Reviews

Becky by Sarah May

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paradise_library's review against another edition

5.0

I love an anti-hero and Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair has always been one of my favourites. In Becky, Sarah May brings Thackeray’s character into the 20th century, placing her amongst the 90s tabloids where scandal and society fill the pages.

Retellings can be hit and miss, but journalism is the perfect place for Becky to be. Her feisty and ambitious nature thrives, and her penchant for gossip is applauded, rather than frowned upon. May writes well, immersing readers into the 1990s and reminding them of all of the shocking events that took place. Journalism is a career I considered at one point, but after reading this I don’t think I’m ruthless enough! Becky is a strong, independent woman for sure, but she’s also tenacious, selfish and – at times – heartless. She manipulates everyone; any friendships she makes are purely there to advance her to the next step of the career ladder, so once they have served their purpose… she drops them without a second thought.

Yet this made me warm to her, because underneath there’s a slight vulnerability. Her childhood was hard and it is that experience that fuels her determination to succeed. Her career takes precedent over everything, even when she becomes a mother herself. This is admirable in some ways, yet sad; many of us can relate to the struggles of balancing work and family, but in the 1990s, women were (for the most part) still expected to stay at home and look after the house and the children. Although we like to think things have changed, we are a still a long way off true inclusivity, especially in certain, more ‘cutthroat’ industries.

The book’s pace is fast, moving ahead in time rapidly, but maintaining a sense of flow. It’s also gripping, with real-life scandals entwined amongst the fiction; these work well, particularly the lives of socialites and the demons they try to hide, only to have them brutally exposed in print for the world to see.

Darkly funny, Becky is a gripping, fascinating insight into the cruel world of journalism, and although it is an excellent take on Vanity Fair, it stands up in its own right.

lizzy_royston_85's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

maria_smck's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

aurorahawthorn's review against another edition

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4.0

Enjoyable, funny and easy to devour. I liked Becky (the character) even though she isn't a good person or even especially likeable. Possibly precisely because she isn't those things, as I've always had a rather large soft spot for morally grey characters. Even as she makes 'bad' or 'wrong' decisions she remains understandable and human rather than monstrous and I wanted to stay with her and keep following her life. I kept thinking of burning, fire-like ambition: useful, energising, productive but hungry, dangerous, destructive when unchecked.

Apparently this is a retelling of Vanity Fair but I haven't read it so I can't comment on this aspect.

eschercat's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

seventhswan's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I haven't read Vanity Fair - I think I saw half an adaptation of it on TV once - but I'm familiar with the trial of Rebekah Brooks and the collapse of the News of the World which, regardless of any disclaimers in the acknowledgements section, this story is certainly equally based on. I found the plot incredibly gripping, and I don't think it's necessary to be familiar with either of these things beforehand, but I do think the small aspects that didn't work for me might have made more sense if I knew the story of the original Becky Sharp.

For me, the writing wasn't the absolute tightest it could have been, but the plot and characters were interesting enough that it didn't matter too much. As the story developed, my feelings on various characters kept changing and there were plenty of twists that added to the drama. I'm unsure if it was intentional, but a lot of the male love/sex interests felt quite interchangeable and object-like in a way that's usually reserved for women in these kinds of stories, which was interesting to read. Most importantly, I enjoyed reading this! It was the book equivalent of a six-episode BBC drama based on a true story, and I think it was executed well.

Content Warnings