Vanity Fair (Everyman's Library)

Personal favorite...

This is my favorite book of all time, so clearly I am a biased reviewer. That said, there are many reasons for why that is so. The character of Becky Sharp is engaging and well-developed--beautiful, witty and ambitious, she is capable of manipulating her way through society at any cost, even that of 'implied' murder. Thackeray's range in the novel is tremendous: he takes us from the drawing-rooms of the great Lord Steyne, to the country parsonage of Bute Crawley, to the battlefields of Waterloo and back again. His delineations of social class are equally widespread, and delightfully perceptive. Additionally, the Barnes and Noble edition happens to have an extremely good introduction and notes--which cannot be said for every title in their classics series. I think I need not say that it is superior to the movie in every way imaginable 'although, granted, the film was not bad'. Highly, highly recommended.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Incredible Classic from Thackeray

William Thackeray's Vanity Fair is, by far, one of the most amazing works of fiction I have ever read. Unlike most authors of his age (especially those who wrote similar serials), Thackeray remains the consummate third-person satirist, creating characatures of some of the greatest minds in England of the time. Reading Vanity Fair was like eating the richest possible chocolate. Do not be turned off by the size, Vanity Fair is well worth the time.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great book t TERRIBLE EDITION OF A GREAT BOOK

Jumps around
Paragraphs repeat
Chapters missing
A waste of money

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great Writer, Awful Character!!!

Excellently written, yet I have never, ever so disliked a heroine. I couldn't feel concern for such an awful character and was awaiting her demise with glee!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Astute and laugh-out-loud funny.

This is an epic social satire with spot-on observation and biting commentary. The characters are wholly believable and recognizable, even in today's society. I must add that it is very, very long, and to be fully appreciated probably needs to be read at a leisurely pace. Set aside a week's worth of spare time. You'll be amply rewarded.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Surprisingly Awesome

I always thought that this would be a drag to read because it looked like a snobby, long Victorian novel. However, once I started reading it, I was addicted.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Vanity Vair

I loved reading Vanity Fair. Rebecca Sharp is one of the most evil but intelligent characters I have ever read! Thackeray reminds me alot of Charles Dickens by the way he describes the characters and the enviornment they live in.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

a very good classic novel

I just finished reading vanity fair and was very pleased with the book. There were some parts that were alittle boring but the rest of the book makes up for it. The ending, in particular, could not have been better. This is a very big book and does take alot of time to read, however, it is well worth it. I read Anna korenina right before Vanity Fair, and I have to say that this one is much better. Vanity Fair is definately going into my book collection.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The Era of Wit is Over

Bring back the classics. We need them. Vanity Fair is one of Thackeray's most brilliant works that can compete with the best writings today. It deals principally with the lives of two young women, Miss Sedley and Miss Sharp and what they did after leaving school. It is about their loves, their ambitions, their terribly endearing families and most importantly, their dreams. The book openly and almost brutally describes the selfishness of human nature and the thousand little subtilities of everyday life during that time. Attitude towards women, status in society, the power of money and marriage are recurring themes in this delightful novel. Extremely unique characters like Miss. Crawley, Mr.Osbourne and Captain Dobbin give the book a splendid Dickensian touch. To me, it is an excellent read because like terrorism, it really makes you stop and take a step back.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Ahhh... Classic!

The difference between right and wrong- who doesn't know it? This book is all around amazing. You know, before reading Vanity Fair, I had no idea how bad the magazine disgraces this great book. I loved it! It's not like it goes into detail about who is cheating and such like a country song, but shows what is wrong and write. It also simply shows the dark side of this seemingly innocent era.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Colorful, lively, and enchanting

Vanity Fair is not a short novel. It is long, and has many difficult words (so get a dictionary). However, by assiduously following the plot, one is quickly enchanted by the characters, and the intricately woven plot. It's a novel that needs some work to be appreciated, but the footnotes (with translations of the occasional French dialogue and cultural notes)are helpful in achieving this task. I finished the novel after reading it in installments for half a year, and it made me more aware of Victorian culture than any history book ever could. It's historical, romantic, and comedic. I'd give it six stars if I could.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Novel

While it may be long, it is far from boring. Thackery makes hilarious commentaries on British society.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Beautiful Classic

Drama and comedy mix beautifully in this period character study. The story line does not necessarily go where the reader anticipates; but it is never disappointing.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Life is not long enough

The story was a very intriguing one. I would recommend an shortened, abridged version of this book. The book is about 800-900 pages long. I feel that the story could have been successfully told, without loosing any credibility and intensity, in about 400-500 pages. In my opinion there were far too many details. 300 pages into the book and the story finally started to unravel. Often times it became harder to stay with characters and the story when you are being bombarded with meaningles, and frivoulous details. Do yourself a favor and watch the movie, unless you have a few hours to kill.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Masterpiece

W.M.Thackeray did a wonderful job in grasping the convictions and the rationalisms of the 19 Century in England. The book is filled with over a dozen truly genuine characters who have much to teach us about the true characters of men and women in circumstances of much opulence and poverty. In the story one of the pivotal characters , Becky overcomes many of the social barriers imposed by her low station in society by using her charms, magnetism and charisma to raise her self in society. The Barnes & Nobles Classics Editions was much helpful for it provided; critical background information and important language translations which made the text a lot more agreeable. Due to the fact that the book was published in installment its lengthy and requires a significantly long time to finish reading it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Vanity Fair- an honest look at human nature

What I loved about this novel is how there are characters you are going to love regardless- Emmy or Amelia Sedley, little Georgy and Rawdon- and characters you are going to hate- Rebecca Sharp, Rawdown Crawley Sr.- and characters that are just going to interest you- Jos Sedley- with their antics. There are a wide range of personalities to keep you interested in everyone's affairs. Although the amount of characters can be confusing at times, they all play a key role on how you view of main and supporting character in their own sphere. I loved being able to go from small towns in Europe to the astrociy of London and all the way to the little town of Bompton all within a couple of chapters. The range of travel was extremely refreshing because like anyone- sitting in one place takes a toll after a while- so the changing landscape brings fresh air to the novel. In particular I found the introduction very helpful and enlightening and a great factor in helping with the understanding of the novel itself and the author which gave me a great appreciation for the techniques used. Not to mention it prepared me for things in the future chapters. If you are going to read this book- you are going to have to commit- its pretty decent size and the vocabulary can be difficult at times but the endnotes are excellent at helping the descyper. Keep in mind also that although the novel is about 700 pages the chapter can vary in length from to a couple pages to about 30 at the most. The illustrations in the novel are extremely well done and attention grabbing- take a look at them while you read is my recommendation- because it will bring scenes to life while making it easier to read all those pages. Very refreshing aspect and much appreciated. I'd definately recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys 17th century literature- and can understand it- as well as sarcastic and hilarious comments along the way. The way Thackeray comments on society and life makes one analyze their own in an old way but oddly modern. A very relevent work of literature that I think is underappreciated. The 2004(or 3)version with Reese Witherspoon (?) does the book justice in some aspect but can be greatly confusing without the knowledge of the novel first. Read the book, its worth it. Watch the movie, if you wanna see what's going on before you crack at the book. I personally will be rereading this book over and over again throughout the years.

Satire at its best

I really didn't know that much about this book before I started reading. I thought it was just a magazine for most of my life. I started reading the novel on a whim, and found this to be one of the most engaging books I've ever read. I say that Thackery is eye to eye with Dickens as far as writing ability. The characters in Vanity Fair actually have a unique personality and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep my modern attention span held.

The most scheming woman you'll ever meet

This book was written in the Victorian era, but it feels so contemporary. Thackery is a master of representing people at their ugliest, exposing their machinations against one another and their aspirations in society with comic malice. It's a long book, but it reads fast, and is perfect for getting lost in. Becky Sharp is truly a piece of work. Don't let the length of this book scare you; it's one of the greatest books I've read in recent memory.

This is not a graphic novel

It looks like this is miscategorized.

Very engaging, and great for the patient and understanding reader.

In the begging the social strata and the situation in Vanity Fair are made clear. Miss Pinkerton, a snob and name-dropper, honors only those who have money and position. Thackeray outlines Becky's background and her position at Miss Pinkerton's, and reveals something of her temperament when she routs the old lady by speaking to her in French and by refusing to be intimidated. Her triumph over Miss Pinkerton indicates her ability to take care of herself. The conflict is always man against man for the joys and advantages of Vanity Fair. There is little soul-searching. The reader does not often enter the minds of the characters. He watches what they do, he hears what the author tells about them, and then with some direct prompting from the author, judges them. Any conflict with nature is conflict with human nature. My feelings toward the novel are simple, I enjoyed the detailed writing and the , the amazing symbolism that helps you in understanding the plot and key points of the story, for instance Thackeray takes symbols from everyday life, from the classics, and from the Bible. He shows Rebecca capturing Joseph in a tangle of green silk, at their first acquaintance. As Becky climbs the social stairway, she is compared with a spider. At the close of the book, she has literally entangled and destroyed Joseph just as a spider would its victim. I also enjoyed the phenomenal setting and background information, the only thing I had a problem with was that Thackeray had a wide range of names that seemed to pile on each other and made it difficult to decipher during the read. I would highly recommend this book, I would recommend it alone for its interesting plot and descriptive characters that make it a great read.