Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
A Novel without a Hero
This classic novel follows the lives of two contrasting women, the cunning and ruthless Becky Sharp and the sweet and naive Amelia Sedley, against the backdrop of English society during the Napoleonic Wars. The book is a satirical exploration of the obsession with wealth, status, and social climbing, and the moral bankruptcy that can result from such pursuits. The narrative weaves an intricate tale of love, betrayal, and redemption, exposing the vanity and hypocrisy of high society.
The 108th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1847
- Nationality
- British
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 900-1000
- Words
- 346,089
- Original Language
- English
- Alternate Titles
- None
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 34 lists:
- 1st on Famous Authors Name Their Favorite Novels(from 1915) (New York Times)
- 1st on A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- 10th on The 100 Greatest British Novels (BBC)
- 19th on The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
- 24th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 33rd on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 39th on 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers (Penguin (UK))
- 39th on Top 50 Books (The Folio Society)
- 52nd on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 75th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 91st on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 122nd on The Big Read (BBC)
- 335th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 529th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 593rd on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- Best Books (Fiction, Prose) : Experts Choose Their Favourites (The Book "Best Books")
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- John Lubbock, The Choice of Books (1896) (The Choice of Books (Book))
- 101 of the World's Greatest Books (1950) (101 of the World's Greatest Books (Book))
- James Baldwin, The Book Lover: A Guide to the Best Reading (1910) (Book)
- 100 Greatest Books of All Time (Steve Donoghue)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)
- El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
- 100 Best Novels Written in English (The Guardian)
- The Best Classics (The Times)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)