Crimson Petal and the White anyone?

[ElephantsAndMiasmas]

Did anyone else see this? I thought it was brilliant and couldn't believe the book had been written by a man, as the whole thing was about how the female characters band together against the patriarchy, basically.

It was stupendous! There was lots of interesting analysis of the characters and the gender dynamics in the Telly Addicts section. I'm gagging to read the book now as I understand the characterisations are somewhat different (according to some posters, anyway).

Ooh have you got a link, Bue?

I was amazed at what a contrast it was to all the Belle du Jour rubbish. And I loved that the significant relationships were between Sugar and the wife, and Sugar and the little girl. All of them being messed around by the fact that men owned everything.

I read the book years ago and loved it. I bought it for anyone whose birthday was coming up and for everyone else that Christmas!

I loved it too that it gave a voice to the women involved and it showed the men for the buffoons that they were.

I thought it showed - appropriately and sadly - how wives were treated by their husbands and by doctors.

There was a follow up book of short stories called The Apple that Michel Faber wrote because so many people wrote to him wanting to know what happened to Sugar. He wouldn't say because he wanted to leave it open but in one of the short stories, there's a reference to Sugar as being a distant relative of the person in the story. There was a reference to Australia and to suffragettes (yay!). I can't quite remember but I think that Sophie or her daughter became a suffragette after they'd escaped to Australia.

I thought it was a very feminist novel. I'd recommend it as a book too. Unputdownable.

There was only one person who read it (a middle aged man) who told me that he couldn't see the point of it. Everyone else I know loved it.

Oh good I'm so pleased - I recorded it (because it clashed with masterchef ) so I'm looking forward to indulging myself by watching the whole thing over the course of an evening

What channel was it on? and when?

BBC2, last episode was last week

Here's the thread from Telly Addicts: Crimson Petal

For those who missed it, please catch it on the iplayer! It really is too good to miss - it's so beautifully filmed and acted. (How amazing was the woman playing Agnes?) This is the kind of thing I am happy to pay my licence fee for.

I'll be watching then, thank you.

I agree it is totally fab, I'm now reading the book on my kindle and am keeping myself awake at night it's so unputdownable.

It was brilliant. I read the book a while ago and couldn't really remember anything that happened - must try and dig it out from wherever it's hiding and give it another go.