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girlglitch's review
3.0
Becky is a modern retelling of Vanity Fair set in the tabloid heyday. Arguably the story leans just as heavily on the Rebekah Brooks scandal; the opening disclaimer that 'any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental' has never felt quite so ironic.
In many ways these two sources of inspiration are a match made in heaven, but it also means that as a reader, you know pretty much exactly what's going to happen from page one. Not only is Becky deliberately dislikeable, she's dislikeable in all the ways you expect, which takes some of the joy out of it. Sure, there's satisfaction in watching all the pieces of the story slot together, but for a novel all about scandal it lacks the capacity to shock.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
In many ways these two sources of inspiration are a match made in heaven, but it also means that as a reader, you know pretty much exactly what's going to happen from page one. Not only is Becky deliberately dislikeable, she's dislikeable in all the ways you expect, which takes some of the joy out of it. Sure, there's satisfaction in watching all the pieces of the story slot together, but for a novel all about scandal it lacks the capacity to shock.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
andy1118's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
annecarts's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable book, which is a rewrite of Vanity Fair set in the British tabloid era of the 1990s.
Because the characters are very clearly based on real people, despite the introduction saying that's a coincidence, it does lose suspense because anyone that remembers that era or has heard about it knows where this story is going.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Because the characters are very clearly based on real people, despite the introduction saying that's a coincidence, it does lose suspense because anyone that remembers that era or has heard about it knows where this story is going.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
angelfish257's review against another edition
3.0
Becky is meant to be a modern re-telling of Thackeray's Vanity Fair, bringing the story into modern times and based in the 1990s/2000s.
The story keeps a lot of the same names as the original and loosely the same timeline of key events, based in the cut-throat world of tabloid journalism. I found that Becky's working life mirrored the real-life events and journalism scandal involving Rebekah Brooks, although fictional Becky's home life seems to be entirely of the author's invention and is suitably grim to apparently be the catalyst for the character's actions and drive.
Becky is not a likable character, although there are no real 'winners' in this tale of greed, jealousy and corruption. Nobody seems to have any real redeeming qualities and will always look out for themselves alone above all else.
The use of flashbacks does help to build the backstory for Becky, but its not always made clear in the narrative when this happens and as the reader you suddenly find yourself back in another time/flashback. I found this a bit disconcerting, although I managed to get the gist of what the author was trying to do.
The premise of the story is a clever idea, however I don't feel it has been executed particularly well in this instance. As a standalone story in its own right Becky works pretty well, if you haven't read Vanity Fair and aren't familiar with it then this won't detract from it. I felt that the link to Vanity Fair was quite contrived in places and the author had to work hard to make the story 'fit' - it's clearly been inspired by VF but for me personally I don't think it fully works as a true modern re-telling.
Overall I did enjoy the book and found the story quite entertaining, would be good as a beach read.
The story keeps a lot of the same names as the original and loosely the same timeline of key events, based in the cut-throat world of tabloid journalism. I found that Becky's working life mirrored the real-life events and journalism scandal involving Rebekah Brooks, although fictional Becky's home life seems to be entirely of the author's invention and is suitably grim to apparently be the catalyst for the character's actions and drive.
Becky is not a likable character, although there are no real 'winners' in this tale of greed, jealousy and corruption. Nobody seems to have any real redeeming qualities and will always look out for themselves alone above all else.
The use of flashbacks does help to build the backstory for Becky, but its not always made clear in the narrative when this happens and as the reader you suddenly find yourself back in another time/flashback. I found this a bit disconcerting, although I managed to get the gist of what the author was trying to do.
The premise of the story is a clever idea, however I don't feel it has been executed particularly well in this instance. As a standalone story in its own right Becky works pretty well, if you haven't read Vanity Fair and aren't familiar with it then this won't detract from it. I felt that the link to Vanity Fair was quite contrived in places and the author had to work hard to make the story 'fit' - it's clearly been inspired by VF but for me personally I don't think it fully works as a true modern re-telling.
Overall I did enjoy the book and found the story quite entertaining, would be good as a beach read.
katie_mcg's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
henrymarlene's review against another edition
3.0
Oh Becky, how your ego was your downfall! I'm on the fence with this book. This book reminded me so much of the Rebecca Brooks phone hacking scandal case in the UK several years ago. I reflected and pondered on how empathy, morality and the quest for facts (not truth) seem to be pushed aside in the media world. We meet Becky, or Rebecca Sharp, who is an orphan with a drive to be successful as a journalist. She is ambitious, looks out for herself, and will climb any ladder (personally or professionally) to be at the top. Yet even at the top and having what she wanted, I don’t think she was ever really happy. Becky could play the game, but she certainly didn’t know how to be happy. And how she treated her so-called friends and family, it was enough to almost cast the book across the room at times. Amelia, Rawdon, George, Lizzie, George and Paul all suffer at the hands of Becky’s duplicitous nature.
The book is a bleak rendition of the 1990s through the eyes of Becky, who seemed to life in a life that was not really her own. She created stories to suit her origins, and use this same power to weave webs of deceit in order to get what she wanted. Even in the denouement, I felt that Becky had still not made peace with per past or present, and that was a sad testament to her so-called life. The backstory of her mother was tragic, and the consequences and corollary for Becky were equally so, but used to her advantage. Becky used the connections of her friends to her advantage to distance herself from being a painfully poor daughter of a cleaner at a school she used in her pathway to glory. Becky is egocentric and delusional, similar to how I would describe some of the media outlets that exist today – all about themselves, built on false beliefs, devoid of fact and evidence and stories, arrogant and callous.
Thanks to PanMacmillan Australia for gifting me a copy of this book.
The book is a bleak rendition of the 1990s through the eyes of Becky, who seemed to life in a life that was not really her own. She created stories to suit her origins, and use this same power to weave webs of deceit in order to get what she wanted. Even in the denouement, I felt that Becky had still not made peace with per past or present, and that was a sad testament to her so-called life. The backstory of her mother was tragic, and the consequences and corollary for Becky were equally so, but used to her advantage. Becky used the connections of her friends to her advantage to distance herself from being a painfully poor daughter of a cleaner at a school she used in her pathway to glory. Becky is egocentric and delusional, similar to how I would describe some of the media outlets that exist today – all about themselves, built on false beliefs, devoid of fact and evidence and stories, arrogant and callous.
Thanks to PanMacmillan Australia for gifting me a copy of this book.
angelfish257's review against another edition
3.0
Becky is meant to be a modern re-telling of Thackeray's Vanity Fair, bringing the story into modern times and based in the 1990s/2000s.
The story keeps a lot of the same names as the original and loosely the same timeline of key events, based in the cut-throat world of tabloid journalism. I found that Becky's working life mirrored the real-life events and journalism scandal involving Rebekah Brooks, although fictional Becky's home life seems to be entirely of the author's invention and is suitably grim to apparently be the catalyst for the character's actions and drive.
Becky is not a likable character, although there are no real 'winners' in this tale of greed, jealousy and corruption. Nobody seems to have any real redeeming qualities and will always look out for themselves alone above all else.
The use of flashbacks does help to build the backstory for Becky, but its not always made clear in the narrative when this happens and as the reader you suddenly find yourself back in another time/flashback. I found this a bit disconcerting, although I managed to get the gist of what the author was trying to do.
The premise of the story is a clever idea, however I don't feel it has been executed particularly well in this instance. As a standalone story in its own right Becky works pretty well, if you haven't read Vanity Fair and aren't familiar with it then this won't detract from it. I felt that the link to Vanity Fair was quite contrived in places and the author had to work hard to make the story 'fit' - it's clearly been inspired by VF but for me personally I don't think it fully works as a true modern re-telling.
Overall I did enjoy the book and found the story quite entertaining, would be good as a beach read.
The story keeps a lot of the same names as the original and loosely the same timeline of key events, based in the cut-throat world of tabloid journalism. I found that Becky's working life mirrored the real-life events and journalism scandal involving Rebekah Brooks, although fictional Becky's home life seems to be entirely of the author's invention and is suitably grim to apparently be the catalyst for the character's actions and drive.
Becky is not a likable character, although there are no real 'winners' in this tale of greed, jealousy and corruption. Nobody seems to have any real redeeming qualities and will always look out for themselves alone above all else.
The use of flashbacks does help to build the backstory for Becky, but its not always made clear in the narrative when this happens and as the reader you suddenly find yourself back in another time/flashback. I found this a bit disconcerting, although I managed to get the gist of what the author was trying to do.
The premise of the story is a clever idea, however I don't feel it has been executed particularly well in this instance. As a standalone story in its own right Becky works pretty well, if you haven't read Vanity Fair and aren't familiar with it then this won't detract from it. I felt that the link to Vanity Fair was quite contrived in places and the author had to work hard to make the story 'fit' - it's clearly been inspired by VF but for me personally I don't think it fully works as a true modern re-telling.
Overall I did enjoy the book and found the story quite entertaining, would be good as a beach read.
hotgirlfiction's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting re-telling of Vanity Fair, however suffers from quite slow pacing to begin with and very bare bones characters aside from Becky, which makes the experience less enjoyable. Definitely could've been a bit shorter with no detriment to the plot.