Welcome to the final discussion of Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. Congratulations if you've made it through to the end of this puppet show! These characters have been living in our heads for ten weeks, and some will surely stay. As we close the curtain, I'd like to say thanks to all the readrunners and contributors to the discussions - it's been a lot of fun! Today we are discussing from chapter 64 to the end, so let's stop twirling our mustachios and get started! Questions will be in the comments and a summary follows.

Schedule

Marginalia

Chapter 64 A Vagabond Chapter

Thackeray acknowledges that there is wickedness in the world, but states that it is impolite to talk about it. (Please don't offend my sensibilities by saying the word breeches!) Hence, he spares us the details of Becky's vices. Her downfall happened gradually, despite desperately trying to hold on. Her appeals to Sir Pitt were unsuccessful after Lady Jane had turned him against her. After Lord Steyne heard about Becky’s activities he wanted nothing more to do with her, and after the scandal, Rawdon, Steyne, and Wenham wanted her out of the country. Rawdon even paid her to stay away. Becky forgot about her son, who was in the care of Sir Pitt and Lady Jane, with whom he was close. Moving to the French coast, a change happened - men who once fawned over her, insulted her, and worse than this - in Becky’s eyes - she started gaining the sympathy of women she viewed as below her. Her landlord kicked her out after hearing stories about her. The English abroad loved to gossip, and no matter where Becky settled, her stories would surface. She eventually ended up in Belgium, enjoying playing écarté, playing for larger and larger amounts until she scarpered, owing three months' rent. Travelling around Europe she became more and more disreputable, but really took to this bohemian life. When hard times hit, she would give concerts or music lessons under different pseudonyms. In Rome she managed to get an invitation to a royal ball, and there she saw none other than Lord Steyne. He was furious at seeing her and had his valet warn her away. Thackeray informs us that Lord Steyne subsequently died after a series of fits at the downfall of the French monarchy. In a contested will, his mistress, Madame de Belladonna, was a beneficiary, as were their offspring.

Chapter 65 Full of Business and Pleasure

Jos, having spiffed himself up, and without anyone knowing, tracks Becky down to the sordid rooms of the top floor of the Elephant Hotel, where she is joking around with a couple of students. Becky tries to win Jos over, calling him an old friend, and perhaps the first man she ever “saw”. He falls hard for her sob story, how she was forced to wander around restless and unhappy, betrayed by her friends. He leaves, determined to return her to society. He relates her situation to Dobbin, wondering how she had come to be so alone. Dobbin, however, knows Becky’s ways and is unsympathetic. When Amelia hears the story, she refuses to see her, but changes her tune when she is told how Becky’s son was taken from her. Dobbin and Amelia come to visit her, and she receives Amelia’s embrace and forgiveness.

Chapter 66 Amantium Irae

Becky is almost moved by Amelia’s tenderness, and relates her story of her wicked husband Rawdon, and her attempts to get the help of Steyne. When Dobbin hears the students talk about Becky, he realises that she’s up to her old tricks. Later, Emmy announces that Becky can come and live with them. Jos thinks this is a wonderful idea, but Dobbin vehemently objects. Amelia is furious with Dobbin’s attitude, so Dobbin alludes to Becky’s betrayal of her. Amelia won’t hear a word spoken about her beloved late husband. When Becky does come to live with them, Georgy recognises Becky from the gambling room, and she makes him promise to keep the secret. Dobbin goes for a walk and ends up dining with Tapeworm (who doesn’t seem any more parasitic than any other character). Tapeworm fills him in on the sordid details of Becky’s tale, and warns him off. The next day Dobbin confronts Jos, Amelia and Becky, to say that Becky is not a fit companion for Amelia and Georgy. Jos walks out in a huff. Dobbin takes Amelia aside, telling her she is not worthy of his devotion any more, and leaves. Becky had been listening in, and admired Dobbin for having heart. Georgy is devastated at Dobbin’s departure, and as he goes to chase after him, Amelia hands him a note to pass on. Dobbin tears it in two, and Georgy is left crying in the street.

Chapter 67 Which contains Births, Marriages, and Deaths

Becky has succeeded in winning over Jos and she enjoys her living arrangements, entertaining society with her talents. Meanwhile, Emmy becomes ill after Dobbin’s departure and talks kindly about him with Georgy. Becky finds an old picture, tucked away in her secret box, of Jos seated on an elephant, and he is flattered seeing it pinned on the wall. Jos reads that Dobbin has been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. Georgy maintains his correspondence with Dobbin, and Amelia regrets throwing him away. Dobbin reflects that he was deluded in thinking Amelia ever loved him. Jos spends the summer at a seaside town in Germany for his health, accompanied by Becky and Amelia. Amelia attracts many male admirers and Becky sends them away. Amelia makes a resolution and sends a letter overseas. Becky announces to Amelia that she needs a husband and berates her for rejecting Dobbin. Amelia says she did try to love him, but her loyalty to George prevented her. Becky releases a tirade of insults against George, saying he would have run off with her. Amelia refuses to believe it, so Becky produces the note!!!. Amelia cries (yet again) but then feels that she is now released from the prison of staying loyal to George. She immediately summons George from England. Emmy and Georgy wait anxiously for the arrival of the steamer, and when Dobbin disembarks, Amelia embraces him, disappearing under the folds of his cloak, begging forgiveness.

Dobbin marries Amelia, leaves the military, and they move to Hampshire, near Queen’s Crawley. Lady Jane and Amelia become best friends, and she and Dobbin name their daughter after her. Rawdy and Georgy are best buds, and fight over who will marry Lady Jane’s daughter. Meanwhile Becky follows Jos around. When Amelia learns that Jos has taken out a large life insurance policy, she sends Dobbin to investigate. They suspect he took it out as a means to discharge debt, but Jos insists it was so he could leave them his money. Dobbin implores Jos to leave so Becky can't follow him - she would be furious. Dobbin leaves, Jos dies, and all that is left is two thousand pounds to be split between Amelia and Becky.

Becky begins to call herself Lady Crawley, without ever being given the title, and Sir Pitt dies, leaving the estate to Rawdy. Rawdy refuses to see Becky but gives her a generous allowance. She busies herself in church life and charity. When the Dobbins spot her at a fair, they don’t speak. Emmy reflects that Dobbin loves little Janey more than her. Thackeray asks which of us is happy in this world, and packs away the puppets.

Welcome intrepid readers and curious travellers to our Read the World adventure. In case you missed it, we are just finishing the first of our Azerbaijan books, Ali and Nino by Kurban Said, here's the schedule which will be followed by Days in the Caucasus by Banine. So it is already that time again for the nominations, upvote and sourcing of the book for the next Read the World destination....

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North Macedonia 🇲🇰

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Read the World is the chance to pack your literary suitcases for trotting the globe from the comfort of your own home by reading a book from every country in the world. We are basing this list of countries on information obtained from worldometer, and our 3 randomising wheels to pick the next country. In case you missed it here is the wheel spin where North Macedonia won the spin!

Readers are encouraged to add their own suggestions, but a selection will, as always, be provided by the moderator team. This will be based on information obtained from various sources.

Nomination specifications

• Set in (or partially set in) and written by an author from North Macedonia
• Any page count
• Any category
• No previously read selections

(Any nomination that does not fulfill all these requirements may be disqualified. This is also subject to availability of material translated into English)

Note - Due to difficulties in sourcing English translations in some destinations, novellas are eligible for nomination. If a novella wins the vote it is likely that mods will choose to run the two highest upvoted novellas in place of a full length novel or even the novella as a Bonus Read to a full length novel.

You can check the previous selections here to determine if we have read your selection. You can also check by author here.

Nominate as many titles as you want (one per comment), and upvote for any you will participate in if they win. A reminder to upvote will be posted on the 3rd day, 24 hours before the nominations are closed, so be sure to get your nominations in before then to give them the best chance of winning!

Happy reading nominating (the world) 📚🌍

Welcome back to the final discussion of Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista. Today we are discussing from Chapter 11 through to the end. I hope you have enjoyed this window into a period of history of the Philippines and learnt a bit along the way, even though this has been a tough read. A summary of this section is below if you need, and questions will be in the comments.

Schedule

Marginalia

#Interesting bits:

A walking tour of Tondo, Manila

2020 Tarlac shooting of Anton and Sonya Gregorio by Komal Nuezca

Arrest of Rodrigo Duterte

CA upholds dismissal from service of Manila cop over drug war killing

ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirms all charges against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and commits him to trial

#Summary

11 Djastin with a D

The chapter opens with Nestor Lopez’s witness account of his nephew Djastin’s killing by police in the slums of Tondo, Manila. The Lopez family, headed by Lito and Normy, lived in poverty across four ramshackle houses, caring for Djastin, who had epilepsy. His family described him as a good boy, despite being introduced to marijuana by local boys. In 2017 Djastin was shot by police while running an errand. Nestor witnessed the killing - after Djastin suffered a seizure, police hit him and shot him again several times. The police report, however, described the incident as an "armed encounter." Officers claimed that Djastin was listed on the Drugs Watchlist and a murder suspect, and had shot at Police Officer Geñalope, who acted in self-defense. The family was further outraged when one report misspelled Djastin’s name.

All charges against police were dropped except for the murder charge against Police Staff Sergeant Geñalope. Two settlement offers were made and rejected. A third, from a retired officer, was also refused by Normy, who insisted that no amount of money could bring her son back. Lito, however, grew angry by her outright rejection. The children were afraid Geñalope would come after them.

Two years later Patricia met Normita who revealed that Geñalope had been jailed after surrendering. She hinted that a settlement might have been reached. Lito had accepted an initial payment, on the condition that the family would drop the charges, but then gave it away to the kids. Normita agreed to take the money, promising to withdraw the case involving the death of her son. Although the money helped with necessities, she regretted her decision.

12 My Father is a Policeman

Politicians often declare metaphorical wars, but for Duterte, a "war on drugs" explicitly meant killing. Surprisingly, there was little public dissent - until 2020, when a viral video exposed Police Officer Jonel Nuezca shooting dead Anton Gregorio and his mother, Sonya, during a neighbour dispute. Outraged, Duterte released Nuezca’s record to the public: at least six administrative cases. He declared Nuezca an isolated case and removed him from service. At the Gregorio home, two coffins were adorned with condolences from public officials, including a floral display from Duterte himself.

The murders were making world news attracting the attention of Human Rights organisations. At the funeral, Patricia spoke with Vincent, who noted that the family did not blame the president. Vincent attributed this to their inability to see the bigger picture - they hadn’t witnessed the scale of deaths he and others had.

Nuezca had been following orders. Just three weeks earlier, Duterte had encouraged police to kill suspects if they were uncertain. Patricia believed that without the video, Nuezca would have been cleared, and Duterte would not have promised justice. Nuezca pleaded not guilty but died under questionable circumstances while awaiting trial in jail.

On Sept 15, 2021 the International Criminal Court announced the investigation into the campaign against illegal drugs as the crime against humanity of murder appears to have been committed. The decision stated that President Rodrigo Duterte had publicly encouraged extrajudicial killings in a way that was incompatible with a genuine law enforcement operation. The president, however, did not care. Patricia believes the truth will come out eventually.

#III REQUIEM

13 Acts of Contrition

The narrator tells the stories of several people who regretted voting for Duterte. Jason Quizon voted for Duterte, seeing him as a man of action. Like everyone, he had seen the iconic photo (which had acquired the title La Pieta) of a woman cradling the body of a man killed in the drug war. The woman was screaming that her partner wasn't guilty, but Jason didn't believe this story, because to him they were just the type of people who do drugs. However when he saw a video of a 17 year old boy being dragged by police, and read witness accounts of him being shot in the head, he started questioning Duterte's policies. The boy looked innocent. He confessed that he had allowed himself to be duped, regretting his vote.

Dondon Chan was another who had voted for Duterte, but had changed his mind after the president had allowed the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Cemetery of Heroes. He created a social media group where people who regretted voting for Duterte could make a confession, which grew to 70,000 members.

Ann Valdez voted for Duterte, whom she saw as a father figure, building a house in his honour. She even supported him while failing to get proper care in a public hospital, and moved to Macau to work. When the pandemic hit, she started aggressively trolling critics of Duterte. However she eventually began to have doubts, especially seeing how the powerful were excused from pandemic restrictions. She ordered her husband to destroy her home.

Joy Tan voted for Duterte because she had family involved in illegal drugs. However she became disillusioned whenever Duterte attacked her religion. She was terrified when he didn't take Covid seriously, then again when he introduced severe lockdowns. As she posted more online, her family rejected her, but she became involved in activism. She started volunteering for the opposition, thinking anyone would be better. She discussed with her son how people were paying for her mistake in voting for Duterte and so now she does what she can for the victims.

#Epilogue: We Are Duterte

Patricia is present at the 36 year commemoration of the Edsa Revolution, which feels more like a wake. No president, past or present, is attending. In a brief ceremony, the anthem is sung, the pledge of allegiance read and wreaths are laid. A small white one bears Rodrigo Duterte's name, in contrast to the ideals fought for during the revolution.

The narrator reflects on the political history of the Philippines. In 2022, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, sharing his name both with his father and Magellan the explorer who landed in the Philippines, was elected President.

Another story is shared about an abandoned body on a bridge, next to a sign that says Drug Pusher. Do Not Imitate. Ivy, the man’s wife arrives, and although his head is wrapped in packing tape, she can identify him by his feet.

Patricia Evangelista wants people to forget the names of past Presidents, but to remember the names of all the people killed, and their families left behind.

Vincent had marked every crime scene map, at least 990 stars. He says if he had concentrated on the corrupt, he may have supported Duverte. Filipinos need someone like him to do the unconventional thing, but for the good. He says it would have been fine if it were just the corrupt killed.

Patricia discusses the phrase Some People Need Killing which a vigilante told her once, an active rather than a passive sentence. She reflects that 37 years ago, her people declared that no man should die because a dictator said he must. Because they were brave, she was born free. In a speech in 1980, Ninoy Aquino stated that the Filipino was worth dying for because he is the nation's greatest untapped source.

Hello readers and welcome to the first discussion of Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, our book for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month. Today we are discussing chapters 1 to 4. Next week u/Vast-Passenger1126 will lead us through the next section. A summary of this section is below, and questions designed to get the discussion going will be in the comments. You can answer as many or as few as you wish - there’s no pressure here for academic success!

There are a lot of secrets in this book but the location of the links you might need is not amongst them!

schedule

marginalia

One

The story begins at the breakfast table, where the reader learns that Lydia is dead - though her family does not yet know. Concern arises when she fails to appear for breakfast. Her mother, Marilyn, calls the school, then her husband, James, at the university where he works. The police have arrived and tell the parents that teenagers often run away from home. Officer Fiske recalls that Marilyn went missing eleven years ago. They advise the parents to contact Lydia's friends, but Nath, her brother, knows these girls were not her friends and that Lydia was only helping them with homework. Nath has been hiding Lydia's connection to Jack, a neighbour who humiliated him once. He resolves to see Jack, believing he knows where Lydia is. Hannah, the younger sister, is in bed, sneakily reading Lydia’s school book, when she sees someone cross the lawn. She wonders if it was Lydia, briefly imagining the advantages of life without her, but doesn't tell anyone. When a rowboat is reported adrift on Wednesday the police connect it with Lydia, and ask the family if Lydia ever played with it. James says of course not, Lydia can't swim. They drag the lake the next day, and discover her body.

Two

Long ago, Lydia's mother had gone missing and was brought home by her father. Marilyn dreamed of becoming a doctor, but she faced sexism that limited her choice of science subjects at school and university. Instead, she was required to take a home economics class - taught by her own mother. After her father left, Marilyn was raised by her house-proud mother. She studied hard, determined to become a doctor and to live a life that was different from her mother's. When she left home to study at Harvard, her mother's parting advice was that she'd meet “lots of wonderful men” there. In her first year, Marilyn took a history class and found herself captivated by the young Asian lecturer, James Lee. After the first lecture, she went to his office, to apologise for her classmates’ racist behaviour, and acting on impulse, kissed him. She felt an instant connection, believing that his "Oriental" appearance meant he too understood what it was like to be an outsider. Marilyn resolved the dilemma of their student-teacher relationship by dropping the class, and they became lovers. For James, being with her was the first time he felt a sense of belonging, despite being American born. His father had emigrated from China, adopting a different name to circumvent the restrictive laws targeting Chinese immigrants, as many others had done. His parents moved east and gained employment at a boarding school. James passed the entrance exam with flying colours, but no matter how hard he tried to fit in, the other students teased him relentlessly. College proved no different, which made Marilyn's affection for him all the more surprising. James admired her skill in the kitchen, a talent she owed to her mother. His own parents were both dead. Then, two unexpected events upended their lives: James was denied a position in the History Department, and Marilyn discovered she was pregnant. Marilyn's mother bore the news of her intended marriage quite well at first, pleased that James was a Professor, though visibly taken aback by his “Oriental” appearance. On the wedding day, however, her mother pulled her aside to say that it just wasn't right, and urged her to think about the future of their children, and whether they would fit in. After that day, Marilyn never saw her mother again.

Three

Marilyn wants to see Lydia's face one last time, but James doesn't let her, without revealing that her face was half eaten. On the way to the funeral, Marilyn turns her head away from the lake. The school has been closed for the day, and when Nath looks at the attendees, he realises that they're mostly strangers, because his parents didn't socialise. When he sees Jack staring at him, he grabs him and warns him that the police will be speaking to him. When he says that he knows he was with Lydia that Monday, Jack looks scared. Nathan knows that Jack uses girls, preferring virgins, taking them for a drive. His mother works shift work, and he is often left alone. Lydia was his latest conquest. Nath believes Jack is at the heart of everything. After the funeral, Nath sees the police at Jack’s house, and goes to eavesdrop from the porch. Jack says they were just friends - he was teaching Lydia to drive. She was upset Monday afternoon, about everything - grades, parents, and her brother leaving for college. James goes to his office to look at the autopsy report which he had been sent there on his request. It has many details that he doesn't want to share with Marilyn. When his assistant Louisa turns up, she sees what he is reading and invites him to her place for lunch, where they go to bed together. Meanwhile, Marilyn goes to Lydia's room which still has a Lydia smell. She looks at the row of diaries she had given her daughter each Christmas, having instructed her to fill them with all her secrets, and is surprised to see that they're all blank. She resolves to find out what happened.

Four

At age 29, with Nath and Lydia at school, Marilyn felt the desire to work. At James' work party she asked his colleague if she could work as his research assistant, but James didn't want her to. Soon after, her mother died of a stroke. When she cleaned out her stuff, she kept one thing she felt was meaningful - her Betty Crocker cookbook. Her mother had underlined the importance of homemaking and she promised herself she wouldn't be like her mother. James had taken Nath to the pool where he was teased for being Chinese, and was intimidated by Jack, who was very confident. James understood what it was like to be teased. He recalled an incident in a P.E. class when someone had hidden his trousers. That day in the pool was the first disappointment in his son.

The family noticed changes in Marilyn. Her cooking standards had dropped, and she was struggling. She called James' colleague about the job, but he had already hired someone, dismissing her request. She went for a drive, ending up at the hospital where she saw Jack's mother, Dr Wolff, come out of the emergency room. Noticing her confidence, she wondered how she could have been a doctor herself, especially after her mother's views on being a homemaker. She resolved to fulfill her dream of being a doctor and planned out her course of action to complete her degree, starting by enrolling in a community college. She convinced herself that her children would be fine with James. She cooked up dinners and cookies for the freezer, and that night initiated sex with James, which bewildered him. The next morning she said goodbye to the kids at the bus stop, and at home collected a token from each family member. She penned a note to James, shredded it, and decided to just leave, to effectively disappear. When James came home to find the children on the front step, Nath could only say the word “gone”. Lydia stayed silent.

Hello and welcome to the schedule for our next destination for Read the World - Azerbaijan! We will be reading Ali and Nino by Kurban Said and Days in the Caucasus by Banine. We will meet on Fridays for the first book, Ali and Nino, then on Tuesdays for our second book, Days in the Caucasus.

#Marginalia

#Discussion Schedule

Ali and Nino

8th May - Start to Chapter 9 - u/ChronicallyLatte

15th May - Chapter 10 to Chapter 20 - u/Bluebelle236

22nd May - Chapter 21 to End - u/nicehotcupoftea

Days in the Caucasus

26th May - Start to Part 1/Chapter 8 - u/lazylittlelady

2nd June - Part 1/Chapter 9 to Part 2/Chapter 5 - u/Greatingsburg

9th June - Part 2/Chapter 6 to End - u/tomesandtea

Hope to see you in the discussions on 8th May! 📚🌏