When Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley leave school, their feet are set on very different paths. Kind, foolish Amelia returns to her comfortable home and wealthy family, to await a suitable marriage, while Becky must look out for herself, earning her own living in a hard world. But Becky is neither kind nor foolish, and with her quick brain and keen eye for a chance, her fortunes soon rise, while Amelia's fall.

Greed, ambition, loyalty, folly, wisdom . . . Thackeray's famous novel gives us a witty and satirical picture of English society during the Napoleonic wars.

Oxford Bookworms enjoy a world-wide reputation for high-quality storytelling and a great reading experience.

Research shows reading a lot improves

When Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley leave school, their feet are set on very different paths. Kind, foolish Amelia returns to her comfortable home and wealthy family, to await a suitable marriage, while Becky must look out for herself, earning her own living in a hard world. But Becky is neither kind nor foolish, and with her quick brain and keen eye for a chance, her fortunes soon rise, while Amelia's fall. Greed, ambition, loyalty, folly, wisdom ...Thackeray's famous novel gives us a witty and satirical picture of English society during the Napoleonic wars.
Classics

Amelia Sedley and Becky Sharp are two friends. Amelia comes from a wealthy family but her father is made bankrupt. She marries George Osborne, a vain and shallow young man who does not really love her. Becky Sharp, on the other hand, comes from a penniless family, and is determined to use her beauty and charm to find a good position in life.

No one is better equipped in the struggle for wealth and worldly success than the alluring and ruthless Becky Sharp, who defies her impoverished background to clamber up the class ladder. Her sentimental companion Amelia, however, longs only for caddish soldier George. As the two heroines make their way through the tawdry glamour of Regency society, battles – military and domestic – are fought, fortunes made and lost. The one steadfast and honourable figure in this corrupt world is Dobbin with his devotion to Amelia, bringing pathos and depth to Thackeray’s gloriously satirical epic of love and social adventure.

Becky Sharp, an intelligent young lady with no family or money, becomes a governess. But this type of life is not enough for her. She has big plans for herself. Is she clever enough to find success? Will she marry and be happy? Or will life be unkind to her?