Vanity Fair

"Vanity Fair" by William Makepeace Thackeray

"I think I could be a good woman, if I had five thousand a year."

So says Becky Sharp, one of the most cunning characters in literature. Set in the Victorian Age, "Vanity Fair" tells of the Crawley, Osborne and Sedley familys. The book begins as Rebecca Sharp and her best friend/rival leave boarding school. Becky's ambition leads her into marriage with Rawdon Crawley. Amelia marries George Osburn. Crawley makes his living by gambling. Osborne is in the army and is disinheirited after he marries Amelia. This is because Amelia's father lost all his money and this makes Amelia no longer good enough for George.

It's a soap opera, folks. But it's highly entertaining. Thackeray goes off tangent sometimes (often) but the narrative is an easy read.