Vanity Fair

"Very likely Miss Binny was right to a great extent. It is the pretty face which creates sympathy in the hearts of men, those wicked rogues. A woman may possess the wisdom and chastity of Minerva, and we give no heed to her, if she has a plain face."

Blonde, beautiful, and penniless Becky Sharpe will do whatever it takes to secure her position in life. Staying in London with naive but kind-hearted Amelia Sedley, the conniving Becky fails to entice Amelia's wealthy brother and instead takes a position as a governess to a lecherous old baronet. With Napoleon's army marching ever closer, Becky and Amelia find themselves following their husbands to war, and end up in circumstances neither could have dreamed of.

A novel without a hero, Thackeray's satirical take on English society was a critical and commercial hit even before the last chapters were published. The illustrations in the original print editions were Thackeray's own, occasionally revealing details of the story that were only hinted at in the text.

Kobo Editions offers this fully-accessible version of the original text for your enjoyment.