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The Apple: Crimson Petal Stories by Michel…
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The Apple: Crimson Petal Stories (original 2006; edition 2011)

by Michel Faber

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6273737,030 (3.51)36
Fiction. Romance. Short Stories. Historical Fiction. HTML:

These stories go deeper into the Victorian world and lives of the acclaimed international bestseller, The Crimson Petal and the White.

Michel Faber's tale of love and lust in the Victorian Era, The Crimson Petal and the White, was hailed as "a Dickensian novel for our times." Now a major BBC TV drama, the saga of a prostitute named Sugar and the man who longs to possess her captured hearts and left readers desperate for more (The Guardian, UK).

In The Apple, Faber returns to Silver Street to find it still teeming with life, and conjures further tantalizing glimpses of Sugar, Clara, William, Mr. Bodley and many other favorites. For both fans of the novel and newcomers to this rich and historically vivid world, The Apple confirms that "Michel Faber is a master of the short-story form" (The Times Literary Supplement, UK).

"This book will be read in a sitting. unless of course you are admitted to Accident and Emergency, having come over queer, huffing with laughter, or dizzy with envy at Faber's talent. Or probably both."â??The Scotsman, UK… (more)

Member:neighbour
Title:The Apple: Crimson Petal Stories
Authors:Michel Faber
Info:Canongate UK (2011), Edition: Main, Paperback, 200 pages
Collections:Your library
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The Apple: New Crimson Petal Stories by Michel Faber (2006)

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» See also 36 mentions

English (31)  Dutch (2)  Slovak (1)  Italian (1)  All languages (35)
Showing 1-5 of 31 (next | show all)
This is a short book (less than 200 pages), written after the publication of the Crimson Petal and the White. The reaction of many readers to this latter book had taken many by surprise, including the author, as to how at near 900 pages long many people thought it finished too soon.[return][return]"The Apple" was written and published as a collection of short stories of many of those found in "the Crimson" and constitutes a "What happened next" for many of the more important characters. Considering I havent read "Crimson" in several years, it is satisfying that it is easy to place these characters very quickly back into the story line, even when the short stories are, in some cases, very short. ( )
  nordie | Oct 14, 2023 |
Pointless extension of The Crimson Petal and the White, picking up major and minor characters after or before events from the original book. Well written, but the more rigid chapters lack the fluidity of the main book and I didn't feel like these were stories that were desperate to be told.

Like watching a great 3 hour film then having 30 minutes of deleted scenes/alternate endings - its nice to still be in that world but they don't really add anything to the characters or original story. Definitely don't read if you haven't read Crimson Petal..., hard to recommend if you have. ( )
  arewenotben | Jul 31, 2020 |
''Snow continues to whirl through the sky, the windowpanes rattle and creak, but still those damned partridges and turtledoves proliferate. Passerby must be tossing coins to this bawling nuisance; better they should throw stones.''

The Crimson Petal and the White is a novel that has acquired a modern classic status. Faber depicted the hypocrisy of the London upper class, the misery of the children and the women who were left destitute and unprotected, the dark side of a metropolis through the eyes of one of the most fascinating heroines to ever grace the pages of a book. Sugar.

Faber writes like a contemporary Dickens, freed from censorship, and strikes at the very heart of the story. However, The Crimson Petal and the White was one of the first novels that made me turn the book upside down in a serious moment of denial of the ending. The Apple is a collection of stories with the POVs of the characters that led us in the dark underbelly of London. Be warned, though. you won't find the answers you may be looking for but you will find yourselves in the world of Sugar and enjoy the superb writing style of Faber once more.

Christmas in Silver Street: It's Christmas Day and Sugar is walking London's streets, observing and purchasing. Young Christopher has never understood what Christmas is all about and our favourite night butterfly is wondering on the ''modern'' Christmas customs that are slowly taking over London. Michel Fabel makes everything feel like Christmas, even in the middle of August.

Clara and the Rat Man: Clara...This story is twisted and violent but also terribly sad. The underground London, the prostitution, the dog fights and the traumas of the returning soldiers.

Chocolate Hearts From the New World: Dr. Curlew's determined daughter is fighting to convince the landlords in the USA to abolish slavery. It doesn't hurt to find a love match in the process.

The Fly, and Its Effects Upon Mr Bodley: A ridiculous man experiences an existential crisis prompted by an equally ridiculous incident. Faber exposes the stupidity of the men who seek pleasure in a brothel in all its despicable pseudo-philosophy.

The Apple: Sugar contemplates on the nature of the novels of the time, dreams of writing her own version of the modern woman of the late 19th century and tries to defend an innocent child. Obviously, the story takes place before the events of the novel.

Medicine: William Rackham reminisces over his relationship with Sugar 15 years after the events of the novel. He still fails to see how much of a scum he actually is.

A Mighty Horde of Women In Very Big Hats, Advancing: Small wonder that the sole boring story in the collection has Sophie and her son as its main characters...

Two things you need to know, in my opinion. Firstly, it is highly advisable to have read The Crimson Petal and the White prior to reading this collection and secondly, you definitely don't want to miss this if you are a Faber admirer.
''It is almost time to open your eyes; the twenty- first century is waiting for you, and you've been among prostitutes and strange children for too long.''
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )
  AmaliaGavea | Aug 26, 2019 |
Not bad, just nothing of interest for me here. Phillip Pullman already did all the Victorian re-imagining I need to read. Not to mention John Fowles. ( )
1 vote CSRodgers | Feb 17, 2016 |
Having recently finished reading Crimson Petal, I couldn't wait to read the follow up short stories in The Apple and I wasn't disappointed!

Just a handful of stories sees us re-visiting Sugar in her life pre-Crimson, Clara, Mr Bodley, William and, indirectly, Sophie all post-Crimson. So good to see what had become of them and interesting to see if they matched my own hopes and perceptions (largely they did!). My only detraction from the book was that I wanted more. After the weighty tome that was Crimson Petal, this was lightweight and I read it in less than a day (part during the evening, the rest on the train to work the next day). Hugely enjoyable, but left me wanting more.

Will now have to dig out more of Michel Faber's writing to see whether his other work lives up to these two books. ( )
  Cassandra2020 | Jan 24, 2016 |
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Fiction. Romance. Short Stories. Historical Fiction. HTML:

These stories go deeper into the Victorian world and lives of the acclaimed international bestseller, The Crimson Petal and the White.

Michel Faber's tale of love and lust in the Victorian Era, The Crimson Petal and the White, was hailed as "a Dickensian novel for our times." Now a major BBC TV drama, the saga of a prostitute named Sugar and the man who longs to possess her captured hearts and left readers desperate for more (The Guardian, UK).

In The Apple, Faber returns to Silver Street to find it still teeming with life, and conjures further tantalizing glimpses of Sugar, Clara, William, Mr. Bodley and many other favorites. For both fans of the novel and newcomers to this rich and historically vivid world, The Apple confirms that "Michel Faber is a master of the short-story form" (The Times Literary Supplement, UK).

"This book will be read in a sitting. unless of course you are admitted to Accident and Emergency, having come over queer, huffing with laughter, or dizzy with envy at Faber's talent. Or probably both."â??The Scotsman, UK

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Contents:
  • Christmas in Silver Street
  • Clara and the Rat Man
  • Chocolate Hearts From the New World
  • The Fly, and Its Effects Upon Mr Bodley
  • The Apple
  • Medicine
  • A Mighty Horde of Women in Very Big Hats, Advancing
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Canongate Books

2 editions of this book were published by Canongate Books.

Editions: 1841959804, 0857860852

Penguin Australia

An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.

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