Vanity Fair Review - A Book Review

Vanity Fair Review by Beverly Barton. Based on the book of the very same name, "Vanity Fair" tells the story of impoverished Becky Sharp as she struggles to climb out of her poverty and to scale the heights of English societal status in the latter years after the demise of Napoleon. Set against the tumultuous years after the French victory in Europe, Sharp struggles to rise above her Station with little attention to the consequences. In her attempts to progress herself, her petty thievery, schemes, fights, romances, and cheating, she upsets not only her social circle but also exposes the ugliest aspects of nineteenth-century England. "Vanity Fair" offers a refreshing look at the underclass of that time and the freedoms they had to survive and enjoy.

Becky Sharp is a thirty-one-year-old woman who works as a housekeeper for her grandmother, Aunt Polly. The home is a place where Becky spends much of her spare time relieving the elderly and sewing for her grandmother. When a visitor arrives, she greets them and prepares to help them with their needs. The visitor, a man named Richard Stead, overhears this conversation, which takes place while the two are alone in the house. Shortly thereafter, Richard comes to know of the "Stories of a Storied Life", a collection of short tales chronicling the lives of various people in London's time period.

When he returns to the novel's London section, he discovers that the social worker, Bathsheba Whitacre, has been dead since 1843. His curiosity about the social background leads him to meet with her lover, Anthony Hill, who tells him a bit about his life and where he came from. This leads to the investigation of a crime that took place within the vicinity of Bathsheba Whitacre's house.

Vanity Fair review is a detailed account of what people in that time period experienced. We get to learn about the luxury of living in a house, which was not common during that time. We learn about the social hierarchy in which those who had money controlled the rest. We get to know the prejudice that existed against those who did not have it and the social sentiment of letting the poor suffer. We also get to know more about the ways in which money can corrupt the innocent and the ways by which it can give the advantage to those who do have it.

The novel is written in a concise, eloquent manner. This is largely due to the fact that Hill is writing in first person and thus we get insights into what people were experiencing at that time. There are no attempts at polemic or analysis. The themes are complex and weave together seamlessly with the story to present an engrossing and enjoyable read.

Hill also includes short reviews of some of her other novels. This adds a little flavor to the novel, without distracting from the tale. The Social Networking by Vanity Fair Review is another engrossing read by Hill. In my opinion this novel has everything you could ask for in a novel regarding social issues and the business that surround them.