Vanity Fair

A Novel Without a Hero

By: William Makepeace Thackeray

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

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.

(P)1998 Blackstone Audiobooks

Good

This is a long story. But it is a classic and worth reading. I’d recommend this version.

Great story.

The narrator did a wonderful job reading Vanity Fair! A great listen for anyone who loves the classics!

Frederick Davidson is a master!

It's true that Thackeray sometimes goes on and on; but what fun! Davidson (who also reads as David Case) perfectly captures the tone of Thakeray's gentle and on-the money satire of the social foibles and pretensions of the time. His ability to give a clearly distinct voice to each character makes listening particularly rich and easy to follow. He makes the two main characters -- Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley -- absolutely come alive. My selection of books to buy is highly influenced by my admiration of this superb narrator.

Great listen.

Narrator is perfect for this book. Tried reading this book a long time ago, never finished the book. Except for the authors constant comments on the perfidy of women the book was interesting and great bedtime listen.

Vanity fair picture of 19th century upper society

Interesting satire of thank pompous society of 29th century full of hypocrisy and pretentious grandeur

Perfection

There could not be a better marriage in fiction or fact than the one between Thackeray's scintillating text and Frederick Davidson's delivery, lightly ironic and detached with the occasional moment of real pathos (the unforgettable Waterloo battle scene), as if the author himself were speaking. I loved this more than any other audiobook I have read - at 29 hours it was way too short, never dragging for a minute. Character and incident abound, but the moments of "editorialising" that Thackeray occasionally allows himself are like nuggets of pure gold, and throughout Mr Davidson is the ringmaster of the great fair.

Delightful

I am reading Victorian era literature and what a wonderful opportunity read Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, George Elliott, and others. I had never read Vanity Fair so i had no idea what to expect. Its a delight of misadventures, social commentary and clever character ambition. I cant recommend Fredrick Davidson enough. He moves from character to character, capturing the myriad of voices perfectly. The anti-heroine Becky Sharpe is unforgettable.

Brilliant rendition of Vanity Fair

Hours and hours of listening pleasure! The narrator does a spectacular job with all the voices of this marvelous satire. His female and male voices are lively and at times hilarious. The cautionary tale of Becky Sharp is one of literature’s greatest. Highest rating!

Not Bad

I really enjoyed the first three sections of the book, but when it came to section four, I could not understand what else the author would have to say about the story for 5 more hours. I thought 3 out of the last 5 hours of listening could have been cut completely out and the story would have been better for it. All in all, I am very glad I can say I finished it, and the story really is of merit, but I wished the end had not dragged on so.

Not good, actually WONDERFUL!

If you don’t enjoy this brilliant masterpiece, I can’t imagine what you could like. Fascinating story, adept writing and read by a skilled narrator. This my second time and I’ll revisit it in a year or two