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Vanity Fair
- A Novel Without a Hero
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 29 hrs and 51 mins
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Publisher's summary
Generally considered to be his masterpiece, Vanity Fair is Thackeray's resplendent social satire that exposes the greed and corruption raging in England during the turmoil of the Napoleonic wars. Subtitled "A Novel Without a Hero", it traces the changing fortunes of two unforgettable women: the scheming opportunist Becky Sharp, one of literature's most resourceful, engaging, and amoral heroines, and her foil, the faithful, naive Amelia Sedley. Amid the swirl of London's posh ballrooms and affairs of love and war, their fortunes rise and fall. Thackeray's subversive, comic attack on the hypocrisy and "dismal roguery" of an avaricious world resonates 150 years later with implications for our own times.
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Loved it
- By Kerry on 05-22-10
By: Anne Brontë
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Agnes Grey
- By: Anne Bronte
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Written when women---and workers generally---had few rights in England, Agnes Grey exposes the brutal inequities of the rigid class system in mid-19th-century Britain. Agnes comes from a respectable middle-class family, but their financial reverses have forced her to seek work as a governess.
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Make.it.stop.
- By Wayne on 03-18-22
By: Anne Bronte
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Anna Karenina
- By: Leo Tolstoy
- Narrated by: Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Length: 35 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Leo Tolstoy's classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky.
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Need to Disclose and Highlight Name of Translator
- By Charles B on 08-27-18
By: Leo Tolstoy
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The American
- By: Henry James
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Self-made American millionaire Christopher Newman arrives in Paris brimming with hope and optimism, excited to experience the culture and, hopefully, find the perfect woman to become his wife. After a chance encounter with American expatriate friends, his attention is drawn to Madame de Cintré, 25-year-old widowed daughter of the late Marquis de Bellegarde. Having fallen on hard times, the centuries-old aristocratic family permits Newman's courtship to proceed; however, they later persuade the widow to break off her engagement to the nouveau-riche businessman.
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excellent reading
- By Andorboth on 12-03-22
By: Henry James
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The Mill on the Floss
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Laura Paton
- Length: 20 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Maggie Tulliver has two lovers: Philip Wakem, son of her father’s enemy, and Stephen Guest, already promised to her cousin. But the love she wants most in the world is that of her brother Tom. Maggie’s struggle against her passionate and sensual nature leads her to a deeper understanding and to eventual tragedy
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Great compassion
- By nina lalumia on 12-26-16
By: George Eliot
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Man and Wife
- By: Wilkie Collins
- Narrated by: Nicolas Boulton
- Length: 23 hrs
- Unabridged
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Published 10 years after Collins’s most popular novel The Woman in White, Man and Wife centres on the confused and inequitable marriage laws of 19th-century Britain, reflecting the author’s own antipathy toward the institution. The plot follows the fortunes of a woman who, committed to marriage with one man, comes to believe that she may have inadvertently married his friend, according to the archaic laws of Scotland and Ireland.
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Intricate plot, good dialogue, desperately needed an editor
- By Seth on 07-25-21
By: Wilkie Collins
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Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon
- By: Jane Austen
- Narrated by: Norma West
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Previously unpublished in unabridged audio, these three works (one novel unpublished in her lifetime and two unfinished fragments) reveal Jane Austen's development as a great artist.
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For the Austen Addict
- By Joseph R on 09-09-09
By: Jane Austen
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Lady Audley's Secret
- By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
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A fast-paced Victorian thriller that will delight audiences today as it did 100 years ago, Lady Audley's Secret has subterfuge, kidnapping, jealousy, and fraud, all thrown into the mix and shaken up for good measure.
A mystery which keeps a listener guessing until the last moments, this production is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys playing detective.
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Narrator creates the listen
- By connie on 02-06-12
What listeners say about Vanity Fair
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Robert Elliott
- 03-05-23
Good
This is a long story. But it is a classic and worth reading. I’d recommend this version.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-12-24
Great story.
The narrator did a wonderful job reading Vanity Fair! A great listen for anyone who loves the classics!
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Overall
- Victoria
- 11-04-09
Frederick Davidson is a master!
It's true that Thackeray sometimes goes on and on; but what fun! Davidson (who also reads as David Case) perfectly captures the tone of Thakeray's gentle and on-the money satire of the social foibles and pretensions of the time. His ability to give a clearly distinct voice to each character makes listening particularly rich and easy to follow. He makes the two main characters -- Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley -- absolutely come alive. My selection of books to buy is highly influenced by my admiration of this superb narrator.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Bronwen Stair
- 11-10-22
Great listen.
Narrator is perfect for this book. Tried reading this book a long time ago, never finished the book. Except for the authors constant comments on the perfidy of women the book was interesting and great bedtime listen.
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- Steven B
- 03-20-23
Vanity fair picture of 19th century upper society
Interesting satire of thank pompous society of 29th century full of hypocrisy and pretentious grandeur
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- Julian
- 05-25-17
Perfection
There could not be a better marriage in fiction or fact than the one between Thackeray's scintillating text and Frederick Davidson's delivery, lightly ironic and detached with the occasional moment of real pathos (the unforgettable Waterloo battle scene), as if the author himself were speaking. I loved this more than any other audiobook I have read - at 29 hours it was way too short, never dragging for a minute. Character and incident abound, but the moments of "editorialising" that Thackeray occasionally allows himself are like nuggets of pure gold, and throughout Mr Davidson is the ringmaster of the great fair.
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4 people found this helpful
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- windinthewillows
- 10-31-22
Delightful
I am reading Victorian era literature and what a wonderful opportunity read Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, George Elliott, and others. I had never read Vanity Fair so i had no idea what to expect. Its a delight of misadventures, social commentary and clever character ambition. I cant recommend Fredrick Davidson enough. He moves from character to character, capturing the myriad of voices perfectly. The anti-heroine Becky Sharpe is unforgettable.
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- Roddy
- 05-18-22
Brilliant rendition of Vanity Fair
Hours and hours of listening pleasure! The narrator does a spectacular job with all the voices of this marvelous satire. His female and male voices are lively and at times hilarious. The cautionary tale of Becky Sharp is one of literature’s greatest. Highest rating!
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Overall
- sassysra
- 04-11-07
Not Bad
I really enjoyed the first three sections of the book, but when it came to section four, I could not understand what else the author would have to say about the story for 5 more hours. I thought 3 out of the last 5 hours of listening could have been cut completely out and the story would have been better for it. All in all, I am very glad I can say I finished it, and the story really is of merit, but I wished the end had not dragged on so.
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4 people found this helpful
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- E
- 06-26-23
Not good, actually WONDERFUL!
If you don’t enjoy this brilliant masterpiece, I can’t imagine what you could like. Fascinating story, adept writing and read by a skilled narrator. This my second time and I’ll revisit it in a year or two
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