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The Bonfire of the Vanities

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The Bonfire of the Vanities

By: Tom Wolfe
Narrated by: Todd Boyce
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About this listen

An exhilarating satire of Eighties excess that captures the effervescent spirit of New York, from one of the greatest writers of modern American prose

Sherman McCoy is a WASP, bond trader and self-appointed 'Master of the Universe'. He has a fashionable wife, a Park Avenue apartment and a Southern mistress. His spectacular fall begins the moment he is involved in a hit-and-run accident in the Bronx. Prosecutors, newspaper hacks, politicians and clergy close in on him, determined to bring him down.

Exuberant, scandalous and exceptionally discerning, The Bonfire of the Vanities was Tom Wolfe's first venture into fiction and cemented his reputation as the foremost chronicler of his age.

‘The air of New York crackles with an energy that causes the adrenalin to pump… The feeling is perfectly reproduced in Wolfe's novel… Electric'–Sunday Times

‘The quintessential novel of The Eighties'–The Guardian

©1987 Tom Wolfe (P)2024 W. F. Howes Ltd City Life Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Satire Urban World Literature Witty New York

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All stars
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Loved everything - had read the book and seen the film but enjoyed Audible version even more - totally compelling

Narration was superb!!

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Loved the characters and the storyline and also the narration was exceptional. Just wish he’d written more novels.

Great characters.

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That aside, it holds up. It really does. Wry, savvy, fly-on-the-wall insight into social climbing in the two-tier ghetto of 1980s New York. I was glued, riveted by the effortless POV switching and biting satire. Looking forward to a long. slow denouement that was in reality summarised in half a chapter. Felt hoodwinked and cheated. I feel it may have fallen prey to word count and the relative flimsiness of airport bookshelves. Pity. Still a great read if you don’t mind the sudden and shocking brevity of an unscheduled cliff-dive after a gorgeously dramatic road trip.

Either He Ran out of Patience or his Publisher Did

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A book from an author at the peak of his literary powers, performed by a man who not only can brilliantly recreate 50 different shades of New York accent (as well as a wide variety of others), but reads this book like he wrote it himself, I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone wishing to understand the nature of modern America. Although this book was written in the 1980s, its themes have never been more timely than now, and remind readers that the problems plaguing America back then have only gotten worse. But this book is far from a political treatise, rather it is a sharply observed, fast moving, entertaining tome that pulls no punches on the dark side of human nature.

A redpill masterpiece, magnificently performed

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The observations of a teetering society are excellent. The self perception of each character masterfully critiqued by other actors in the story.

A timely and acutely observed tale

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Loved Character portrayals. Great narrator - just a great story but especially for audio. Read it years ago but only remembered crucial parts.

Sense of place

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Brilliantly written and read, really gripping and immersive, have recommend it to nearly everyone I see!!

Compelling characters and antiheros

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I would recommend this audiobook very highly indeed to those who might have read it years ago and to those who haven’t. Fascinating how little has changed in the 30+ years since it was published. Love the timelessness of this absolutely delicious and utterly more-ish tale.

The narrator was clearly the man for this job. How he kept the many New Yorkers distinct from one another in the first place is a mystery - but he did & how!

The characters are all special creations. New Yorkers. Italian, Irish, Jewish, working class, upper class - all perfection. And the British characters are fabulous.

What a gripping and very very funny listen.

Masterpiece

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I read this book many years ago a couple of times.

Then and now it was a sharp social insight as well as a well told drama. The original is full of sharp characterisation and brilliant narrative.

The audio version does not disappoint.

Genius work

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