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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Witty and insightful, if slightly misogynistic as were all male authors back then (some still today) portraying female characters, still I love how he gave such agency to Rebecca even in her cold heartedness and loose morals, but kind of got annoyed with how tedious and stubborn, and lacklustre her school and childhood friend, Amelia, was, the typical Victorian heroine, ready to die for love, blind to all faults and flaws.
This is their story, and the tale of the fair of vanities where they sometimes courted, and how in it people climb and slide in character and appreciation, how most are vain, how in its discovery you have sometimes tedious sometimes fun times, but always insipid and mostly fleeting ones.
I really enjoyed this book, much more than I thought I would, and the story was so much better than the movie (I know, duh).
This is their story, and the tale of the fair of vanities where they sometimes courted, and how in it people climb and slide in character and appreciation, how most are vain, how in its discovery you have sometimes tedious sometimes fun times, but always insipid and mostly fleeting ones.
I really enjoyed this book, much more than I thought I would, and the story was so much better than the movie (I know, duh).
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Vanity Fair lacks subtlety and misses out on deeper character development. It feels like not much happens for such a long book!
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this book was like swimming freestyle through wet cement. I was in the mood to read a slow-paced, old-fashioned book along the lines of Little Women or Pride and Prejudice, but this book was like the Moby Dick of Little Womens.
One interesting thing was that the author, who referred to himself sometimes as being the "omniscient novelist" etc etc, suddenly appeared very briefly and unimportantly in the actual story for like three pages.
One interesting thing was that the author, who referred to himself sometimes as being the "omniscient novelist" etc etc, suddenly appeared very briefly and unimportantly in the actual story for like three pages.
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.8/5 stars
Although there were certainly good moments and witty passages in Vanity Fair, I don't think it needed to be 900 pages long. If it was cut in half - at least - it would've been a lot more enjoyable and effective. Also, I'm aware this is a standard of the time this book was published, but I think Thackeray could've been more subtle in his "wit". Satire is supposed to sneak up on you. However, he constantly repeats phrases along the lines of "that's the life in Vanity Fair" or "woe to them in Vanity Fair" - at this point, I wanted to scream "I get it already!!".
Sidenote: Many of the passages in Vanity Fair reeked of the male gaze, if you are not interested in reading a book so obviously written by a man, I would suggest skipping this title.
Although there were certainly good moments and witty passages in Vanity Fair, I don't think it needed to be 900 pages long. If it was cut in half - at least - it would've been a lot more enjoyable and effective. Also, I'm aware this is a standard of the time this book was published, but I think Thackeray could've been more subtle in his "wit". Satire is supposed to sneak up on you. However, he constantly repeats phrases along the lines of "that's the life in Vanity Fair" or "woe to them in Vanity Fair" - at this point, I wanted to scream "I get it already!!".
Sidenote: Many of the passages in Vanity Fair reeked of the male gaze, if you are not interested in reading a book so obviously written by a man, I would suggest skipping this title.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia
“Marry that mulatto woman?" George said, pulling up his shirt-collars. "I don't like the colour, sir. Ask the black that sweeps opposite Fleet Market, sir. I'm not going to marry a Hottentot Venus."
I forgave the first instance, but then I had to say “no more.”
For any argument about this being a book of the times: there are plenty of Victorian book that aren’t racist.
(I can only hope that this is discussed when this book is taught in schools.)
Besides that, it’s a sentimental melodramatic story about people trying to get married and inherit money.
Jane Austen is wittier and Charles Dickens has a better paragon of virtue in Little Dorritt and has funnier insight and better descriptions.
I forgave the first instance, but then I had to say “no more.”
For any argument about this being a book of the times: there are plenty of Victorian book that aren’t racist.
(I can only hope that this is discussed when this book is taught in schools.)
Besides that, it’s a sentimental melodramatic story about people trying to get married and inherit money.
Jane Austen is wittier and Charles Dickens has a better paragon of virtue in Little Dorritt and has funnier insight and better descriptions.