Rated of 5
by joshua vigil
If you have any love whatsoever for the sprawling epic masterpieces of Dickens, Thackeray, Eliot, and Hardy, you really must put any book you're currently reading down and read "The Crimson Petal." The notion--by some of my fellow reviewers--that the book is too long is precisely the reason I found it captivating...Indeed, most contemporary books are so in love with their own postmodernity that they often run out of narrative momentum within the first 200 pages. Not so here; the book immerses its reader within a voyeuristic and explicit London whose characters literally reek of sex, stench, and desperation. I longed for the novel to continue, and I think others will as well. This is a one of a kind book--I highly recommend reading it before it has been gutted for the inevitable Hollywood sendup.
Rated of 5
by orchidfancier
I agree with JC. I was enamored up until pg. 550 or so and then the story began to bog down for me. It was much too long, IMHO, by about 250 pages. I found myself skimming dialogue for the last 300 or so pages; hate to do that but there are all these other wonderful books calling my name....lol. Okay, it's fiction but this was an uneducated prostitute after all, improving her lover's business acumen...come on! And then he just gives her the old heave ho when he thinks she's pregnant. I enjoyed it for the most part.
Rated of 5
by Magi B
A very absorbing book. Faber's rendition of Victorian England rang true. He draws the reader in, by offering a picture of the bawdy world of prostitution, but is dealing with a far broader range of relationships. Is Agnes, the pure wife, not bought, just as surely as Sugar? But ultimately, doesn't this reduction of male/female relationships to a trade damage the men as well as the women? Who would want to be William Rackham at the end? But Emmeline and Henry are a counterpoint, even if their world is distorted by idealism. I found the repressed Henry's last vision of love intriguing.
Rated of 5
by JC
I'm not as enamoured of Crimson Petal as most of the reviewers. I thought this book was too long, and wonder if it ended so abruptly because the writer wasn't sure where it was going. The book had a very strong start, but the notion that the prostitute could give her consort business advice is pretty far fetched, and the ending was bad. I was mostly impressed with the subtlety of the change in the characters over the course of the story, however, and would recommend the book, in general. It's certainly better-written than a lot of pop fiction that's out there right now.
Rated of 5
by Brian
I have a theory that <<edited for possible plot spoiler content>> was a ruse planned by Sugar and that Sugar, Sophie, and Anges are living happly ever after!
Rated of 5
by JD
This book should come with a warning label -- once you start it you will not be able to put it down!
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
read more
U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
Full Story
of 5
by joshua vigil 
of 5
by orchidfancier 
of 5
by Magi B 
