The Crimson Petal and the White Add a review

The Crimson Petal and the White is a 2002 novel by Michel Faber set in Victorian England.

The title is from an 1847 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson entitled "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal", the opening line of which is "Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white." The novel is told from the perspective of all of the main characters, and the omniscient narrator occasionally addresses the reader directly. It has a meta-literary aspect, as Sugar is working on her own novel, Henry writes sermons, and Agnes keeps a diary.