Perhaps you’ve set some reading goals for yourself this summer. Good for you! I have done the same thing. And with the anticipation of a week to be spent in West Virginia, I chose five books to take on the trip. Only one did I finish, “The Crimson Petal and the White” by Michel Faber.
I am thrilled to have finished this book, and I have some strong feelings about it that I feel compelled to share. Register on Goodreads* and check out my scathing review (unfortunately, if you aren’t a member, you won’t be able to see it - so join!). If you don’t want to do that, I’ll give you the brief version below:
“The Crimson Petal and the White” is filled with protagonists that are difficult to care about; poor and inconsistent ways of storytelling; a plot as dull as an old razor blade; disappointing and actually nonexistent death scenes of important characters (in my opinion, avoided because the author thinks he is only good at writing sex scenes, which in this book are tasteless and frequent); and more!
I’d say see for yourself, but I’d hate for you to waste your time if you’ve got a good list of summer reading already. However, I also think it’s important for everyone to develop their own opinions. So if you have thoughts, good or bad, on this book, please do share!
* Goodreads is like a huge online book club where you can see what your friends are reading, read reviews, and keep a list of books to plan on/want to read in the future. The site is well-organized and easy to navigate through.
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Peter Atkinson said:
And out of all of the five books why did you choose this one to finish?
August 1, 2008 @ 9:40 am
leafless said:
I’ll try to register on Goodreads to read the rest of the review. Sounds like a scathing one.
August 1, 2008 @ 12:45 pm
Lindsey Anderson said:
Peter: I chose to finish it because I was getting to a point where I knew I either had to plunge ahead and do it, or I would never finish it.
leafless: Hooray!
August 2, 2008 @ 1:20 am