A sweeping, sensual Victorian epic about ambition, survival, and the secret lives hidden behind society’s polished façade.
 
In The Crimson Petal and the White, Michel Faber reinvents the Victorian novel for the modern reader. Lush, daring, and utterly immersive, it follows Sugar’s journey from London’s brothels to the drawing rooms of the elite — a path paved with wit, survival, and defiance.
 
In 1870s London, Sugar, a sharp-witted and resourceful young woman, works as a prostitute with dreams of a better life. When she becomes the mistress of wealthy businessman William Rackham, she enters a glittering world of privilege and danger. As Sugar’s influence grows, she begins to navigate — and subvert — the rigid moral codes of the age, revealing the hypocrisy, cruelty, and desires that shape her world.
 
Faber’s storytelling blends historical authenticity with modern sensibility, offering a panoramic portrait of 19th-century life from the gaslit streets to the glittering salons. At once intimate and epic, the novel exposes class, gender, and power with unflinching honesty.
 
Hailed as a contemporary classic, The Crimson Petal and the White is a rich, provocative exploration of desire and reinvention — a novel of remarkable scope, depth, and emotional resonance.
 
💖 Why You’ll Love It
A modern masterpiece in the tradition of Dickens and Eliot.
Lush historical detail with contemporary insight and bold storytelling.
A compelling heroine whose wit and strength challenge convention.
Captures both the grit and grandeur of Victorian London.
Michel Faber’s prose is sharp, lyrical, and unforgettable.
 
🌟 Perfect For
Fans of Sarah Waters, Hilary Mantel, and Charles Dickens.
Readers who love richly detailed historical fiction.
Book clubs exploring gender, class, and social power.
Anyone who enjoys epic, character-driven storytelling.
 
❤️ Fans Also Liked
If you enjoyed The Crimson Petal and the White, you might also like:
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters — love, deception, and class in Victorian London.
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton — secrets and art in 17th-century Amsterdam.
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant — passion and rebellion in Renaissance Florence.