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A review by annamickreads
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
4.0
Yes, I hammered out an entire like 300+ pages on a reading binge when I realized I was off work the next day.
"Vanity Fair" is fascinating to me in the vein of Jane Austen, this is above all, a story of domestic trial and error. Our main character, Rebecca "Becky" Sharp, (whose name now may still hold negative cultural connotations aka Becky With The Good Hair) is a poor, basically orphaned governess shamed for being essentially a gold digger who uses her charms and wiles as weapons to get what she wants. She's a fascinating main character especially in contrast with her best friend, Amelia Sedley, who is raised wealthy and exceptionally kind to everyone she meets.
The language was tough, as most classic books are, but more easily understandable than others--less metaphor, more straightforward language. And while I was annoyed by the in-between chapters that focused on what other characters were doing, ultimately the full picture was one of, well, vanity. I think my main takeaway from this book is that despite the insatiable drive for money or status, it's not satisfying even when achieved, and in Becky's case, spirals into more problems.
I look forward to watching the Reese Witherspoon version of this book for the first time since like age 14!!
"Vanity Fair" is fascinating to me in the vein of Jane Austen, this is above all, a story of domestic trial and error. Our main character, Rebecca "Becky" Sharp, (whose name now may still hold negative cultural connotations aka Becky With The Good Hair) is a poor, basically orphaned governess shamed for being essentially a gold digger who uses her charms and wiles as weapons to get what she wants. She's a fascinating main character especially in contrast with her best friend, Amelia Sedley, who is raised wealthy and exceptionally kind to everyone she meets.
The language was tough, as most classic books are, but more easily understandable than others--less metaphor, more straightforward language. And while I was annoyed by the in-between chapters that focused on what other characters were doing, ultimately the full picture was one of, well, vanity. I think my main takeaway from this book is that despite the insatiable drive for money or status, it's not satisfying even when achieved, and in Becky's case, spirals into more problems.
I look forward to watching the Reese Witherspoon version of this book for the first time since like age 14!!