Well, this was a big book! 950 pages to be exact which is quite a lot for a story that doesn't really go anywhere. It's so long that to be honest, by the time I got to the end I couldn't really remember what happened at the beginning!Vanity Fair is mostly about the rise of a spirited black-hearted opportunist named Becky Sharp, and the demise of a good, kind if somewhat gullible Amelia Sedley. And that's it in a nutshell. We follow their lives, trials, tribulations, good and bad moments, but nothing particularly notable that I would choose to pick out and share with you.
Don't get me wrong - if you have nothing else to read then by all means give it a go. It is a good book and fairly enjoyable to read... it's just really really long! It's definitely worth reading for Thackeray's comedic writing than for the actual story within the pages. Some paragraphs and names he gives minor characters made me smile a lot. The purpose of the story seems to be to show the era in which it was written to be highly superficial and fickle, with little morals or scruples; where friends in high society are only friends for the duration that your fortune lasts, and people with no money are seemingly just as happy as those who have it. Hence the title! You could describe it as a black comedy, with the characters falling over themselves trying to climb the social ladder. Thackeray gets his point across well although some of the descriptive paragraphs are a bit long-winded, but I'm guessing they're supposed to be since some of the characters are full of hot air.
It's official title is Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero but I wouldn't necessary agree with this. William Dobbin is lovely and is a true gentleman and friend. The only lies he tells are told to protect those he holds dear. Plus he distinguishes himself at the battle of Waterloo too. I think he's definitely the hero in this epic. You have to admire Becky's resilience and resourcefulness, however immoral and corrupt she may be (she's very much like Janine from Eastenders), and at times you'll want to give Amelia a good slap since she insists on giving her love to womanising, selfish, unworthy George rather than lovely Dobbin who follows her around like a lost puppy. I'd definitely recommend it if you have a few weeks to spare and like this sort of thing.
