14 h 23 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 353 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 353 pagesAbout this book
What if a man’s proudest boasts reveal every reason not to trust him?
Redmond Barry has little money and a fierce belief that he deserves a gentleman’s life. In William Makepeace Thackeray’s satirical novel, the ambitious Irishman pursues wealth and rank across eighteenth-century Europe. Soldiering, gambling, and marriage all promise a way into the world he longs to claim.
The British army offers Barry neither the glory nor the independence he expects. His uncle, the gambler Chevalier de Balibari, opens another path into fashionable society. Then wealthy Lady Lyndon becomes the focus of his ambitions. Through it all, Barry tells his own story with pride, exposing the dishonesty he means to excuse.
What you’ll discover
- A rogue in full voice Hear Barry praise his own cleverness while his excuses reveal far more than he intends.
- War without the glory Follow an ambitious soldier into military life that refuses to match his grand expectations.
- Gambling on social rank Meet the Chevalier de Balibari, whose profession offers Barry an entrance into fashionable European society.
- Marriage as an ambition Watch Barry pursue Lady Lyndon’s wealth and position rather than the promise of partnership.
- Pride beneath the polish Enjoy dry humor that exposes the vanity behind Barry’s claims to courage, charm, and distinction.
Who will love it
For readers who love rogues, dry humor, and narrators whose excuses betray them, Barry’s campaign to become a gentleman offers a satire of wealth, rank, and social ambition.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
Who’s who
- Redmond BarryThe ambitious Irish narrator treats courage, charm, and cunning as proof that he deserves wealth and high rank.
- Lady LyndonA wealthy aristocratic woman becomes the focus of Barry’s pursuit of property and social standing.
- The Chevalier de BalibariBarry’s uncle is a professional gambler who helps him enter the world of fashionable European society.
- Lord BullingdonLady Lyndon’s son resists Barry’s authority and his treatment of the family.
- Self-justificationBarry’s account repeatedly exposes faults that he tries to present as virtues.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 14 h 23 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 2 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 353 pages: USD 12.95 when you start free, USD 18.95 on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 353 pages: USD 19.95 when you start free, USD 25.95 on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Barry Lyndon in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Barry Lyndon
by William Makepeace Thackeray · 1844
An Irish adventurer pursues wealth and rank through soldiering, gambling, and marriage, while his own words expose him.
Challenging10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Barry Lyndon is a satirical novel by William Makepeace Thackeray about an Irish adventurer who pursues wealth and rank through soldiering, gambling, and marriage in eighteenth-century Europe. Its sharpest pleasure is the gap between Barry’s proud account of himself and the cruelty, vanity, and dishonesty his own words expose.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Redmond Barry grows up in Ireland with a fierce belief in his family’s importance and his own right to a gentleman’s life. He has little money, but plenty of pride. When his love for his cousin Nora brings him into conflict with an army officer, Barry treats the affair as a test of courage and honor. A duel sends him away from home and into a world where those grand words often cover much less noble motives.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Barry Lyndon
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs USD 18.95 on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: USD 12.95 for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Barry Lyndon about?
Barry Lyndon follows an ambitious Irishman through military service, gambling circles, and the pursuit of a wealthy aristocratic marriage. Thackeray uses Barry’s boastful account to show how a hunger for status can turn courage and resourcefulness into tools of exploitation.
Is Barry Lyndon based on a true story?
Barry Lyndon is fiction, though Thackeray drew inspiration from the life of Andrew Robinson Stoney, an adventurer notorious for his marriage to a wealthy countess. Barry is not a direct historical portrait, and the novel shapes its material into a satire of social ambition.
Why is Barry Lyndon an unreliable narrator?
Barry describes himself as honorable, talented, and unfairly treated, but the actions he reports often contradict those claims. Readers must judge his behavior rather than accept his explanations. Much of the novel’s humor comes from how confidently he supplies evidence against himself.
The author
William Makepeace Thackeray
1811–1863 · English Victorian novelist
William Makepeace Thackeray was a British novelist born in Calcutta, India, in 1811. He moved to England as a child and later lived in London. He wrote Catherine in 1839–1840, Barry Lyndon in 1844, Vanity Fair in 1847–1848, and The Rose and the Ring in 1855. He died in London in 1863.
More by William Makepeace Thackeray
All 4 books
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in humour and satire
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
