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A review by amluchetti
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
3.0
Being from a family that regularly donates and obsesses over every Masterpiece Theater, I grew up with the 1980s BBC mini-series version of this story. As I got older, I adapted to the Reese Witherspoon version (even though she wasn't the best fit for the role) and fell head over heels for the recent 2018 version. You may wonder why I'm starting a book review with a love of the adaptations. Really, I'm stalling. I'm ashamed. I liked all of these adaptations more than the book. Don't judge me!!
Far and away my favorite part of the book, which is missing from the film versions, is Thackeray's wonderful breaking of the 4th wall. He's cheeky, fun and I loved listening to his cutting opinions of all of his characters. However, the writing of the story felt a little too detailed. Do I need a description of every minuscule thing?? No. No, I do not. The story itself is fun and easy, the characters are intriguing, but a lot of the book is a real slog to get through. It got to the point where I felt like finishing the book was a chore.
Becky Sharpe, our heroine, is a literary gem! She's positioned in her society as the "villain", but in the novel you can't help but rooting for her cunning ways to secure a well-off man. It's 19th century England, there isn't much else a woman can strive for and Becky makes no apologies for her situation or her goals.
While I gave it 3 stars and I did struggle, the overall story and Becky are so strong that I can't discourage anyone from picking up this book. That said, the 2018 mini-series is available on Amazon Prime and I can 100% recommend that any day of the week.
Far and away my favorite part of the book, which is missing from the film versions, is Thackeray's wonderful breaking of the 4th wall. He's cheeky, fun and I loved listening to his cutting opinions of all of his characters. However, the writing of the story felt a little too detailed. Do I need a description of every minuscule thing?? No. No, I do not. The story itself is fun and easy, the characters are intriguing, but a lot of the book is a real slog to get through. It got to the point where I felt like finishing the book was a chore.
Becky Sharpe, our heroine, is a literary gem! She's positioned in her society as the "villain", but in the novel you can't help but rooting for her cunning ways to secure a well-off man. It's 19th century England, there isn't much else a woman can strive for and Becky makes no apologies for her situation or her goals.
While I gave it 3 stars and I did struggle, the overall story and Becky are so strong that I can't discourage anyone from picking up this book. That said, the 2018 mini-series is available on Amazon Prime and I can 100% recommend that any day of the week.