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Original poster

Worth sticking with? The Crimson Petal and the White.

34 replies

PlasticSheetingRTÉNews · 29/09/2022 20:21

I normally love Michel Faber and any of his other books I’ve read have hooked me immediately.

I’m about 30% of the way through this 864 page book and, while I don’t dislike it, I just find it very slow going.

Is it worth sticking with?

OP posts:
theotherfossilsister · 29/09/2022 20:33

I loved it, but then I was gripped from the opening line. Watch your step...

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 29/09/2022 20:36

I really enjoyed it but its such a big book it probably is a little slow at first

i must reread it some time

5zeds · 29/09/2022 20:37

Forgettable

FruitPastilleNut · 29/09/2022 20:39

Oh I absolutely loved this book, totally worth sticking with.

For anyone who enjoyed it, do you know there's a second book called The Apple? It's not a sequel as such but several short stories about characters in the book...also a really good read.

WhiskersPete · 29/09/2022 20:44

This is one of my favourite books ever but I found it gripping from the first line. The way Faber writes, as if the story itself speaking to the reader, is incredible.

However, if you're not enjoying it now, I'm not sure it will improve much for you.

Pemba · 29/09/2022 20:44

No it's amazing. I read it a few years ago and it remains one of my favourite books. I felt as though I was really there in Victorian London, it was so atmospheric. I still wonder what happened to some of the characters, without giving any spoilers away.

Then I also absolutely loved Under the Skin which was completely different. I thought the man was a genius.

Then I tried that one about a priest who was part of the group colonising another planet. Can't remember the title
Didn't enjoy that one so much.

Which ones did you try?

Ponderingwindow · 29/09/2022 20:46

I loved it from the very beginning.

he does an amazing job of writing about how men take advantage of women at every level of society

FruitPastilleNut · 29/09/2022 20:51

@Pemba - you really need to read The Apple. It gives a nice little update about one of the characters.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 29/09/2022 20:52

I didn't like it.

Pemba · 29/09/2022 20:55

The Book of Strange New Things that was the alien planet one.

Pemba · 29/09/2022 20:56

@FruitPastilleNut thanks I must give that a go!

Original poster
PlasticSheetingRTÉNews · 29/09/2022 21:39

Which ones did you try?

Under the Skin, The Book of Strange New Things, and some of his short story collections.

Loved Under the Skin and Book of Strange New Things so very, very much. They gripped me from the very start, but Crimson Petal is so different.

He writes such flawed characters. The only character in Book that I cared about was the cat!

OP posts:
verytired42 · 29/09/2022 21:57

He’s my favourite author. Crimson Petal was the first book of his I read and I thought it was magnificent. A lot of the same themes as in the book of strange new things. Give it a bit more time.

Pemba · 29/09/2022 21:59

@PlasticSheetingRTÉNews maybe it's because Book of Strange New Things and Under the Skin are similar-ish as they're both science fiction really whereas The Crimson Petal is historical fiction and perhaps you weren't expecting that or you don't enjoy that genre? I wouldn't say it's typical historical fiction at all though.

But keep going it might grow on you! One of the things I loved about it was how it shows the time when a lot of the things we think of as intrinsic to London were all fresh and new. Like a lot of the housing, the tube etc.

I wish I could have enjoyed Book of Strange New Things more, I was expecting to. Maybe I need to try it again? Which did you think was best out of that and Under the Skin. What did you think of the film with Scarlet Johansson? It was very different from the book I thought.

Original poster
PlasticSheetingRTÉNews · 29/09/2022 22:14

Pemba · 29/09/2022 21:59

@PlasticSheetingRTÉNews maybe it's because Book of Strange New Things and Under the Skin are similar-ish as they're both science fiction really whereas The Crimson Petal is historical fiction and perhaps you weren't expecting that or you don't enjoy that genre? I wouldn't say it's typical historical fiction at all though.

But keep going it might grow on you! One of the things I loved about it was how it shows the time when a lot of the things we think of as intrinsic to London were all fresh and new. Like a lot of the housing, the tube etc.

I wish I could have enjoyed Book of Strange New Things more, I was expecting to. Maybe I need to try it again? Which did you think was best out of that and Under the Skin. What did you think of the film with Scarlet Johansson? It was very different from the book I thought.

That may be it. I think I was expecting that maybe there was some kind of genre twist. I’m enjoying the writing and it’s very evocative, but I’m just finding it very, very slow going. I have about another 580/600 pages to go, and just can’t see how they’ll be filled unless the story really ramps up.

Between Book and Skin, Skin was my favourite and I’m going to read it again. Isserley was one of his few characters I found myself rooting for, despite the awful things she was doing.

With Book, I didn’t care for any of the characters and didn’t mind what happened to them, but I just loved the world of Oasis that Faber created.

I saw the Skin movie and didn’t like it at all. Found it far too abstract.
Then again, I’m one of those really annoying “but you should really try the book…” people when someone is talking to me about a film!

OP posts:
Pemba · 29/09/2022 23:22

Yeah but I have seen amazing reviews for the Under the Skin film saying what creative cinema it was. But I think it left so much of the book plot out that it should have been called something else else. Hate it when film directors and script writers do that
If you can't honour the book then get your own idea!

I don't remember much of the plot of Book of Strange New Things now but I think the aliens were a big disappointment! They seemed miserable and characterless and passive and I think that's what put me off. Probably I'm missing something.

IrmaGord · 29/09/2022 23:30

They made a pilot for a tv series of Book of Strange New Things starring Richard Madden but it never got made into a full series (it was called Oasis). There's also a tv adaptation of Crimson Petal starring that guy off the IT Crowd which was excellent but I've never seen it repeated sadly.

Anyway, the book is definitely worth sticking with.

Pemba · 29/09/2022 23:45

When The Crimson Petal came on TV about 10 years ago that's what got me reading the book. The TV series was not bad but couldn't pack all the detail in obviously. Starred Romola Garai and Chris O'Dowd with Gillian Anderson doing a turn as the brothel keeper/Sugar's mother. She looked hideous I remember. She's such a great character actress! It was odd to have Chris O'Dowd playing a bad guy and very English Usually he plays Irish and is the funny /nice guy.
Sadly it doesn't seem available to stream but you can get the DVD quite cheaply.

Pemba · 30/09/2022 02:14

Oh I noticed that was on Amazon Prime ages ago (Oasis) and didn't realise it was based on Book of Strange New Things. And now it's gone! Bother. Was it any good?

nobird · 30/09/2022 08:29

I’m about 90 minutes into the audiobook and I’m loving it. It’s my first Michel Faber. I’m really loving the second person narrative, especially having it spoken aloud. It also seems really appropriate for this time of year somehow. Hopefully my interest won’t wane.

ZenNudist · 30/09/2022 08:37

I loved it from the start. I honestly felt like I'd never read anything so compelling but I do like Victorian era fiction.

Zwicky · 30/09/2022 08:41

I absolutely loved it from the beginning but didn’t love the ending. If you aren’t enjoying the beginning then maybe it’s not for you.
I’ve got 5 audible credits to use before I close my account so might get another faber. Very mixed reviews for The Book of Strange New Things and Under the Skin!

SanFranBear · 30/09/2022 08:45

I found it pretty forgettable and only the mention of a few of the characters upthread have reminded me that I have definitely read it.

There are far too many absolute masterpieces of books out there to waste time on reading something you're not into. I understand why people do but, with age, I've realised I am happy to read slightly shit, cosy type books far more often that meaningful, social commentary type books. Apart from my book club books, I no longer read a book I'm not enjoying after I get about a quarter of the way in!

HotSauceCommittee · 30/09/2022 09:05

It's a brilliant book in my opinion, but if it isn't grabbing you, leave it; life is too short.
For those of you who do enjoy well-written, gritty, historical fiction, I can recommend the works of Laura Shepherd-Robinson. "Blood and Sugar" and "Daughters of Night" are fantastic.

IrmaGord · 30/09/2022 11:19

Pemba · 30/09/2022 02:14

Oh I noticed that was on Amazon Prime ages ago (Oasis) and didn't realise it was based on Book of Strange New Things. And now it's gone! Bother. Was it any good?

It had potential but it wasn't picked up. I think it's about 4 or 5 years old now. It was only a pilot but it was quite different from the book as well. The first episode didn't get into the aliens either, as I recall.