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. ( )

'Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them ...' So begins this irresistible voyage into the dark side of Victorian London. Amongst an unforgettable cast of low-lifes, physicians, businessmen and prostitutes, meet our heroine Sugar, a young woman trying to drag herself up from the gutter any way she can. Be prepared for a mesmerising tale of passion, intrigue, ambition and revenge.

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. ( )

La storia è ambientata nel dicembre del 1872, in una delle zone londinesi più equivoca e perduta, tra Regent Street e Soho, più precisamente a Silver Street. Sugar, una giovanissima ragazza che vive e lavora nel bordello di Mrs Castaway, si sveglia la mattina di Natale, dopo aver alzato il gomito la sera prima. nella sua stanza arriva Christopher, il figlio piccolo di una prostituta che lavora con Sugar, che si occupa di prendere e lavare la biancheria della casa e i due parlano del Natale, e del fatto che di solito le persone si scambiano i regali per quest'occasione, anche se entrambi non hanno mai festeggiato un Natale nel senso tradizionale del termine. Un uomo, piazzatosi sotto le finestre del bordello, comincia a cantare una canzone natalizia, e questo induce Sugar a vestirsi e ad uscire di casa. La ragazza si reca in alcuni negozi, acquistando una cartolina di auguri natalizia, alcuni cioccolatini ed un pollo arrosto, poi torna di nuovo al bordello. Tutte le cose che ha comprato Sugar servono per fare una sorpresa a Christopher, che resta molto stupito e contento della cartolina e della cena inaspettata. Tutto va per il meglio, ad un certo punto una donna comincia a cantare, sotto le finestre dell'edificio, una canzone dedicata alle peccatrici che abitano nel bordello, ma Sugar e Christopher, abituati a questo genere di predicatori fai da te, non si scompongono per niente e continuano a gustarsi la loro cenetta. Una volta finito il pasto, Christopher se ne va, senza che Sugar riesca a dirgli quanto le dispiace che il ragazzino non possa godersi un Natale come si deve.nara

''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/ ( )