abigail_ted 's review for:

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

5.0

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It's rare that I read a novel of the 18th or 19th century without already knowing the plot, but somehow I'd managed to avoid 200 years worth of spoilers and found myself diving into this novel, knowing only it was 'a story without a hero'. Wow, this was an emotional rollercoaster. It was genuinely hilarious to read and also crushingly bleak - that's pretty hard to pull off. Although it's a long book, there are maybe only one or two chapters that feel unnecessary. The narration style is incredible, just... *chef's kiss* - and while the plot is very interesting and the pacing is brilliant (particularly for a novel of this length from this time period), the characterisation is where the true heart and soul of this tale is. After all, everyone is chasing after that which is not worth having, and don't we have fun watching them all be wretched fools of varying degrees. That is, until we realise WE are the characters of Vanity Fair. How very little changes across two centuries. Thackeray penetrates the human condition with observations concurrently humorous and cutting in a way few writers might ever hope to achieve.