THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE

Faber fills this novel with steamy sex, prostitution, poverty, madness, super-human forbearance, abduction, and graphic descriptions of life in Victorian England. Sugar, a well-read prostitute, meets William, heir to a perfumery business, at the brothel of Mrs. Castaway, who spends her days cutting Mary Magdalene pictures from religious periodicals. Jill Tanner lures us into this world, disclosing the story's many intimate details in a conspiratorial hush. With distinct voices and subtle inflection, Tanner reads with such understanding of the characters that we leave even the most tragically flawed with open-armed acceptance. K.A.T. 2005 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 05]