Sex is never too far away in this novel and it is this which can make it a challenging read. Society might demand “the white petal” but the crimson is ready to dominate. How people behave on surface does not reflect the turbulence underneath. The double standards of the times are ever present. She becomes essential to Rackham and his very different world. Fewer characters in fiction get to be known as intimately by their readers and every step of the way the reader is right behind Sugar. Nineteen year old Sugar, living in a seedy brothel run by her mother, is the life blood of this novel. He becomes obsessed with the thought of a prostitute called Sugar, who he is led to believe will do anything for money. Henry Rackham, heir to his father’s perfume empire has a copy of this book. Publications such as “More Sprees in London “are recommending and rating brothels in a thinly veiled code. With money, every sexual need can be met. Set in the last quarter of the nineteenth century in Victorian London where dubious moral standards abound. It is, however, in my opinion a monumental achievement. I admit that this book will not be to everyone’s taste.
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