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.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great book t TERRIBLE EDITION OF A GREAT BOOK

Jumps around
Paragraphs repeat
Chapters missing
A waste of money

1 out of 2 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!

1 out of 1 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.

1 out of 1 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.

1 out of 1 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.

1 out of 1 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.

1 out of 1 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.

1 out of 1 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.

1 out of 1 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.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Novel

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

1 out of 1 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.

1 out of 1 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 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.

1 out of 1 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.

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.

Shocking, Stimulating, Superb

Vanity Fair is a thought provoking novel that highlights hypocrisy in high-class society. The story follows the lives of main characters, Amelia Sedley, and Rebecca Sharp, as they battle real troubles that plagued most women of the time. The novel highlights how these troubles change the perception of characters, as well as the changes in the characters themselves. Each character seems to face a different conflict; however, most of these problems are either character vs. society or character vs. character. Amelia is a fortunate, woman who has never had to work much for anything. Her kind disposition makes her seem very naïve and child-like. She is a compassionate character with a delicate heart. The youthful girl finds a sister in Becky, an attachment that she later grows to regret. Ultimately, Amelia learns that life can be cruel and unjust, but the people who truly care for her will always be by her side. Although the author states that the novel has no hero, Rebecca is often referred to by the author as the heroine of the story. She starts off as the poor orphaned daughter of an unrecognized artist, and must do anything she can to gain respect in high-class society. Becky can make friends and enemies quite easily. She will do what ever it takes to make a name for herself; however, some of her methods may seem unconventional. Becky's merciless grab for power is first noted in her attempt to find a husband. Of course, in Vanity Fair, a woman is only as respected as the man she marries. Becky spends a lapse of time with Amelia's family while waiting to be transported to Queen's Crawley. Here, she is introduced to Amelia's wealthy brother, Joseph. Becky commanded his attention, and nearly had his proposal for marriage, sadly, she had to take leave for her job as a governess. This is the first event that makes up the rising action of Vanity Fair. Later, Becky's employer, Sir Pitt Crawley, makes astonishing revelations to Becky. It is at the time of these announcements that she reveals shocking news of her own. Her announcement marks the second rising action of Vanity Fair. The climax, however, does not occur until long after this important point of the story. I found Vanity Fair to be very entertaining novel that gives a very strong statement about all of society. Thackeray captures the bitter betrayal of trust that exists between friends. His account of Becky's manipulating nature is stunning. This is shown when the author tells of how Becky knowingly controlled the heart of Amelia's husband. He truly poisons the mind with the idea that women- often thought to be delicate and genteel- are not only vain and manipulative, but also have the capacity to be brutally cruel to each other. The author often leaves it up to the reader to make conclusions and inferences. For example, towards the end of the novel, a certain death leaves the reader questioning the cause. The holes in his story are made up by his occasional commentary on certain events that have occurred. I also enjoyed that Thackeray uses historical events in his text. His account of the battle of Waterloo and the following years gives the reader a better sense of time elapsing. This novel may not be for everybody. I found it to be very entertaining, but the Thackeray's cynical satire and irony may not appeal to everyone. Overall, Vanity Fair is an enjoyable, stimulating novel.

Romantic Comedy for the Exceedingly Patient

Ok, I'm just going to say it: I am feeling extremely smug right now that I just finished a "period" book of almost 1,000 pages entirely of my own volition. This is no light read and for me, reading it just for the sake of reading it was the literary equivalent to running a marathon in high heels.
Now, as for my sentiments towards the book, to be perfectly honest, I was quite under whelmed. I suppose one could argue that Vanity Fair serves as a predecessor to the modern day satire and romantic fluff that keep Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Aniston in a job, but I really don't understand why it is held with such high esteem in comparison to the classics of Thackery's contemporaries. Here we have the exhausted storyline of two people from opposite sides of the tracks leading parallel lives whilst facing the trials and toils symptomatic of their social pedigrees. There's Amelia, the aristocratic debutante with a disposition so saccharin sweet it sometimes made me want to drop kick a nun, and Rebecca, a soul-less viper that is motivated by nothing but self interest. The setting is early 19th century England and the story is really a glorified essay of the authors reflections on human stupidity, simplicity, and superficiality. Unlike Dickens, where every character no matter how insignificant will eventually reappear to play and integral part in the plot, the characters in Thackery's Vanity Fair took on the feel of marionettes performing in a silly but ostentatious puppet show. Perhaps that was the point, but honestly for 900+ pages, it got to be VERY tedious.
Like I said, I am proud of myself for sticking to it, but I will recommend only to those who possess an endless supply of patience for romantic comedy made over in mercury based powder.