Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

Published in periodical form in 1847-8, when "making love" meant saying nice things to someone of the opposite sex, this massive novel (of over 900 pages in some editions) achieved instant critical success and recognition for its author, putting Thackeray alongside Dickens as one of the great authors of the Victorian era. Indeed, on this novel alone many considered him to be the greater. Personally, I'm not qualified to make such comparisons and to pass such judgements, so I review it for what it is. It is the tale of the parallel lives of two women, once upon a time friends at a finishing school. One is rich, much loved by all, kind, faithful and ...  Read the complete review