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    Barry Lyndon
    Barry Lyndon
    Barry Lyndon
    Audiobook13 hours

    Barry Lyndon

    Written by William Makepeace Thackeray

    Narrated by Jonathan Keeble

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Like Tom Jones before him, Barry Lyndon is one of the most lively and roguish characters in English literature. He may now be best known through the colourful Stanley Kubrick film released in 1975, but it is Thackeray who, in true 19th-century style, shows the darker side of this 18th-century hero; hence it remains a startling novel. Following the death of an English officer, Barry flees his native Ireland and attempts to establish himself as one of England’s aristocratic elite. Through backstabbing and scheming he reaches the level of society to which he always aspired. However, intent on criticizing the period’s social order, Thackeray ensures that this success is soon followed by the hero’s ultimate decline.
    Jonathan Keeble’s energetic reading imbues the period with color and illuminates the sheer inventiveness of Thackeray’s literary and topical satire.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateJan 1, 2013
    ISBN9781843797098
    Author

    William Makepeace Thackeray

    William Makepeace Thackeray was born in Calcutta in 1811. He was sent to England in 1817 and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. Following a period of gambling, unsuccessful investments and a brief career as a lawyer, he turned to writing and drawing. In 1836 he married Isabella Shawe; following the birth of their second daughter, her mental health deteriorated and she had to be permanently supervised by a private nurse. Thackeray's first novel, Catherine, was published in 1839-40. Following the success of Vanity Fair (1847-8) he was able to devote himself to fiction, and his other notable works include Pendennis (1849), The History of Henry Esmond (1852) and The Newcomes (1855). He also edited the commercially successful Cornhill Magazine, which published writers such as Tennyson, George Eliot and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Thackeray died suddenly on Christmas Eve, 1863.

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    Reviews for Barry Lyndon

    3.5/5

    128 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The movie is one of my all-time favorites, what of the book? In truth they differ so substantially that in fairness it can only truly be said that the movie is based "loosely" on the novel. The character of Barry Lyndon portrayed in film is very different from the one Barry Lyndon portrays himself as in this novel, and picking apart the difference is complicated. How true is the film's portrayal vs. Barry Lyndon's compulsive lies and self-flattery? It is hard to say. Point being the movie and book are so far apart and different that it is impossible to say which is "better"... truth is, the book and the movie are both classics. I loved this book (and its narration) equally as much as the film, as far different apart as they are.

      I will warn the potential reader and or listener: the real Barry Lyndon is a far worse villain than the one brought to life in film. There are parts of this audio rendition I had a hard time listening to due to this rogue's (read: abuser's) unconscionable description of, and rationalizing for, some of his behaviors, particularly towards his wife. At the same time I couldn't help laugh at the outright absurdity for his justifications and self-righteous indignation all the while, so outlandish it was at each instance - despite my guilty feelings for his victims. Thank god the laws in our time have caught up with the guiles of low men such as this felon.
    • 3/5
      3.5*

      Perhaps I had too high expectations of this novel... I loved Vanity Fair & so expected to love this too so maybe my rating should be 4 rather than 3.5; I'll see how I feel once some time has passed.

      Barry Lyndon (nee Redmond Barry) is an Irish scamp (similar to Flashman) but unlike with Becky Sharpe, I didn't feel the charm of the character. I also didn't find the same humor in this novel that had me laughing in Vanity Fair. It was an enjoyable book that I am glad that I read but it seems unlikely to be one I will revisit.
    • 3/5
      I listened to the audio version of the book. I loved Vanity Fair, and I heard that this was just as good, if not better.Barry Lyndon is very good, and still very funny. One of the things I enjoy most about Thackeray is that his sense of humor has held up well over the years. Barry Lyndon tells his life story and a lot of things about his adventures, but it's obvious that he's an inveterate liar, and you need to read between the lines and, basically, disbelieve everything good he says about himself. His life is an adventure, as he goes from a teenage Irish dueler to a deserting member of both the English and Prussian army. He eventually becomes a professional gambler that tours Europe and finds himself among high society, and becomes one with them by lying, cheating, stealing, and threatening violence in order to marry one of the richest women in Europe.Easy to root for at first, his crimes against other people get progressively worse the more the book goes on. He duels heavily throughout, though it's unclear most of the time if these duels are real. Tricking his way out of the armies is funny enough, and cheating people out of money gambling falls within moral tolerance. But his courtship and marriage to Lady Lyndon is pretty awful, and the narrative becomes harder to read towards the end when not even his lies are hiding what a terrible person he is.This one is a little harder to read than Vanity Fair, which took place within a small group of people. Barry Lyndon name-drops and moves from setting to setting, and it can be hard to keep track of the complicated title and relationship information. I assume this was satirizing a lot of current events, but without any sort of historical annotation, a lot of this was lost on me.Also making it hard to read was that SO MUCH of the text was about JUST HOW GREAT Barry Lyndon was. It's very funny at first, but doesn't abate throughout the novel. It wouldn't be the same without all that flavor text, but I found it tedious after awhile. I had the same problem with the insane catalogues in American Psycho.Overall a very worthwhile read though, and I'm glad I finally got to it.
    • 3/5
      In 1844, WMT was tired of the picaresque adventure story, and so he wrote one up, with a satiric twist. IT's a good book, and if one is new to the "Flashman" genre, one might not catch on that this is a satire. So it's enjoyable on both levels, and the subject of an interesting, if not always entertaining film.
    • 4/5
      This satire of manners is narrated by the eponymous 'hero', though only he gives himself that epithet. Barry Lyndon is possibly the most unreliable narrator in English literature, and there is a great deal of entertainment to be had in contrasting his version of characters and events with the truth that peeps out through the pages. It is good fun to be shown aspects of eighteenth century high society with all its hypocrisy and foibles in the company of a (largely) lovable scoundrel, though his relentless boasting does occasionally become tedious. I learned a lot about fashionable society and its dirty linen, laughed a lot at Lyndon's cock-eyed self-image (as delusive as Don Quixote's), and even felt a tinge of sadness at his demise, however deserved.
    • 4/5
      Three Reasons to read The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq.1. Thackeray is a fine writer and it is a fine tale - a bit better than Vanity Fair, I think. Thackeray's non-fiction writing is even better yet.2. Compare Kubrick's adaptation in the film Barry Lyndon. He departs from the story in several respects but is true to the story in general. A remarkable adaptation.3. Reflect upon the life of Ryan O'Neal and its unfortunate correspondences to the life of Barry, after whom he named his son, Redmond.