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Summary: Oldie but goodie !!
Review: I love mysteries and new books, but it's always good to get back to the oldies but goodies; those big honking books with tons of characters and plot twists and descriptions of parties and clothes and social mechanations. They take time and a little effort, but boy are they worth it!
This one has a lead character that you sympathize with even when you want to smack her.(You will really want to belt her when you see how she neglects her husband and son). Becky Sharp is a poor orphaned young women in the 1800's with very limited choices; she can be a governess and depend on the kindness of the families who employ her or try to marry well. She is very smart, beautiful and an expert manipulator. Why not? There is no one else to look after her, so she must do it herself.
This book is also very witty. Please give it a try.
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Summary: Biting satire on life in early 19th Century England
Review: "Vanity Fair" is Thackeray's masterpiece and on a par with the best of Dickens' work. Alternating deftly between tragedy and comedy, it is a story rich in character development and historical accuracy. The famous pre-Waterloo ball given by the Duchess of Richmond is described in detail and is one of the highlights of the book. Becky Sharp is certainly a model for all the other treacherous femme fatales that follow her in literature, particularly Scarlett O'Hara. "Vanity Fair" is undoubtedly one of the great works of the 1900's and it has surely stood the test of time. It may be "A Novel Without a Hero" but its characters are real flesh and blood human beings.
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Summary: One of the most hilarious and sarcastic novels ever written
Review: I once read that "Vanity Fair" had been classified as one of the "most boring classics" by a group of English professors, who hopefully have all been fired, as they can NOT have had any appreciation for the incisive use of the English language, the witty skewering of Victorian society, the rollicking plot, or the unforgettable characters. Becky Sharpe isn't likeable -- but in the end, you have to admire her insatiability and efficiency. Amelia and Dobbin live out the stereotypical storybook romance -- but Thackeray dares to show how the story usually ends. This is one of the few books that had me consistently laughing aloud; virtually every page has a stinging comment or revealing moment that catches the attention. Although it's a "classic" (think leather-bound dusty volumes with edifying quotes from the latin), this is as vital, insightful, and "modern" a novel as you could hope to read. (And for the record, I think comparing Thackeray and Austen is like comparing Stephen King and Alice Walker -- they're writing at the same time, but the similarities end there!)
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Summary: a very classic book.
Review: i think this is one of my top favorites of all the classical works I've read. William Makepeace Thackeray, shows his masterpiece here. It's long, but well worth the read, and you learn a lot from it, and it really is a good and interesting story, with characters yoou really get to know.
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Summary: One of the great 19th Century novels
Review: If you like the big, sprawling novels of the 19th Century, full of dozens of characters with a supporting cast numbering in the hundreds, novels like Dickens's Bleak House or David Copperfield, George Eliot's Middlemarch or either of the Tolstoy novels, then Vanity Fair may be for you. I won't duplicate what other reviewers have already described below. Instead I'll mention a couple of points that haven't received enough attention.First, what sets this novel apart from others of its kind is the active role of the narrator, presumably the author himself, or perhaps an unnamed character. Analogizing to sportscasts, this narrator is not content with doing the play-by-play; instead he(she?) constantly butts in with color commentary on the characters, exhortations to the reader, and rhetorical moralizing on such issues as men's treatment of women (bad), women's treatment of women (possibly worse), the harm that comes from living beyond one's means (which extends well beyond the spendthrift), and the question of what makes a gentleman and what makes a lady (honor and honesty). This is all done with such a sense of irony, satire or sarcasm that it's hard to tell when the narrator is being serious. It is this narrative distance from the characters that sets this novel apart from the sentimentality of Dickens, the earnestness of Eliot, the moral seriousness of Tolstoy. I don't think this is cynicism on Thackeray's part but rather an unwavering commitment to seeing the world as it really is, unblinkered by any ideology, philosophy or religion. The second point derives from the first. There are no heroes or heroines, and no villains. All of the characters, regardless of gender, age, class are possessed of both good and bad qualities. Those on the good end of the spectrum are capable of bad acts: Amelia exploits Dobbin's love, and Dobbin foolishly lets her. Those on the bad end of the spectrum do good things: Lord Steyne obtains a government post for Rawdon Crawley; Becky Sharp Crawley brings about the reconciliation of Dobbin and Amelia. Not only that, but after 800 pages and fifteen years the baddies end up about as well off as the goodies. So what is the moral of this tale? Well, it's the old saw that you should be careful of what you wish for, because you just might get it. That caution applies even to such lofty goals as love and fidelity, and it goes double for fame and fortune.
Rating: 
Summary: My Thoughts on Vanity Fair
Review: In his novel, "Vanity Fair", W.M. Thackeray weaves an enjoyable tale that will prove pleasing to many audiences. Within his work, Thackeray explores the role vanity plays in his characters lives. This novel is set in various places in Europe and is focused around two main female characters, Ameila and Rebecca. The novel opens as the girls are leaving a boarding school and follows them througout most of their lives. Both experience different types of marriages and come from different backgrounds, but their friendship remains strong throughout the novel. Chapters usually focus on either Amelia or Rebecca and ocassinally incorporate both into several, especially the first few. I find this to be a very intreseting and helpful style of organization. Thackeray also directly addresses his readers during various parts of the novel and helps them to form their own opinions about the topics at hand. Within the novel, our main characters prove themselves to be very dynamic and interesting. Amelia and Rebecca have very different personalities, that do clash at times, but thier interaction adds to the drama of the novel. The humorus explaination of other flat characters, such as Sir Pitt, help this novel to take a on lighter tone after more serious matters are discussed. Although this novel incorporates more serious undertones about roles humans play in society and the importance of wealth and status, it also brings forth a warm romance that many readers are sure to enjoy. Wealth does prove to be an important aspect of this novel, as it is in many pieces written during this time period, and plays roles in both of the main characters lives. Amelia and Rebecca experience both poverty and riches, each at different times, throughout the novel. As the characters true personalities are revealed, throughout the novel, many shocking secrets are brought forth. And, as many novels do, the reader will most certianly find themselves wishing they could tell the characters what they should do. Although, I personally find Thackeray's style somewhat exhausting, as he repeats previous facts and discusses unrealted imformation, he does create a very enjoyable novel that is sure to entice readers for many decades to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Vanitas Vanitatum
Review: Many consider William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) a minor novelist who wrote in a time when George Eliot, Charles Dickens, and Anthony Trollope ruled the roost of British literature. Out of all of his works, "Vanity Fair" is the most recognizable in literary circles, although Stanley Kubrick immortalized Thackeray's "Barry Lyndon" in a film of the same name. "Vanity Fair" appeared in serial form in 1847-48, a process of publishing used to great success by Charles Dickens. The introduction to this Everyman's Library edition, written by Catherine Peters, says that the title of the book came from John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress," an immensely popular work in circulation at the time. "Vanity Fair" centers on the exploits of two British women, Rebecca Sharp and Amelia Sedley, beginning roughly at the time of the Battle of Waterloo and ending at some time in the 1830's. The two women are polar opposites: Becky is a conniving, domineering, sometimes insensate woman who constantly attempts to secure a position in high society. Amelia is a rather plain, simple girl who trusts people too often and ends up getting her heart stomped on repeatedly. The two women are ostensibly friends, spending their youth together at a finishing school and occasionally running into each other throughout their lives. Thackeray often likes to place the two in opposition to one another: when Amelia falls into a crisis, Becky is moving in the highest circles of society. When Amelia comes into luck, Becky's fortunes plummet. This see-sawing action helps move the novel through a series of intricately detailed scenes showing off Thackeray's sense of humor, his caustic critiques of English society, and his insightful commentary into the human condition. Arrayed around these two figures is a veritable constellation of major and minor characters, all with their own foibles that Thackeray exposes in minute detail. There is Joseph Sedley, Amelia's obese and selfish brother who nearly marries Becky in the beginning of the book. George Osborne appears through part of the book as Amelia's fiancée and eventual husband, a vain man with an eye for the ladies and a spendthrift attitude. George's friend William Dobbin also figures prominently in the story. Dobbin is an admirable man, marred by his inability to come to terms with the feelings he has for Amelia. Other characters appear and disappear rapidly, too many to outline here. It is sufficient to say that Thackeray does not worry about overburdening the reader with too many cast members, and with nearly 900 pages in the book, he definitely has the time to adequately describe numerous scenes and people. I do not know much about literary tags, but I will say that Thackeray must certainly fall into the category of a realist writer. His goal with "Vanity Fair" was to write a story that went against the romantic hero/heroine novels of his day. The subtitle to this book, "A Novel Without a Hero," clearly outlines the author's intentions to oppose unrealistic, feel good literature that failed to properly reflect genuine life. In this respect, Thackeray succeeds admirably by creating characters that exhibit both good and bad traits during their lives. For example, Becky steals and schemes her way through life but performs an amazingly beautiful service for Amelia at the end of the book. Does this make Becky a heroine? Hardly, as Becky does not change her ways after this event. Thackeray constantly sets us up to see a heroic act, only to dash our hopes a few pages later. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the novel is Thackeray's acidulous wit. Everyone comes in for a drubbing here, from the aristocracy to the common man. Names often reflect the author's scorn: nobles carry such embarrassing monikers as Lord Binkie, Lady Bareacres, and Lord Steyne. Sharp is an effective name for Becky, exposing her character and incisive wit. "Vanity Fair" is full of backstabbing, lying, adultery, stealing, pride and general rowdiness, and no one is above these base behaviors. A slight problem with the story concerns the numerous narrative digressions that wax philosophic about relationships, women and their roles in society, and bad behavior. These insertions do become taxing at times even though they often help move the story along. Thackeray wants to make sure you know what he is trying to accomplish; he wants you to see yourself and your friends and family in these character sketches. A bigger problem for me concerned this particular edition of the story. There were no footnotes or endnotes in the Everyman's Library version to help explain the jargon or place names of Thackeray's England. While the author's use of language never approaches the level of Walter Scott's Scottish vernacular, to cite an extreme example, it is still a problem at times. I recommend picking up the Penguin Classics version of "Vanity Fair," since Penguin editions usually employ explanatory notes. "Vanity Fair" is a long yet worthwhile read. The book is hardly unreadable, an unfair label often attached to this agreeable story. If you enjoy reading 18th century English literature, you must read "Vanity Fair."
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Summary: Michener named Vanity Fair his most influential book
Review: This Naxos abridgement of the 800+ page Thackeray novel stretches across five CDs, and one of my frequent thoughts while listening to Jane Lapotaire's excellent reading was "Thank goodness they didn't transcribe the full novel". To the modern ear, used to today's "Show -- don't tell" scriptwriter dictum, there is far, far too much exposition and far too few scenes in Thackeray's classic. Thackeray can certainly do scenes of real drama -- witness the moment in which Rawdon catches Becky with her lover and the ensuing combat. But for most of the reading we seem to be in catch-up mode, forever being told things that have happened off-camera. Much credit to Jane Lapotaire for a fine reading of this work. Her French accent is, as one might anticipate from someone with her surname, very good. Although Becky is her tour-de-force, Lapotaire does well to bring the male characters alive, often with a certain hoarseness! I have seen at least two TV serialisations of this novel, both by the BBC, and neither seemed quite as comprehensive an account of this long, winding tale at this Naxos abridgement.
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Summary: One of the best novels in the English Language
Review: This novel is brilliant on so many levels. It works as an hilarious send up of societal pretensions, a keen psychological analysis into how we lie to ourselves, and a profound philosophical meditation on the futility of our pursuits large and small. The novel is funny, poignant, and a very enjoyable read - even at 800 pages.
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Summary: Once you get into it you'll enjoy it.
Review: Vanity Fair is not a book for the casual reader. It will probably always be neglected in schools and will be unread by those without patience. However, if you are willing to devote yourself to reading this long novel, it is well worth it.
The main characters that the story centers around are Becky and Amelia, two girls who are polar opposites, yet their lives intertwine in fascinating ways. In many ways they are caricatures, but the book is long enough to give them complexity and in the end you have two unexpectedly interesting and multifaceted characters. Of course they are not the only characters, there are probably 500 more of various importance. Some readers may have difficulty keeping track of them all, especially when several have the same last name. However, Thackeray manages to keep focus through all the characters and it ends up that there are only about a dozen major characters, all very well developed.
The story itself is concerned mainly with the relationships and wealth of Amelia and Becky, but there are as many subplots as there are characters. Occasionally the story becomes stagnant, but there are enough stories and settings that I never became bored. The influence of the Napoleonic Wars is much stronger in Vanity Fair than in any of Austen's novels, which creates some interesting settings such as the battle of Waterloo, as battle that has a profound influence on the story. There is plenty of humor in the story as well and also Thackeray's famous societal commentary. This makes having notes in the book important, as there are references to events, places, languages, and things that a modern reader would normally not be familiar with.
This is a long book and the beginning isn't much fun to read, but it is interesting and insightful once you get into it. The setting might be over a hundred years ago, but the people in it are not outdated and their motivations and characters will seem familiar to the modern reader. Whether or not someone would like this novel comes down to if one can get past the length, archaic language, obscure references, and number of stories and characters. It certainly took me awhile and I almost stopped reading it, but I came to care for the characters enough that I began enjoying it.
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