Reviews

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

rosie_ac's review against another edition

3.0

Becky is a fascinating character and I imagine the depiction of such an anti-heroine in a semi-sympathetic or admiring light at the time was revolutionary. Though Thackeray’s commentary extrapolating certain characterise to all women is jarring to the modern reader.

Overall, the novel suffers from being overly-long, repetitive, and all the other characters being so one-dimensional as to be boring in the extreme. Becky shines by comparison, but not enough to save the book. I’d recommend listening on audiobook as the perfect book to fall asleep to!

buntingsir's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

derhindemith's review against another edition

5.0

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I started this. I understood from some of the short descriptions that it was satire. It was indeed that. But the observations he makes are so timeless that despite how involved he is in his own time (okay, thirty years earlier), the events, descriptions, and characters are relevant even today. As far as the old satire I've read, that's a pretty rare feat.

alexisrt's review against another edition

Vanity Fair (Penguin Classics) by William Makepeace Thackeray (2003)

sungmemoonstruck's review against another edition

adventurous funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

 I last read this sprawling social satire in high school and really enjoyed revisiting it. Thackeray takes on a wide swathe of society and history, from the petty machinations of a baronet’s family to the Napoleonic Wars to the glittering heights of London high society, and expertly skewers it. Unsurprisingly for such a long book, there’s parts where the narrative slows down but I mostly found it to be an absorbing and pleasingly dense read. I’m also a Becky Sharp apologist for life. I love a cunning, scheming heroine and seeing Becky try to maneuver her way through the layers of English society was so engrossing. 

kristenesantos's review against another edition

challenging funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

nikshelby's review against another edition

5.0

I found this brilliantly written. It's unusual for me to find a main character so fascinating and yet despise her. insightful comments on society, on human interaction, on motivations. i've been meaning to read it again, but can't find my hc anywhere - i must've lent it out, and forgotten.

sarahanne8382's review against another edition

2.0

This is one of those times where Victorian literature totally failed me. Part of the problem could be that I took forever to read this book. I started it as an audiobook just as I left my job one hour from home for a job 10 minutes from home, so it took me several months to finish it. More disturbingly though, I, unlike most people could not stand Becky Sharp, one of the two "anti-heroines" of Thackeray's masterpiece.

While Becky is clever and charming, able to adapt to every social situation with ease, Amelia Seddley, is shy and meek, incapable of even uncharitable thoughts. While Amelia's a total doormat, I prefer her to Becky, the whirling dervish who ends up destroying nearly everyone who cares about her through her selfish conniving schemes.

Actually, this book sort of reminded me of Sarah Grand's The Heavenly Twins, written on the other end of the Victorian era. Both books have multiple heroines to contrast society's ideas of what's proper with a more earthy view of what life sometimes ends up being like.

With how long this book was, I'm sure I could come up with more to say, but really I'm just glad to be done with it.

nataalia_sanchez's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

savance2021's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

4.0