Tabac
10-26-2003, 07:43 PM
....by Michel Faber (2002). I first became aware of this book through a posting on a different board. I then discovered that it had been awarded several prestigious awards and that there were multiple copies in my public library system. I had been intrigued by the comments of the original poster, and since historical fiction is what I prefer to read, I ended up with it in my lap - for a good number of sittings, I must say. It is well over 800 pages in length, but there is never a dull moment. Focusing on life in Victorian London, the story is about prostitutes, the men who frequent them, and the other people in their lives. I like the style: present tense; the events are related as if you are in actual presence of the story-teller and he is talking directly to you, the reader, even guiding you through the settings and telling you where we’re going next and why. Mr. Faber researched the period for a number of years while writing the book; I think only Charles Dickens has grasped and described the period with as much vitality and realism. Was the story worth the lengthy read? Yes! By the end of the book, I felt I truly knew these people, and I still cared about (most of) them. There has been some concern over the question of graphic description of sex - there’s no point in writing about people in any profession or industry unless one is going to be convincingly descriptive.