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Vanity Fair
- Narrated by: John Castle
- Length: 31 hrs and 1 min
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Vanity Fair
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Summary
Exclusively from Audible
Set during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, this classic gives a satirical picture of a worldly society. The audiobook revolves around the exploits of the impoverished but beautiful and devious Becky Sharp who craves wealth and a position in society. Calculating and determined to succeed, she charms, deceives and manipulates everyone she meets.
A story of early 19th-century English society, it takes its title from the place designated as the centre of human corruption in John Bunyan's 17th-century allegory Pilgrim's Progress.
Receiving popular and critical success on first publication, the novel is considered Thackeray's masterpiece, and this satire of society is as relevant now as when it first appeared. In 2003, Vanity Fair was listed at Number 122 on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's best-loved books.
Thackeray was born in Calcutta in 1811. After his father's death, he was sent to be educated in England at five years old, while is mother remarried in India. The canings and abuses he received in private boarding schools formed a basis for some of his work as did the culture of Anglo-Indians which also featured prominently.
Narrator Biography
After training at RADA, John's professional career began in 1964 at the Regent's Park Theatre.
Film credits include Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow Up, The Lion in Winter, Man of La Mancha, King David, Antony and Cleopatra, Robocop 2 and The Sparrow. Theatre credits include Bloody Sunday (The Tricycle Theatre), Claudius in Hamlet (National Theatre), Rat in the Skull (Duke of York's Theatre), End Game (Tron Theatre, Glasgow), Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (London Shakespeare Group), Infidelities (The Boulevard Theatre), and Breaking the Code (The Comedy Theatre). Television credits include Tracate Middoth, The Fixer, Spooks, Poirot, Silent Witness, The Holocaust on Trial, Casualty, Princes in the Tower, Gods and Generals, Fight Against Slavery, Ben Hall, I, Claudius, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and Lillie.
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What listeners say about Vanity Fair
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lizibeth
- 10-07-19
epic read worth every second
absolutely love this story of love loss and vanity.
may you enter vanity fair and leave with your heart, finances and reputation intact.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- A. Kilpatrick
- 19-03-19
Brilliant story and brilliant narration
Love this story and the narration was so good. A long but worthwhile listen. Great stuff.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- James
- 26-11-18
A truly wonderful performance of a marvelous book.
I cannot recommend this book enough. Every nuance of the characters are beautifully portrayed. Superlative!
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- Anonymous User
- 26-05-18
wonderful
Brilliant book beautifully read. Why have I not read this till now? A sharp and funny social commentary which seems still relevant today. The reader is obviously a linguist which increases the enjoyment.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Gillian
- 14-08-15
Revisiting Vanity Fair
How wonderful to revisit Vanity Fair and meet up with its characters which keep the listener engaged, thinking, calculating, guessing and generally being absorbed in the daily comings and goings of everyone.
Written in 1840s, it is hard to believe it is not a story of families in modern society. Fashions may change but human nature does not.
Anyone who has a love of the English language will enjoy this book.
Although a long read, it is well worth it for the pure enjoyment of the lengths people go to to in social climbing, greed, lies and contempt and to be involved with the winners and losers.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jane H.
- 12-08-18
loved it!
I'm a Jane Austen fan and was looking for something in the same genre. This us great and nice to find a male Author of the time that's a bit if a feminist. It's also funny and shows the disingenuousness of society of the time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Serena O.
- 31-07-22
Fantastic performance of a great story
Classic story and it's clear why. The performance really does it justice, definitely a treat!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- J Kitto
- 03-03-24
Brilliant
I never tire of this wonderful story. Beautifully read. Well done Audible! Really enjoyed it xxx
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- knittyboot
- 27-09-19
Great fun
It reminded me of Jane Austin at her best and most humorously cynical. Odd that although you feel for the heroine you symutaniously want to punch her in nose. Enjoyed it immensely.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MR JULIAN BENFIELD
- 24-11-21
Excellent novel, superbly told
Easy listen, John Castle has a great voice and handles the voice of the narrator expertly.
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