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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
3.5*
The first half of Vanity Fair is actually good. Like, would read again. "What happens after the half way mark" I hear you ask? Nothing, mate. Absolutely bloody nothing. Which, for 400 pages is a lot of nothing. There are so many characters, all of which are half-developed, so that the plot dissolves into a tale of tepid upper-class monotony. Bit harsh maybe. The first half is really good though - if Thackeray stopped at 400 pages it would've made the novel so much better.
The first half of Vanity Fair is actually good. Like, would read again. "What happens after the half way mark" I hear you ask? Nothing, mate. Absolutely bloody nothing. Which, for 400 pages is a lot of nothing. There are so many characters, all of which are half-developed, so that the plot dissolves into a tale of tepid upper-class monotony. Bit harsh maybe. The first half is really good though - if Thackeray stopped at 400 pages it would've made the novel so much better.
I’m not really sure what to think of this novel. The audiobook version which I listened to was abridged, yet still felt long-drawn. One bonus though, is that it was narrated by Robert Hardy, a.k.a. Cornelius Fudge.
It felt like nothing really happened. The story followed the lives of a set of people, but it didn’t feel like it had a plot - more like several plots, which didn’t even intertwine in an interesting way. At times I felt like there were too many characters, and I had a hard time differentiating between different characters and their plot lines. It all got jumbled up.
I did enjoy the slightly humoristic/sarcastic writing style, and some characters were very well written.
To sum up; not a boring novel, but not a very interesting one either.
It felt like nothing really happened. The story followed the lives of a set of people, but it didn’t feel like it had a plot - more like several plots, which didn’t even intertwine in an interesting way. At times I felt like there were too many characters, and I had a hard time differentiating between different characters and their plot lines. It all got jumbled up.
I did enjoy the slightly humoristic/sarcastic writing style, and some characters were very well written.
To sum up; not a boring novel, but not a very interesting one either.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A story with humor and character. The vanities that the characters portray is a reflection about the aristocracy during the time period. A society based on gossip. Pretensions to being privy of information while trying to obtain the information. The wooing and misleading behaviors are given their due. The focus appears on the vicissitudes of fortune and how they are dealt with. Holding on to perceptions rather than adjusting them to reality. The mannerisms in which people deceive themselves and others about the extent of their means and abilities.
Sometimes the author provides a synopsis of what has happened, as a reminder given that this book was originally a series. Generally a tedious read.
Sometimes the author provides a synopsis of what has happened, as a reminder given that this book was originally a series. Generally a tedious read.
This was a really good pandemic read. It's absorbing because it's well-written (and has delightful nuggets of snark), but the story itself is fairly light. Becky just cheerfully blazes through life without letting anything like a conscience weight her down, and although some of the characters do face challenges, things end on a high note.
Becky Sharp is the coolest character ever. She's smart, beautiful, ruthless. She is poor and orphaned, but has the looks and charm to get what she wants from men who have the wealth and power she craves. (She is a forerunner of Margaret Mitchell's Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind.) Becky uses every tool at her disposal to scheme her way into a better caste. Thackeray uses this sharp-witted minx to expose the failings and hypocrisies of high society, where appearance is everything everyone is obsessed with money.
I don't think I was in the right frame of mind when reading this book. It's definitely one I want to read again when I have a chance to sit down and really get into it.
Honestly, three stars means “I liked it” and I didn’t. BUT the last ten or so pages bumped it up a bit for me. Also I feel bad giving a classic a low rating...aside from The Canterbury Tales.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Considerato a ragione uno dei capolavori della letteratura vittoriana, ci offre un ritratto ironico e disincantato della società inglese della prima metà dell' ottocento
Come dice il sottotitolo, si tratta di un "romanzo senza eroe": nessuno agisce spinto da grandi ideali, piuttosto tutti sono alle prese con le piccole meschinità di ogni giorno. Proprio per questo nessun personaggio è mai completamente positivo o negativo, a cominciare dalle due protagoniste: la buona e dolce Amelia è in fondo una donna debole e scialba; Becky è ambiziosa e opportunista, ma grazie alla sua vitalità e intelligenza è anche l'unica ad innalzarsi dalla mediocrità che regna sovrana. I personaggi secondari sono altrettanto sfaccettati e ben riusciti, l'autore riesce con poche pennellate a dare loro profondità e spessore.
E' un romanzo monumentale e ricchissimo di contenuti, che si dipana per oltre un ventennio tra le situazioni più disparate, dai saloni da ballo ai campi di battaglia; ogni tanto assume toni moraleggianti e predicatori, ma per fortuna lo humor è sempre presente e contribuisce ad alleggerire l'atmosfera.
Uno dei romanzi che ho riletto più spesso e ogni volta scopro qualche sfumatura nuova che me ne fa inamorare ancora di più.
Come dice il sottotitolo, si tratta di un "romanzo senza eroe": nessuno agisce spinto da grandi ideali, piuttosto tutti sono alle prese con le piccole meschinità di ogni giorno. Proprio per questo nessun personaggio è mai completamente positivo o negativo, a cominciare dalle due protagoniste: la buona e dolce Amelia è in fondo una donna debole e scialba; Becky è ambiziosa e opportunista, ma grazie alla sua vitalità e intelligenza è anche l'unica ad innalzarsi dalla mediocrità che regna sovrana. I personaggi secondari sono altrettanto sfaccettati e ben riusciti, l'autore riesce con poche pennellate a dare loro profondità e spessore.
E' un romanzo monumentale e ricchissimo di contenuti, che si dipana per oltre un ventennio tra le situazioni più disparate, dai saloni da ballo ai campi di battaglia; ogni tanto assume toni moraleggianti e predicatori, ma per fortuna lo humor è sempre presente e contribuisce ad alleggerire l'atmosfera.
Uno dei romanzi che ho riletto più spesso e ogni volta scopro qualche sfumatura nuova che me ne fa inamorare ancora di più.
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes