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December 19, 2004
"Vanity Fair" by William Thackeray
I'm just going to come right out and admit it: I'm a sucker for classic 19th century novels. "Anna Karenina" is one of my favorites and I've read my share of Jane Austen. When I saw the previews for "Vanity Fair" with the incredibly hot and wicked-looking Reese Witherspoon a few months ago I immediately reserved the book at the library. I haven't seen the movie yet but the book was quite entertaining.
The novel revolves around Rebecca Sharp and Amelia Sedley. Amelia is naive and is a tragic character through much of the story while Rebecca is basically a conniving social climber who I couldn't help but be intrigued by. In light of all the Alias I've been watching lately, I would say Rebecca is a sort of double agent who is very good at manipulating men to get what she wants.
Unfortunately the story bogs down towards the middle, which may be due to the fact that it was originally published chapter-by-chapter in serial form. Then, as if someone kicked Thackeray and told him to finish the book already, another burst of action and dialogue brings to the story to an unexciting but satisfying conclusion.
Posted on December 19, 2004 at 1:07 AM