters - an egotistical perfume manufacturer, his unhinged wife, his pious brother, his hidden child, preening socialites, guttersnipes, whores for all tastes and those zealous would-be reformers of fallen women, the Rescue Society.
At the heart of this panoramic, multi-layered narrative is one young woman's compelling struggle to lift her body and soul out of the gutter. Although Faber's stunning historical vision illuminates Sugar as a creature of her time, his compassion and insight gives her timeless and universal appeal.
Gripping from the first page, this immense novel of Victorian proportions is an extraordinarily rich, intricate, intoxicating and deeply satisfying read.
