Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Luck of Barry Lyndon
    The Luck of Barry Lyndon
    The Luck of Barry Lyndon
    Ebook421 pages9 hours

    The Luck of Barry Lyndon

    By William Makepeace Thackeray

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A continent-spanning adventure featuring one of literature’s greatest rogues

    Redmond Barry has almost all the qualities of a gentleman: he speaks well, has learned courtly etiquette, and can hold his own with a sword in hand. But passion is his downfall—passion for life, for excitement, and unfortunately, for his cousin Nora. When he almost kills Nora’s suitor in a duel, Barry flees to Dublin, and the adventure of his life begins.
     
    A consummate rake and con man, Barry finds himself on the battlefield against the Prussians in the Seven Years’ War after losing everything. But war—and life, for that matter—is not exactly what Barry wished or expected it to be. A braggart’s tale through and through, with an antihero of epic proporations, The Luck of Barry Lyndon is a brisk romp through one of literature’s most unusual lives.
     
    This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Media
    Release dateMar 31, 2015
    ISBN9781504010764
    The Luck of Barry Lyndon
    Author

    William Makepeace Thackeray

    William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) was a multitalented writer and illustrator born in British India. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where some of his earliest writings appeared in university periodicals. As a young adult he encountered various financial issues including the failure of two newspapers. It wasn’t until his marriage in 1836 that he found direction in both his life and career. Thackeray regularly contributed to Fraser's Magazine, where he debuted a serialized version of one of his most popular novels, The Luck of Barry Lyndon. He spent his decades-long career writing novels, satirical sketches and art criticism.

    Read more from William Makepeace Thackeray

    Related to The Luck of Barry Lyndon

    Related ebooks

    Classics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      To Hell And Back

      Sep 1, 2022

      The first complete English translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy appeared in 1802, and over the past two centuries, new versions have proliferated beyond count, like Beatles covers or Sherlock Holmes movies. A diverting literary parlor game is to imag

      4 min read

    • Article

      Key Events

      Mar 23, 2023

      Key Events
      2 min read

    • Article

      Will There Ever Be Another Writer Like Philip Roth?

      May 23, 2018

      I first discovered Philip Roth at age fifteen. My parents, bless them, placed Goodbye, Columbus in my hands. Having grown up in the suburbs of Detroit—the rock-ribbed WASP enclave of Grosse Pointe—I found him exotic, thrilling. His audacity staggered

      2 min read

    • Article

      Roman Treasures Of Britain

      Sep 10, 2020

      Roman Treasures Of Britain
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Coleridge Way

      Nov 5, 2021

      The Coleridge Way
      6 min read

    • Article

      Hero Of The Highlands

      Aug 14, 2020

      Hero Of The Highlands
      4 min read

    • Article

      Abraham ‘Bram’ Stoker

      Sep 7, 2021

      Abraham ‘Bram’ Stoker - the author who reimagined and propelled Vlad III as Dracula onto the international scene – is of Irish heritage, born in Dublin on 8 November 1847. Although he published his first short story at 24 years of age and wrote many

      1 min read

    • Article

      Stones Soup

      Sep 28, 2020

      Stones Soup
      8 min read

    • Article

      Escaping Samuel Johnson

      May 30, 2019

      Escaping Samuel Johnson
      9 min read

    • Article

      Ferry Well

      Aug 30, 2021

      Ferry Well
      5 min read

    • Article

      Stephen Fry Actor, Writer And Presenter

      Mar 19, 2020

      Stephen Fry’s well-documented journey from comedy actor to national treasure, by way of best-selling author, ahead-of-the-curve technophile, film director and television presenter, means he needs little introduction. He has teamed-up with composer De

      3 min read

    • Article

      Right Royal Writers

      May 4, 2022

      Right Royal Writers
      4 min read

    • Article

      The King Of Westminster

      May 24, 2023

      The King Of Westminster
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Woman Scorned?

      Feb 8, 2024

      A Woman Scorned?
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Secret History of Creative Nonfiction

      Oct 15, 2021

      A common misconception about literary history is that women weren’t writing professionally or significantly before Jane Austen. To talk about women’s historical oppression, Virginia Woolf famously conjured up an imaginary sister for William Shakespea

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Best Books Of The Year

      Dec 13, 2023

      The Best Books Of The Year
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Special Relationship

      Mar 20, 2024

      A Special Relationship
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Lying Game

      Jun 30, 2021

      Now that we’re all being asked to prove our identity every time we go out to lunch, the idea of being an impostor seems quite attractive. But could we go as far as Anna Sorokin, the lorry driver’s daughter from a Moscow suburb who passed herself off

      3 min read

    • Article

      City Of A Scandal

      Jan 4, 2023

      City Of A Scandal
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Matt Seidel

      Dec 9, 2017

      I tend to buy used books in bunches, which means the haul from some expeditions stays buried for weeks, months, years even. For this entry, I highlight three finds that, breaking custom, I bought and read almost immediately this year: Hugo Charteris’

      6 min read

    • Article

      Richard III Struggled Against His Two Brothers For The Crown

      Dec 1, 2020

      English history recounts many tales of bloody battles, but the infighting among “The Brothers York” was legendary for its ferocity.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Sound And Fury

      Sep 4, 2023

      by Elizabeth Winkler (Simon & Schuster, $55 hb) The subtitle of Elizabeth Winkler’s witty, illuminating and possibly scandalous – depending on where you sit – book on a man who has been called Britain’s greatest export runs: “How doubting the Bard be

      2 min read

    • Article

      Anniversaries

      Dec 28, 2021

      Anniversaries
      5 min read

    • Article

      Edward Wilson

      Dec 3, 2020

      Edward Wilson immigrated to the UK from America after serving in the Vietnam War. After his teaching career ended, he became the author of eight highly acclaimed books, including the Catesby spy thrillers as well as standalones. ‘Portrait of the Spy

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Luck of Barry Lyndon

    3.5/5

    122 ratings5 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    Book preview

    The Luck of Barry Lyndon - William Makepeace Thackeray

    bdbook_preview_excerpt.html}}˒ǑfU(zA# /- Wfʌ vfF1](Zֳݭ>E_rwj@c6!2##q#>ic??OiۦVo)_o>y/իyo>yW}t6SuSTm՘XCR=VېTavl>B}p_>V<܎rp<0m{oC5!BC,<Ȳe4oC1N򣓬b#Tg},?&9VrnS"{~I%Mclwj$wMqCuR o7Ӹe? xeF!4ձ 58!X.7Qz'g4M0.Y\u?~-O$z!Ը|*4<r(i y:ϭ!unkҮ>'ōݢr|Ooֳ?1~z2㵜;6/~;F?a *Ҭ?عq mrx5׷i}E^?]o'ջ,YGWA.x=6M??͹iFVlX~b-%Cߔu<)~_Oy'|į-҅3Yr1DhL^n.OjX,7V>#n8\p`RRĸüElqC>5DQoZv0WbWܕO-4jxBD q=Lށ˴[64PDqr jArXjx ` hWO]؈(KVMZ{"|la7qW6 ӁzOu|H!BG+ G\ڗ?o- ;oVE4B@Ws^ChD`kNl|!7qmUd3^LG}c1j>Y }Ԕ]z"5I70@Y[ 7㐷aQBy$˓a&[=vO^Bg:=B& ݈~.p;zO+jEpQ68Y IOP,w"'kɍs,ߗ߿M@4Dt`:I|Sx|لfLd:I`T`0'9(d4Qpyb;H`+m !3>BBqގuTӾ݇.xz_W/Ao"\R"A%٫@Ȱ\N>9xc<@DP@D=!TpV(\zV$:Of[1刳t{lAc>.m@GbND&ڜob%< l>  D4 @C4 cJ:yDʹŃX䏣ҪO% 4i S.L^1 Xh WFrD\uD2P#HdI%aE,Ƣ6QeRp<[(e,JETs.O¿ FW=LVKnD RZ?t bρfNj !񆆪?a>o j;3_} vF/M7mHZQ8!FM%~YCiۜ8}*<4 9PSe23(Qm'E"4M}'<B>5@,14xȧ K~3y]#T)EX,}΍GS"I !ȷ*[8?b=Dpr CDԝ[d=N-J:kd)`V '2n֔~%JYA┡)YDMk <".2 4ߨ}"rO{bo~wDX+Eb"R b8yy Mif7xq@Z䄿6#I2b"%0^WQB(.0'sb$,w}]QD}r(ͯ2K{Dxqa?$Ͽ~p/̔o|+{~K\+87*!R84\IͳՇ/OIwyAC.p;e}"4O?_g$"t]{SE}2@CDLCc ]RyQP^+Zg JM'G 86KP p|Q 8+l){&8rAyqIq+[S{#;tEr>D+;2wc\Hƿs+ Q("b{Y,Y,;:e__S(ㅵۭyO9^Dg4F>̔ڳ%Xk2d qMҒ}0JAqK$yTi_FDqZ ϤjpH30X;;8K\]cߖԘ?bdsK>:ksl~ϊ]v%NGZr!nTN]a2}99!HmXX60gbj"Js/wTdYJGSб`u빓ট  NHb#!.%8oA*I!-G?P.ZGwVD=k$~懙f")euԓQ5z)>bRe%J !s׻4#H< 'yQ8qJKՎ4ϤR3,`kxڬmjh(&jBG^_i%A dVO:.brUS𔒨m\8W<.Zzl%={KQu9i_9چ!UnNbH=Q9&014LZ'>.-eic{Vv!̍XwPQ(M)R?)Q h+/+?}hAPNkPG9l I i-j}9'|]~onw/[M_zcbj'>a eTI J,zo*/lx-(@Ų.Pm-Yeڶ(U眇-A "o,FX/Q)[Y1INWe-co (^'Oᐞ!YC?gO>0U25/Fq/xv%0O 1X@&l=Bѷj%+xP>4Lev[u+:$Lbq3,1+m1 6qx^ GpjE,,E0Kq9Oi{ :x6 ˽e(JQMK ~( ffJ NjlIT gƱg>":ʼnxib|-R=&ipa=!jr\QuK/M\O^"b D^ eP+$'^;?%7+2 u+TFl'}ӺAQhCXc^R1Jg^~JAzK%;kPk3EOP]Pː"/J4VF¡ t[ZLAŴ0r> 맕zYtڨhۄ"%DQkt]Eu sp%>DQS—^uނ 44mZpXn<<<̞b#Sz|Z 8?Mëz0j>e =/=up[)c>bb7^DSΨ6AEd^dC:aWzD><Śά>EP&Wc&TNxdA|PBX%K&gk(vi!RkJ?bc^#Ѝ2k>G\k\]=niX7j\8xKc-"[vv S% 6)o-_Kwh*+Vڿd?؟:yB49>~,+`ῼ[/) Bۏv ؞"vF4G‚u32J 6:x``pްQ=jK0)hgXR9e,J--oͯdN˼vҲ4KI3FöT2dE{`!4~ :Ba]۳~Zm9ď;Ɨ,G'EL*d xAء_N9{-N6>@h]mQpF;B-uYk m,Cqz]*} F$ɴc EaxB,_]ЪL0X Vv2-`q,ژ-0wzԽT Ⱥ̎ah~Lӈ\*~%w:.x\1cUt Bō}J&86>i InJ~X3=ZEs] VmNء#Y'Kx);Jh{:erV,xU-qnҴ L2xȭվ[Wd۳kRgE \cW.ur[x{l:{i]MD!IZGED_11PwoQuY^Jn H`󱵌nft^1  |2:I !>d=6[[b;vWn-/Vs8^B1E{+ Q17vZ\\z9P ޢ/1W:"{?\oO1[H4*wLI¾/C:T\ȨIKcy <[qZL0:ܖ/Aͩb 2 =z+h ]&jM6Eǁ`#E7Zs_ZL1|ja)eW67h nޝГ@)*Z62&)*e:"UxI:}"0 7qƤMVRV`8r1VB0oW4p*΄4KH9S{CE} ǖ#QsޝI,%h_1qrI&қUX3oq/Y_< vM65A+~`{9˹nfe=M:@}L+N>*`Lp%.Rζs}V )q PAVVչLkw ',l}(y4Ê4KiAak4,II[{nݔcٳ ߨ$!ҝ-R,>иp9ae$t'+.g6Z/Y²cQTyѲq)[O:O8 #@,em-MC R+NݮCo| L/)^EP{Id!Ո\ǫ~oJKeZ^I[`'Тهqi8nd|_cqR!޲F{ggU7jB4:WeHiZ?fRl$.w+5RX)4X]|l.voY `l|8N @?>`˚HDs`'e[N`k]`%їZxvs-ToUغZhۅq mG@cu#uM; *0>I%o`hm.AFKd=t c T,`:K \A(zv_>Xyeg&2}2Pxɽ.p>;*EIK@41 dĖf ulVqYj-Ӗ߱pUi<:_N:M'/s_G$5C+PBpo {1FTLoc__mDذ X7d> [~m({[&ahWnZVc.ջ>۹ MUF98o=-khcq. ^lUOK%hy'@,s,] DaF_֫C&o5bŢ1h]/*K_}.6tf ([ڴRc92jәcWxo"ԉjz@E IXNcuml0# /B.0^cE7˦~VUeB <1=7m|,ND?Mu:Vn΀A_ZW3+t$rƧ$@ (CF쵊-,|*Qpzjc bh-?qA, &ܗJޕ2r-Wfݜ4oRWKl뤧I[yAgA14V:dN.'6\ͦ_}CY"{TM'OAg, Si?ZCoƧdO,=н8Ɋ=IOsJW&+ ᰚv6dEhmN'~O+_R&V_ 0UJ|.tD$G!ؤO"fM)sP|viw$)T?"3Vn@ v,Ō:cglCBҖ=&tKs/xu x+ySx-l]j.8\-}oK$Y *1gij- >)/P,Z^m7Bi6lM=s׿}Dm:#Ԃr'Hn*a ̡Ԃ-"ERE}[mwڳ6;ץ 1!CmI-Z^iCEæ=O%~5VE`, 5;`;9 QI?rZqRDYZZf򂿥C * @qk3*$^ uWfs5 JFh:2Xϖ[-&T' #v&b1 Rw j){X!7=Rc[J43.j .pioFD7zfrs˗_p33*owQt5jz|d>oWLxuF߿<};U<}1^Y"[a<x]}ʄ_3h味K:W~⡈gm?6E|nAd! 5m9UC{ 6DboQ]*̕a,NAcl2*@ ;ELn4#^'DB[G ʶ "v⾭Y4ր3E;<W6J;9kvO bo'ky_LN}' En?x.}\}#áHjwT,MKanoiEvFWxwV^.N̈eaX^JVS6mU Jn렊/mS }Tl|i7ߟT:<y`kkإth*kqt \2''{7|UA''i:l"Op\ڛ_@-ľyJ|Hýi-n+05d-x%X%aW9{B0WF`/t LB1EnʋbvD˯Q}t0C&|['5jJ~Vf
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1