[jivecat]

I have just read, and adored, The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michael Faber. It's a long read, 700+ pages, but thoroughly absorbing. Set in Victorian England, it chronicles the lives of a young prostitute and her wealthy, industrialist lover. Reminiscent of Charles Dickens and John Fowles, the atmosphere, culture and social conditions of London in the 1870s are evoked very effectively, with considerable research. This book is never dry and learned however: it's often extremely funny, totally unsqueamish in it's treatment of sex and creates very well-rounded characters. Written by a male author, I was impressed by how effectively he got inside the skin of his female characters: the sex scenes are, unusually, told from a woman's perspective (and are NOT titillating!) and he brings alive the feeling of being constricted inside the coccoon of sweaty clothing that must have been the daily reality for most Victorian women. Faber's also interested in charting the beginnings of the materialist, merchandising era as the fictional Rackham's perfume empire battles it out against Pear's, Rimmel et al.

I thought the ending was flawed, and that the characters had aspects to them that were referred to and left inexplicably undeveloped. The outcome does have a certain satisfying symmetry to it, however, and I felt bereft upon getting to the final page.

If anyone's in a book group I would certainly recommend this one. Loads to stimulate discussion, especially in an all-women group. Though it's definitely not Chick-Lit!