The Crimson Petal And The White - Couverture souple

This is an unputdownable book; there is no choice but to give in to this most unbelievably pleasurable of narrative rides. From Pointillism to broad brushstroke bravura, the prose seems to be on some benign, timed-release speed: its pace in unflagging, its onward rush irresistible. . . Faber's take on the 19th Century English novel is a heady and intoxicating mixture of affection, respect and scabrous resistance (The Times)

A sexy, bravura novel... wildly entertaining (New York Times)

When a book is this big, it had better be good - this one is. Dive in. Enjoy! (Alice Sebold)

Owes as much to John Fowles as it does to Charlotte Bronte. Which is to say that the book is both mind-bogglingly clever and page-turningly tempting. Don't miss it (Daily Telegraph)

An astonishing narrative sweep that encompasses Victorian society in all its colourful variety, it peels away the surface gentility and brings its world to vivid life. It's a feast for all five senses and in spite of its weight, it's impossible to put down. (Val McDermid)

Key to its success is the book's sly acknowledgment of its modernity without recourse to taking up the crude cudgels of irony . . . a sybaritic pleasure and a ripping yarn. (Times)

Owes as much to John Fowles as it does to Charlotte Brontë. Which is to say that the book is both mind-bogglingly clever and page-turningly tempting. Don't miss it. (Daily Telegraph)

An intensely imaginative time-travel experience. (Independent)

Takes the historical novel and, in the spirit of its subject matter, submits it to a good rogering in terms of graphically exposing the sexual details Dickens and Co. couldn't (or wouldn't) write about. (Sunday Herald)

It is a long read but a rewarding one. It is also, unsurprisingly, a sexy one. Indeed, at times it seems that the real central characters are the readers, good voyeurs that we are. (Observer)

The verdict: a scary tome, but crack the spine and you're into a gripping tale . . . Try if you like the thought of Dickens rising again to have a stab at erotic drama. (FHM*****)

At 828 pages, it's the size of a piglet and twice as heavy. Even so, I find myself lugging it to and fro on the train because my need to know what happens next outweighs the beast. (Rowan Pelling)

Down-and-dirty tale of an upwardly mobile Victorian prostitute . . . a scintillating tour de force. (Sunday Telegraph)

A cracking read, a Victorian page-turner with a twenty-first-century consciousness. Wilkie Collins would be proud. (Louise Welsh)

The novel that Dickens might have write had he been allowed to speak freely . . . Faber's writing is so dizzyingly accomplished that he is able to convince you that, just sometimes, the old stories really are the best ones. (Kathryn Hughes Guardian)

Wonderfully enjoyable . . . an intensely imaginative time travel experience. (Jane Jakeman Independent)

An achievement which may leave you wondering if this vast work is, if anything, a little too short. (Ross Gilfillan Daily Mail)

There may have been many great novels set I Victorian times, among them A.S Byatt's Possession and John Fowles's The French Lieutenant's Woman. No disrespect intended, but none of them compares with Faber's morality tale. It really is that special. (Alan Taylor Sunday Herald)

This novel is impressive for its unflagging energy . . . With his enormous cast of characters and a plot constantly simmering with violence, sex, coincidences and melodramatic surprises, he also shows himself to be a master storyteller. (Francis King Literary Review) --Literary Review

MICHEL FABER has written eight books, including the highly acclaimed The Fire Gospel, The Fahrenheit Twins and the Whitbread-shortlisted novel Under the Skin. He has also written two novellas, The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps and The Courage Consort, and has won several short-story awards, including the Neil Gunn, Ian St James and Macallan. Born in Holland, brought up in Australia, he now lives in the Scottish Highlands.