Vanity Fair cover art

Vanity Fair

A Novel without a Hero

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Vanity Fair

By: William Makepeace Thackeray
Narrated by: Georgina Sutton
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About this listen

Vanity Fair, with its rich cast of characters, takes place on the snakes-and-ladders board of life. Amelia Sedley, daughter of a wealthy merchant, has a loving mother to supervise her courtship. Becky Sharp, an orphan, has to use her wit, charm, and resourcefulness to escape from her destiny as a governess. This she does ruthlessly, musing: "I think I could become a good woman, if I had £5,000 a year."

Thackeray’s story is set at the time of the battle of Waterloo, in which the Sedley fortunes are lost - and Amelia is back to square one - while Becky rises with contemptuous ease.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2013 Naxos AudioBooks Classics

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All stars
Most relevant  
Enjoyed the story and the characters within. William M Thackeray does a good job bringing out the personalities of each character to make the story engaging.
Narrator was excellent! She made the book even more enjoyable through her different accents and pitches. Would definitely recommend this book

Funny but so sarcastic

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Narration lifts this book from the pages. A tale full of irony, conceit, hypocrisy and love.

A gem

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It was quite tricky at first to find a foothold in the story given the nature of its heroin. Georgina Sutton brought life to the innumerable characters however and made sure you couldn't get lost in the crowd!

Brilliant performance

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A really well written and performed version of Vanity Fair. I really recommend listening to this audiobook!!!

Fantastic!

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If you could sum up Vanity Fair in three words, what would they be?

Incisive, funny, moving.

What did you like best about this story?

Becky Sharp is a wonderful creation. She's a shameless survivor and improviser in an era of modesty, blushes and bonnets.

Which character – as performed by Georgina Sutton – was your favourite?

Georgina Sutton is brilliant as all the characters- both men and women. Her Joss Sedley is particularly funny.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh, cry and gasp.

Any additional comments?

I've listened to a number of Audible books but Georgina Sutton's performance in this thirty-two hour listen is the most impressive that I've come across so far.

A surprisingly modern novel.

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Originally written as a series published in Punch magazine in the 1800s there are parts that will definitely have worked better in that format. There is a great amount of name and title droppi g with explanations of who has which title and is related to whom. This may have been like celebrity gossip to the series reader as they tried to work out who the author had in mind as the real person behind the character. Unfortunately, it now just results in boring sections where nothing happens and the author just talks of lords, ladies and other distinguished imaginary folk of that era. This aside, it is a great commentary on life around the time of Waterloo and on human nature - with love, deceit, murder and mischief. The author is also brutal in his analysis of the different characters - to the point that, as a reader, you're not certain who is to be admired, if anyone.

A bit too slow in parts but worth persevering

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Well written and brilliantly read. The range of voices is extraordinary! You can SEE the characters esp Joss Sedley.

Simply brilliant reading

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Excellent well-loved book, beautifully narrated. Truly enjoyed listening to the Audible version while painting or walking!

Lovely narration

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Very enjoyable. It’s perfect for a long road trip or while doing mundane work, I listened while digger driving to build our new driveway. I loved the narration which brought the Vanity Fair world to life.

Classically brilliant

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If you could sum up Vanity Fair in three words, what would they be?

An impossible task!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Becky of course!

Have you listened to any of Georgina Sutton’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I haven't but she read this so well , I look forward to listening to more of her performances.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes but impossible to do so.

Any additional comments?

Thackeray is a wonderful writer and storyteller

Excellent

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