The Crimson Petal & The White by Michel Faber

[lauragill]

Was just about to start a thread on this when I realized that it had already aired overseas. I rather liked it, and am curious about the novel.

[DianeL]

Crimson Petal was, for my tastes, a pretty insufferable novel. It just felt to me like a vehicle for the author's self importance and sense of his own talent, which just doesn't interest me. His female voice rang completely false for me, it felt very much like what they call "the male gaze" and because the central character felt inauthentic, the only reason I finished the novel was a neruotic-slash-hopeful expectation that there must be something more to it ...

Never did find that. And I know, writing a male character, I open myself up to criticism from male readers. But there it is, I just had a REALLY hard time with CP&W, hard enough that it stays with me still!