I'm halfway (sigh!) through W.M. Thackeray's "Vanity Fair." It's 739 pages long, and I'm only mildly interested in the characters, their problems, and the entire novel.
However, it is on the list of "books to read." I'm looking for some inspiration, other than
a. I should read it, and
b. I'll be proud of myself when I'm finished.
This is how I felt about reading "Moby Dick."
Has anybody actually finished this book?
Thanks for your thoughts.
2006-07-12 11:17:59 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I really enjoyed it, but then I also really enjoyed Thackeray's "Barry Lyndon". The ending of Vanity Fair is really good - you learn just how far Becky will actually go (don't want to give it away).
Like with Barry Lyndon, Thackeray seems to create anti-heroes that hold the audience's sympathies as they climb there way up the ladder, dealing with snobbery, arrogance and social predjudice, but once the characters achieve their positions, their behaviour does not change, and so they become almost the villains of the stories.
2006-07-12 12:54:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
I got about halfway through Vanity Fair once....similar situation... most likely...I decided to pursue other interests with the idea of "Oh, I can always go back and read that later..." but of course I never have. I've also made it halfway through War and Peace...twice. The second time I made it about a hundred and fifty pages further than the first time.
Anyway, I don't know if it's worth finishing. I told myself I had gotten enough "taste" of the novel to know what it was generally about...and I watched the movie. But I suppose that one day if properly motivated I might pick it up again.
2006-07-12 11:24:18 · answer #2 · answered by laney_po 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I really liked it, although, it takes a lot for a book to really bore me enough to stop reading it, especially a historically centered book. It's worth finishing as the almost-ending is better than the beginning in my opinion. And then again, my favorite books are Pride and Prejudice and Moby Dick, so I'd say keep going.
2006-07-12 16:41:13 · answer #3 · answered by secrets_in_mind3 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I started reading and then I stopped. I didn't like the book at all.
2006-07-12 11:31:48 · answer #4 · answered by oranjeesoccer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I read it a few years ago. It was pretty good.
2006-07-12 13:20:20 · answer #5 · answered by Becky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋