Not sure how I feel about the ending. I suppose it's fitting in a way. Although the whole last part was a bit chaotic. BUT, I can't really bring myself to give "just" 4 stars because I definitely loved reading this book even if some parts weren't perfect, because it just did some things so well. The narration, the characters... Never read anything like it before. (Then again, this is the first time I read this type/genre of book, so I have nothing to compare it to.)

I picked this book as my first personal random book challenge and hit the bull's eye right away. On to the next one. ( )

Look...no matter how beautiful the prose, it is unacceptable to write a novel this long with an ambiguous, abrupt ending. Cannot recommend. ( )

Väga hea raamat. Esimese paari peatüki jooksul ma küll mõtlesin, et no mis Faber see nüüd on ja kas mul ikka on vaja seda dickenslikkult masendusemaigulist asja lugeda, aga kirjutatud oli ikka nii hästi, et muudkui vedas edasi, ja siis, ehteestlaslikult muidugi, ei saanud enam pidama :)
Teistsugune, kohati lausa naturalistlikult lehkav, väga feministlik ja nagu ikka, otsad kõik lahti ...
Kuna lugesin just hiljuti Kate Listeri "Seksi kummalist ajalugu", siis oli see Faberi lugu nagu praktika, mis teooriale järgnedes on nagu rusikas silmaauku.
Soovitan! ( )

Meet Sugar, a nineteen-year-old prostitute in Victorian London who yearns for escape to a better life. From the brothel of the terrifying Mrs. Castaway, she begins her ascent through society. Beginning with William Rackham, a perfume magnate whose lust for Sugar soon begins to smell like love, she meets a host of lovable, maddening, unforgettable characters as her social rise is overseen by assorted preening socialites, drunken journalists, untrustworthy servants, vile guttersnipes, and whores of all kinds.

This is the story fo the well-read London prostitute named Sugar, who believes she can make a better life for herself. You read about the physical practicalities that a prostitute has to deal with - who protects them, what acts they have to perform, the degredations they have to accept (you learn for instance, what they have to endure in an attempt to avoid pregnancy).

Prostitution, rather than frowned upon in all levels of society, is indulged in by many of the wealthy/upper class men by the famous-but-secret publications highlighting where the brothels are, and giving establishments and individuals ratings as to the services provided.

When she is taken up by a wealthy man, the perfumer William Rackham, her wings are clipped and she must balance financial security against the obvious servitude of her position. The physical risks and hardships of Sugar's life (and the even harder "honest" life she would have led as a factory worker) contrast--yet not entirely--with the medical mistreatment of her benefactor's wife, Agnes. Agnes is mollycoddled and allowed to descend into clinical madness and death, all aggravated by the birth of a daughter.

Even though my edition came in at just under 1000 pages, I have to admit it came too soon for me (and many others, but not all apparently). In fact, after releasing it as a Bookcrossing book, this is one of the few books where I brought a second copy! ( )

Sugar tiene diecinueve años y ejerce la prostitución desde los trece, cuando su madre introdujo a uno de sus clientes en su cama. William Rackham es un caballero de treinta y un años, educado en Oxford, condenado a suceder a su padre en la industria familiar, pero que siempre ha deseado llevar una vida de goces intelectuales. Está casado con la hermosa Agnes, a la que ama, aunque ella odia el sexo y abomina de la maternidad. Y, un día en que William se siente más iracundo que nunca, cae en sus manos un folleto donde recomiendan el prostíbulo de la señora Castaway, y elogian a su pupila Sugar. La jovencita seduce a William. Y él decide no compartirla con nadie, aunque tenga que optar por la empresa de su padre, y dividirse entre el pétalo carmesí y el blanco...