Vanity Fair

by Pauline Francis (adapted by), William Makepeace Thackeray

Pearson English Readers bring language learning to life through the joy of reading.   Well-written stories entertain us, make us think, and keep our interest page after page. Pearson English Readers offer teenage and adult learners a huge range of titles, all featuring carefully graded language to make them accessible to learners of all abilities.   Through the imagination of some of the world’s greatest authors, the English language comes to life in pages of our Readers. Students have the pleasure and satisfaction of reading these stories in English, and at the same time develop a broader vocabulary, greater comprehension and reading fluency, improved grammar, and greater confidence and ability to express themselves.   Find out more at

72 pages, Paperback

Published February 21, 2008

About the author

I love books. I translated them when I lived in Africa – and I worked with them when I was a teacher and a librarian, but I never thought about writing them.

One day, about ten years ago, I decided to become a full-time writer.

My first books were for younger readers. In Drake’s Drummer Boy (1998), Will sails around the world with Sir Francis Drake; in Sam Stars at Shakespeare’s Globe (2006), Sam works with William Shakespeare.

As you can see, the sixteenth century fascinates me. A few years ago, I started to write for older readers, about people who faced very tough decisions in a world that was changing quickly: Lady Jane Grey, in Raven Queen; the lost colonists in A World Away; and the young Elizabeth in Traitor’s Kiss.

What is a typical writing day? I write very early in the morning in a coffee shop. Then I use my computer to re-write and to do my research at home in my study.

I am married with two grown-up children, and I live in Hertfordshire close to London and to Cambridge. I enjoy going to the cinema and the theatre – and anywhere where I can watch other people.

Reviews

[Ryota · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like a synopsis. Photographs from a motion picture are good.

[HonokaAndo · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.level 3
2. June 23:40min June 24:60min June 25: 20min
3.two girls,Becky, marry, France, Napoleon, war,money
4(a Becky has no family. Her parents died when she was seventeen years old. So after she graduated school, She tried to join in rich people's world. The other side, the society was changing to Napoleon war...
b) I wondered at Becky's behavior. She often try to be rich. So she try to facinate rich men. Even Amelia'S brother!! Amelia is best friend for Becky. But she had an affair with Amelia's husband. How could she??!! She was so flirtatious woman.

5. I shoud to see Sophie's comment at first.lol
This book was difficult to understand. So characters appeared in this book. So I confused all the time. So it takes a long time to read. I wanted to give up reading,but I tried hard.

[Rina Suzuki]

Vanity Fair
William Thackery
Penguin readers
150min
Ladies, men, success, no heroin, Europe, love, humorous
Level-3

Questions
1. Which one do you like better Becky or Amelia?

I like Becky because she is not rich but she is very intelligent with no family and money. But she has an ambition. In this story she tries to take action very aggressively. Some men fell in love her because she pretended the men's ideal woman.

2. What do you think is it difficult to be a governess?

Yea, I think to be a governed is very difficult for women at that time. So I figure out that two women Becky and Amelia have talent. Especially Becky is intelligent lady. Many accidents happen, but those were interesting.

[Shiho Kawai · Rating 2 out of 5]

-Penguin readers, level 3
-Time: 90 minutes
-7 word summary: London, Paris, debt, marry, army, governess, and letter
-Discussion Questions:
1. If you live in foreign country, which do you want to live, UK or France?
I want to eat local French food, but I want to live in UK better than France because I have a chance to speak English.
2. Do you want to be a governess?
I don't want to be it, because I may have a stress to teach for students. However my part-time job is at a cram school now. haha

[Hila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I should read the long version, but the short version was defiantly off, I didn't relate to the characters it was hard to follow who is who, who is the main character and who is married to who, I didn't find myself there, I didn't feel like I'm in the book, like usually happened.
I read books from 1800th, but this was one of the worst.