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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Words, words, words.
I mean, the books is great, but I bet Thackeray was one of those people that love to hear themselves speak.
I mean, the books is great, but I bet Thackeray was one of those people that love to hear themselves speak.
Man, some of these classic fiction books are LONG ... But this one was pretty good. I liked following Becky and Amelia's lives and was quite pleased with how it ended. I also got past my initial frustration that it wasn't following a familiar formula, because even without a formula it stayed pretty compelling.
Its narrative technique was quite strange - Thackeray sometimes called himself the novelist and frequently showed characters' thoughts and feelings, but then he would sometimes say that as the novelist even he didn't know a character's thoughts. And he would write directly to specific people (e.g. calling someone by name and saying "you would never do this") - so it wasn't clear whether those people were Thackeray's real acquaintances or also fictional. Then sometimes he would call himself a historian, and towards the end even said how he met the characters and started writing Amelia's memoirs ... It was super confusing. But not enough to ruin the story.
Its narrative technique was quite strange - Thackeray sometimes called himself the novelist and frequently showed characters' thoughts and feelings, but then he would sometimes say that as the novelist even he didn't know a character's thoughts. And he would write directly to specific people (e.g. calling someone by name and saying "you would never do this") - so it wasn't clear whether those people were Thackeray's real acquaintances or also fictional. Then sometimes he would call himself a historian, and towards the end even said how he met the characters and started writing Amelia's memoirs ... It was super confusing. But not enough to ruin the story.
Okay so why didn’t anybody ever tell me Vanity Fair is a hoot? By far one of the most entertaining and hilarious classics I’ve read so far! Gonna stick a picture of Becky Sharp on my mirror and forever live by the mantra “What Would Rebecca Sharp Do.” So iconic. Also, this book perfectly catered to my love for stories that cover a long period of time and loads of intertwined characters. It reminded me of War and Peace, and I thought it was super interesting that this is another huge novel set during the Napoleonic wars. I’ll never get tired of stories of noble/ rich families, and this was no doubt one of the golden periods for the rich and privileged. This was a true highlight of my reading year, absolutely loved everything!!
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
I liked the story and the characters of Amelia and Becky, but the parts in between where nothing happened I just couldn't really follow it.
I cannot deny the characters in this book are so multi-faceted as to be nearly real. If you're looking for an example of fine and clever character writing, look nae further.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a fun, light, or inspirational read, move along. I'm not particularly enchanted by satire or sarcasm. Swift and Voltaire's chief mitigating factors were that they wrote briefly. This book is smirk after smirk after smirk after smirk. You will not like most of the characters - they all have their flaws and their strengths. Interestingly, the ones I found most likely to rate higher than the others (their particular strength outweighing momentarily their particular flaw), were all men.
I made it through, but only because I was listening to it and would put it on when I had few other options for entertainment.
Not a bad book at all, but very specialized in its audience - lovers of satire only.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a fun, light, or inspirational read, move along. I'm not particularly enchanted by satire or sarcasm. Swift and Voltaire's chief mitigating factors were that they wrote briefly. This book is smirk after smirk after smirk after smirk. You will not like most of the characters - they all have their flaws and their strengths. Interestingly, the ones I found most likely to rate higher than the others (their particular strength outweighing momentarily their particular flaw), were all men.
I made it through, but only because I was listening to it and would put it on when I had few other options for entertainment.
Not a bad book at all, but very specialized in its audience - lovers of satire only.
I am not entirely sure how to respond to this book. It does not help that I finished [b:Wives and Daughters|383206|Wives and Daughters|Elizabeth Gaskell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348267609l/383206._SY75_.jpg|816009] and [b:Middlemarch|19089|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568307771l/19089._SY75_.jpg|1461747] just before this one, both of which I, strictly speaking, enjoyed more. I wouldn't put Vanity Fair on my favorites shelf. But I think from a classic standpoint, this one carries the day over those two. It was one of those books you read and then discover you've known it all your life because it has impacted Western civilization in some distinctive way. The characters Thackeray draws ring true to life not just because I recognized them from the people around me, but because his distinct slant of looking at them found an echo in the literature that followed.
It is an interesting book. It has wonderful contrast in its heroines and something of an antihero in Becky Sharp. (She reminded me of [b:Lady Susan|91582|Lady Susan|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328864949l/91582._SY75_.jpg|2424548].) Much like Dickens, Thackeray never met a rabbit trail he didn't like but he breaks the fourth wall enough to make it amusing and even inserts himself in the narrative at a random point.
Sometimes it felt like a bit of a slog but I am truly glad I read it.
It is an interesting book. It has wonderful contrast in its heroines and something of an antihero in Becky Sharp. (She reminded me of [b:Lady Susan|91582|Lady Susan|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328864949l/91582._SY75_.jpg|2424548].) Much like Dickens, Thackeray never met a rabbit trail he didn't like but he breaks the fourth wall enough to make it amusing and even inserts himself in the narrative at a random point.
Sometimes it felt like a bit of a slog but I am truly glad I read it.
I started this book yesterday and spent all night finishing it. Splendid plot and great characters. Becky Sharp probably is most hated characters of all time and her actions forces the readers to despise her more and more as we make progress in the story. But it is what makes her one of the best written characters - she is extremely conniving and her greed and ambition ruined her. It was just such a fun to read it again.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Самое главное, что нужно знать про «Ярмарку тщеславия», это то, что автор — необычайно умен. Все персонажи, а их немало, чрезвычайно похожи на живых людей, с прекрасно оформленными, непротиворечивыми характерами, а их взаимоотношения не выглядят причудливыми и «устаревшими», как это часто бывает.
Надо сказать, впервые подобную радость я испытал в «Гамлете», когда оказалось, что люди в XVI веке мыслили и чувствовали так же, как я, а не каким-то странным, архаичным образом.
Надо сказать, впервые подобную радость я испытал в «Гамлете», когда оказалось, что люди в XVI веке мыслили и чувствовали так же, как я, а не каким-то странным, архаичным образом.