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Vanity Fair

A Novel Without a Hero

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Vanity Fair

By: William Makepeace Thackeray
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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About this listen

 A Radio 4 Book Club Selection.

Now a major motion picture, Vanity Fair is one of the greatest of English novels, a vast satirical panorama of a materialistic society and a landmark in the history of realistic fiction.

Generally considered to be his masterpiece, Vanity Fair is Thackeray's resplendent social satire that exposes the greed and corruption raging in England during the turmoil of the Napoleonic wars. Subtitled "A Novel Without a Hero", it traces the changing fortunes of two unforgettable women: the scheming opportunist Becky Sharp, one of literature's most resourceful, engaging, and amoral heroines, and her foil, the faithful, naive Amelia Sedley. Amid the swirl of London's posh ballrooms and affairs of love and war, their fortunes rise and fall. Thackeray's subversive, comic attack on the hypocrisy and "dismal roguery" of an avaricious world resonates 150 years later with implications for our own times.

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I got this version because I liked Frederick Davidson's reading of a Robertson Davies book, and it didn't disappoint. It is a demanding book to narrate and he really does it justice. Excellent stuff.

Great book, so funny.

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A wonderful listening experience. Very different from other novels written by Victorians. Thackeray was a genius well acquainted with the psychologies portrayed in his characters. It really tells us something about the human condition and not only from the perspective of Georgian Britain; it also echoes present day England in some ways. I really enjoyed the narration too. A great story. Please do take a chance and listen to it.

Recommended by this listener.

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This is a long book, but it gallops along, and I found delight on every page. Thackeray has an eagle eye for detail, but also a strategic view of the upwardly mobile class who depend on money for their position and need to manipulate rich relatives in order to secure an inheritance. Becky Sharp is an outsider from a Bohemian background who manages ruthlessly to secure a place in society through her wit and charm.

Brilliant satire brilliantly narrated

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Vanity Fair is a terrific read. Despite being very long the story bowls along a a great pace and one never loses interest in the many characters, which are drawn with great wit, affection where merited but without any gushing sentimentality. The style of the book lends itself perfectly to being read out loud, and Frederick Davidson's amused and ironic tone, and his perfectly paced and articulate delivery, greatly adds to the listening pleasure. I was sorry when the book ended and I am sure I will listen to it again. Very strongly recommended.

an absorbing and very witty read

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I absolutely loved this and am bereft at finishing it! Can’t recommend it enough, wonderful!!

I’m Bereft

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