The Rose and the Ring is one of those special literary treats which happen when a writer for adults turns (in this case) his attention to the world of children. It's a classic fairy tale, told with Thackeray's customary insight into characters, an excellent story for reading aloud to children who have not been enslaved by the thought-preventing pace of anime. Look for an edition illustrated by the author.
As a young man this terrific author intended to be an artist. He submitted a portfolio to illustrate one of Dickens' novels which Dickens rejected, so Thackeray switched careers. We know what we gained ; the illustrations show what we lost.

I read the Rose and the Ring in grammar school through The Great Books Series (rust cover series) . Very, very funny "satire" that is fun for both kids and grown ups. I misplaced my great books copy. Luckily library has a copy. Books like this should never go out of print! And there should be a movie of this. In First Search of nationwide libraries, there appears to have been a play written based on this (not available through interlibrary loan unfortunately).

If you liked The Princess Bride, E. Nesbit, Sid Fleischman or Astrid Lindstom, you'll appreciate the humorous narrative.

Wish I still had the old original edition hardcover! I read it as a child, and learned a formal style of rhyme long since antiquated, which made Shakespeare that much more palatable after. What a wonderful companion for a rainy weekend, as in my childhood!

Even though it is unfinished, this book is one of the most amazing peices of fiction I have ever read. No one captures themes of wealth, power, and lonliness the way that Fitzgerald does. I have read all of his novels and this one is righ up there with Gatsby. It is structured, it moves quickly and the characters are really written well. It is really too bad that he did not get a chance to finish this. However, just reading a few pages of Fitzgerald at his best is worth the anguish that you will go through when you come to the "end" of the book. If you like Fitzgerald I think you have to read this, just to see whats out there.

I've read, oh, 3,000 books of literary criticism. Two illuminated their subject. This is one. (The other is "Shakespeare's Imagery" by Dorothy Van Ghent.) This is what great criticism should be, an enrichment of the subject for the reader--not an exercise in correctness, a line for the vita, self-absorbed fantasy, or one critic's opinions about another. Imagine: a book that remains in the mind after reading 3,000 similar. Holds the mirror up to the lamp.

Here, in this relatively obscure work, Thackeray is at his ironic and satiric best. Modern critics lightly dismiss the book as a piece of journalistic hack work, but it is much more than that. Redmond Barry, later Barry Lyndon, chronicles in a fairly sophistocated and always lighthearted manner his rise from a poor Irish country boy to the astral heights of polite English society from 1750-1820. Mr. Barry is always Machievellian in his way, and is quick and efficient with his sword. He is Odysseus, Holden Caulfield, Don Juan, and Nabokov's Humbert Humbert merged. In a word, he is very, very entertaining and very, very good. The book's only glaring flaw is it's belabored and uninspired ending. But it is much worth reading to watch Redmond Barry when young

When one is about to take the big plunge and give oneself the trouble of making what is always -in our age of lighter reading, of course - the strenuous effort of reading a XIXth. Century novelist, one - at least me - must make the following question: What was this author's particular attitude, as a man (or woman) of the most bourgeois of all centuries, towards his/her preceding century, the most aristocratic and un-bourgeois XVIIIth. Century? If s/he scorns the XVIIIth. Century, or is indifferent to it, it's quite likely that the author in question is a bourgeois philistine regarding Victorian times as the undisputed acme of human civilization. If s/he is an admirer, than s/he is obviously starting out of a clear sense of alienation from his/her own society, and one should expect at least for this XIXth. Century _avis rara_, genuine sense of humor. Thackeray was one of such Victorians who realized the philisteism of his own society;Eça de Queiroz, his Portuguese disciple (who seems to have learned a lot from reading him) was another. Therefore: Read this book, QED.

Having seen the movie "Barry Lyndon" by Stanley Kubrick years ago, I was taken aback by this book which is so markedly different than the 1975 film. In the book, Lord Bullingdon is actually the hero, where Kubrick presented him merely as a cowardly cad. Redmond Barry (later as Barry Lyndon)deserves all the evils that befall him and his first person narrative is quite humorous especially when blaming everyone for his own shortcomings. Unfortunately, the ending leaves one a bit unsatisfied, quite like the dismal end of Mr. Lyndon himself. This novel is not on the level of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair", but fun to read nonetheless.

Most people know of only one book by Thackeray: his witty and savage masterpiece VANITY FAIR. PENDENNIS, perhaps his second-best book, is certainly no slouch itself: a funny, rollicking Bildungsroman, PENDENNIS chronicles the adventures of a loveable young man who almost always manages to get himself into trouble, and his tribulations with the several attractive women in his life (including his young mother). There are some definite slow patches to the work, but for the most part it moves almnost at a rip-roaring pace, and it has none of the overseriousness that mars Thackeray's later works (such as the fascinating, but slowpaced THE NEWCOMES). This is Victorian reading at its most pleasurable, if not its most intellectually challenging.

This is without a doubt one of the funniest and enjoyable novels I have ever read! Do not let the length of the book scare you, Thackeray's brilliant and unique style makes it an easy joy to read. I admit there are some lulls but overall PENDENNIS will earn an honored place on any bookshelf.

"Vanity Fair" is Thackeray's masterpiece and on a par with the best of Dickens' work. Alternating deftly between tragedy and comedy, it is a story rich in character development and historical accuracy. The famous pre-Waterloo ball given by the Duchess of Richmond is described in detail and is one of the highlights of the book. Becky Sharp is certainly a model for all the other treacherous femme fatales that follow her in literature, particularly Scarlett O'Hara. "Vanity Fair" is undoubtedly one of the great works of the 1900's and it has surely stood the test of time. It may be "A Novel Without a Hero" but its characters are real flesh and blood human beings.

William Makepeace Thackeray subtitled "Vanity Fair", his masterful comic novel, "A Novel Without a Hero". But while this big, baggy eight-hundred page monstrosity of comic characters and situations may lack a hero, it has two of the most memorable characters in English literature: Amelia Sedley and Becky Sharp. The contrapuntal, shifting fortunes of these two women drive the narrative of this big book, painting, along the way, a brilliant satirical portrait of English and European society at the time of the Napoleonic wars.

We first meet Amelia and Becky in the opening pages of the novel, leaving Miss Pinkerton's School for the wider world of fortune, love and marriage. Amelia Sedley, the naive, sheltered daughter of a rich London merchant whose fortunes will dramatically change over the course of her life, "was a dear little creature; and a great mercy it is, both in life and in novels, which (the latter especially) abound in villains of the most sombre sort, that we are to have for a constant companion so guileless and good-natured a person." In contrast, Becky Sharp, the impoverished orphan of an artist and a French opera singer of dubious repute, was a calculating, amoral social climber. "Miss Rebecca was not, then, in the least kind or placable . . . but she had the dismal precocity of poverty."

From the opening pages, Thackeray captures the reader's interest in these two characters and carries the reader through marriages, births, deaths, poverty, misfortune, social climbing . . . even the Battle of Waterloo! While Amelia and Becky wind like a long, contrasting thread from the beginning to the end of this story, there are also plots and subplots, intrigues and authorial asides, and one character after another, all of this literary invention keeping the reader incessantly preoccupied and enthralled. Reading "Vanity Fair" is the furthest thing from "killing time" (as the dusty, misguided literary critic F. R. Leavis once said); it is, rather, the epitome of the nineteenth century English comic novel, a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

I once read that "Vanity Fair" had been classified as one of the "most boring classics" by a group of English professors, who hopefully have all been fired, as they can NOT have had any appreciation for the incisive use of the English language, the witty skewering of Victorian society, the rollicking plot, or the unforgettable characters. Becky Sharpe isn't likeable -- but in the end, you have to admire her insatiability and efficiency. Amelia and Dobbin live out the stereotypical storybook romance -- but Thackeray dares to show how the story usually ends. This is one of the few books that had me consistently laughing aloud; virtually every page has a stinging comment or revealing moment that catches the attention. Although it's a "classic" (think leather-bound dusty volumes with edifying quotes from the latin), this is as vital, insightful, and "modern" a novel as you could hope to read. (And for the record, I think comparing Thackeray and Austen is like comparing Stephen King and Alice Walker -- they're writing at the same time, but the similarities end there!)

I read this book for a book report and I originally thought it sounded very interesting. I saw the book (it is MASSIVE, 886 pages) and I decided that I still wanted to read it. I began to read and it starts off very confusing and rocky.

The book is not funny, and not witty, it just has a smart theme. By the end you are pretty well caught up on characters, plot, etc. but it is grossly sad in a realistic kind of way and a big fat waste of time. If you are a scholar or interested in long books or origin/closer look of the behavioral sciences then this might be something you are interested but if you are on the fence about this book, my advice is get out of it while you still can!!!

When reading victorian fiction, with its prim and child-like heroines, I sometimes long for a story about someone who is neither long suffering or innocent. Vanity Fair is the perfect remedy. Becky Sharp probably is the wickedest woman in 19th century fiction and one of the most delightful. Whether facing uncertainties at the battle of Waterloo, or seeking a rich protector, or FINALLY marrying for money (this husband disappears before the money does), Becky is determined to have the kind of life with which she would like to become accustomed. This book is pure pleasure since the reader is always wondering "what is she going to do next." This book cannot be praised to highly.

Hilarious, scathing, wistful, beautiful.

Incredibly modern; the language is as fresh as if Thackeray had penned it yesterday.

A pure delight from beginning to end.

If you're one of those booklovers who reads as much as anthing else in order to get to know the author, in order to sit down and share a beer with him (or her) as it were, then this is your book.

You will come to adore Thackeray, to wish he were your best friend.

In short, if you love Henry Fielding's brand of humor and conversation with the reader in Tom Jones, then you will love Vanity Fair.

This Penguin edition features a brilliant introduction by John Carey, in which he draws comparisons between Vanity Fair and another sumpreme work of art: War and Peace.

In fact he argues that without Vanity Fair, there may never have been a War and Peace.

Ahh, Dobbin. A character that will live in my heart forever.

While the 20th century audience may recognize William Makepeace Thackeray as one of the 19th century's most interesting authors, very few know of his daughter. Winifred Gerin is the only biographer so far to recognize Anne Thackeray Ritchie as an author in her own right. The 1981 biography offers an in-depth and up-close look at Thackeray's world, including many familiar faces such as Tennyson, Dickens, Carlyle, Ruskin, George Eliot, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Darwin, Virginia Woolf (Anne's niece), and even an eyewitness account of Chopin's last days in Paris. Anne Thackeray was the eyes and ears of Victorian London, and through Gerin's thorough research and plentiful use of letters and recorded conversations, the average reader comes that much closer to getting a true glimpse of the literary and art scene of Victorian Britain.

The Rose and the Ring is a great classic. This edition, however, is an outright fraud. The original has rhyming couplets across the page tops, this edition omits them. The original has illustrations by Thackeray, who originally intended to pursue a career as an illustrator, but this edition omits them. It's like printing an Alice in Wonderland without the Tenniel drawings and with none of the songs. This edition is a waste of paper. Shame on Amazon for selling it! Now I have to return to the search for a real printing...

This is a very funny and clever book that deals with the appeal and danger of beauty. It is a great book for all ages with some very well done illustrations through out the book. The bottom review is from the back of my copy of the book.

A magic rose and ring which make those in the possession of them attractive, togather with a mischiviouse fairy who adds, "a little misfurtone" to the lives of a prince and a princess, creat hilariouse complications on a unusual fairy story.

This is a classic funny story that has stayed in my mind for 30 years. I first read it as a kid less than 10 and it was as wonderful and meaningful then as it is now.

The story of Giglio, Rosalba, Angelica and Bulbo casts a magic spell. Then of course there's Countess Gruffanuff.....

Classic's are classics with good reason.

It is now just over 7 months since I first read Thackeray's appallingly poor "The History of Henry Esmond." Though it has been nearly 2 YEARS since I last read "Vanity Fair," I still retain a reasonably good working knowledge of that novel; sadly -- or, perhaps, not so sadly after all -- that does not hold true for "Esmond." So poorly conceived, so poorly executed, and so very slight, this novel ultimately makes no real claim on your memory. I simply CAN'T remember anything about this wretched book other than its remarkable level of wretchedness. To some -- and you know who you are -- it may seem as if I am engaged in some kind of vendetta against this book and Thackeray in general. To those persons, I can only respond with an Everlasting Yea! Go forth and read Mrs. Gaskell -- a writer who actually wrote novels worth reading (except for "Ruth," which is inexplicably awful). Yes. Go do that.

Although for some reason forgotten by the US public, "The History of Henry Esmond" is one of the finest books ever written in English language. May be it has lost its luster because it offers no excess of blood-spilling and sexual adventures, but instead finds its way to describe the deepest and most vulnerable chambers of the human heart. I have read a handful of books, be it in English, French, German or Russian, that described the human strengths and weaknesses while tying them to a character one can relate to with such skill. People who do not like it, it seems, are just shamed by the morals offered in such a book, and are quick to forget it. I read "Henry Esmond" when I was a young boy, and now, half a century later, it hasn't lost a beat.

In the minds of some, justifiably the finest novel in the English language. The neglect this novel has suffered is appalling. Requirement: a mind for detail, a sympathy for history, an artistic sensibility. Read it at least twice. Only one reader in a thousand will remember the button reference on the last line. A pity that this book should be out-of-print. Pater thought it a perfect work of fiction. Trollope thought it was unsurpassed.