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The Bonfire of the Vanities Audiobook
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(3.00) - 28,996 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
This bitingly hilarious American satire will forever define late twentieth-century New York style.
Tom Wolfe’s bestselling modern classic tells the story of Sherman McCoy, an elite Wall Street bond trader who has it all: wealth, power, prestige, a Park Avenue apartment, a beautiful wife, and an even more beautiful mistress, until one wrong turn sends Sherman spiraling downward in a humiliating fall from grace.
A car accident in the Bronx involving Sherman, his girlfriend, and two young lower-class Black men sets a match to the incendiary racial and social tensions of 1980s New York City. Suddenly, Sherman finds himself embroiled in the most brutal, high-profile case of the year, as prosecutors, politicians, the press, the police, the clergy, and assorted hustlers rush in to further their own political and social agendas. With so many egos at stake, the last priority on anyone’s mind is truth or justice.
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"I would have liked it better had I read it before American Psycho, and perhaps I need to amend my review of that as well. In fact the reason I took off a star isn't because of the style or any of the other literary elements I normally nit pick about. It's because I could see my future very easily becoming that of a minor character-- Sherman's wife, Judy. Walking around in the subways on my way to work with the painful fact that I, in my little Chanel flats and Fendi bag, am right on track to become the cuckolded wife of a Master of the Universe who will have as her biggest complaint that the truth didn't come out soon enough-- that is what made it lose a star. I can certainly see its place in literary history and agree with the shining praise."
— Meredith (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Impossible to put down.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“A big, bitter, funny, craftily plotted book that grabs you by the lapels and won’t let go.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Narrator Joe Barrett sends shivers up the spine…Wolfe’s Bonfire still burns bright with wit, mastery of plot and character, and an astonishing eye for detail.”
— AudioFile -
“If you saw the movie and liked it, listen to this audiobook, which is a thousand times better.”
— SoundCommentary.com -
“Sheer entertainment against a fabulous background…Wolfe triumphantly mounts scene after magnificent scene depicting the vanity of human endeavor, with every character measured by his shoes and suits or dresses, his income and expenses, and with his vain desires rising in smoke against settings that would make a Hollywood director’s tongue hang out. Often hilarious, and much, much more.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Erupting from the first line with noise, color, tension and immediacy, this immensely entertaining novel accurately mirrors a system that has broken down: from the social code of basic good manners to the fair practices of the law…A brilliant evocation of New York’s class, racial and political structure in the 1980s.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Wolfe’s genius may be better suited to fiction than to journalism; his novel has all the knowledge, insight, and wit of earlier works but tones down the notorious stylistic excesses. The result is not just Wolfe’s most successful book to date but one of the most impressive novels of the decade.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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A #1 New York Times bestseller
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Winner of the 1988 Ambassador Book Award for Fiction
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A 2010 Audie Award Finalist
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Finalist for the 1987 National Book Critics Circle Award
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A Kirkus Reviews Pick of 10 Classics That Never Grow Old
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A New York Public Library Staff Pick of Favorite Books of the Last 125 Years
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A London Times Pick of the 50 Best 100 Books of the Last 100 Years
The Bonfire of the Vanities Listener Reviews
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" This captures 80s New York like nothing else. Captures it and critiques it. Anyone who tells you this isn't a good book isn't worth a damn. They say Wolfe wrote non fiction and fiction equally well. I will be impressed if he can top this, A Man in Full is a next listen for me "
— Charles Miller, 6/5/2019 -
" Tom Wolfe is an excellent writer and thinker, really "
— Robin, 2/16/2014 -
" Great plot, intelligent social commentary. "
— Will, 2/6/2014 -
" If you've never had a hangover, you can read about the perfect one without having to experience it first hand. "
— Marlene, 1/22/2014 -
" Not a real difficult read, but very entertaining. The end was disappointing and is the only reason I didn't give this 4 stars. "
— Jordan, 1/20/2014 -
" Thoroughly entertaining, even though I disliked every last character except Campbell, Henry, and Annie. "
— Julie, 1/8/2014 -
" Wish I had never read it. One of those choices you make at a social-minded bookstore because you think you should have read it. Don't. It's a painful read with awful characters that you don't care one ounce about. Wish I had the time back I spent on it. "
— Victoria, 12/22/2013 -
" This is both a novel of ideas and a fast paced thriller. Enjoyed it immensely. I don't feel like defending it against its detractors, this book really is like marmite. You just have to either enjoy Wolfe's style of writing... or not. "
— Denerick, 12/20/2013 -
" Very enthralling writing style. Wolfe really draws you into the world of his characters, I feel like I've been given a thorough insight into some of the sub cultures of New York City. Wasn't too happy with the ending though, a bit abrupt considering the long build up. "
— Lucia, 11/13/2013 -
" So fast, witty and entertaining, it will keep you away from the TV. "
— Tanya, 5/9/2013 -
" Brilliant in bits and pieces. As a whole...different story. Too much Grisham. Not enough Wolfe. This was my first Tom Wolfe, and I still have A Man in Full on the shelf for the future. "
— Hank, 1/20/2013 -
" "Thomas Kennerly Wolfe", eh? "
— Alwa, 11/17/2012 -
" This book is one of my all time favorites, not only because it is one of those "hard to put down" books, but because there are some instances, less than 10 but more than 2, in which Tom Wolfe captures a moment, a thought, an action, I had yet to hear captured in words. "
— Barbara, 10/23/2012 -
" Achei uma seca! "
— Frederico, 8/21/2012 -
" A lot more cynical than the movie but at least as good. It also reminds one of what's going on in florida right now with the martin case, although it's not surprising with all the nyc figures traveling down the east coast to get involved in this. "
— Bernie, 11/26/2011 -
" An entertaining read and great insight into 1980s New York from an upperclass white male perspective, but that also ends up being its weakness. Characters are unlikeable and, frankly, rather boring. "
— Laura, 11/18/2011 -
" Great book! It's amazing how money can change the status quo! "
— Roberta, 10/17/2011 -
" I really enjoyed this book...the story is compelling and the language is wonderful.. Wolfe captured normal morning for me perfectly when he described one of the characters waking with a hangover. Made me laugh out load. "
— Margaret, 10/8/2011 -
" Tom Wolfe at his fullest and best. "
— Ross, 5/14/2011 -
" I found it very hard to get into the story, for there were a lot of characters to know and at first they didn’t interact with each other. But once all these people got together the story became very interesting and grabbed me. The book is really worth a read. "
— esterb, 5/2/2011 -
" i read this so long ago, can't remember if I loved it as much as his other full length books. his short works are less interesting "
— Madeline, 4/21/2011 -
" This book was WAAAAY too long. Wolfe took what would have been a wonderful short story or novella, and just cluttered it up with unnecessary fluff to make it a novel. "
— Jennifer, 4/11/2011 -
" my second time reading this book, and it was just as good. wonderful character development, and an important message regarding race and wealth in our society. "
— Angie, 4/2/2011 -
" Gave it up to page 306. Then I lost the will to live. "
— Tanja, 3/29/2011 -
" Long. Hit-and-run is not a great plot vehicle. The writing style is great though. I love his work, but this just wasn't a great read. "
— Jon, 3/25/2011 -
" Different for sure, and it did drag at times. It was hard to keep going sometimes,it was just so nerve racking. The main character was just soooo stupid sometimes. But overall it was a decent book. "
— Oliver, 3/23/2011 -
" Dragged in some parts, but a great book and, reading it in 2011, a fun look back to the eighties. Have now added "master of the universe" and "x-rays" to my daily vocabulary... "
— Bex, 3/23/2011 -
" A very long book to read, but worth it. Modern day Dickens. Sooo funny, satire at its sharpest "
— Katharine, 3/16/2011 -
" Good read, dated, but nothing changes. "
— Jo, 3/15/2011 -
" This was a bit drawn out but I enjoyed it. The movie was awful. "
— Chaunce, 3/13/2011
About Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe (1931–2018) was the author of numerous books considered contemporary classics, including The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, and The Bonfire of the Vanities, among others, and several of his books have been made into major motion pictures. He was also a journalist and founder of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He is credited with introducing such terms as “the right stuff,” “radical chic,” “the Me Decade,” and “good ol’ boy” into the English lexicon. A native of Richmond, he earned his BA degree at Washington and Lee University and a PhD in American studies at Yale.
About Joe Barrett
Joe Barrett, an actor and Audie Award and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared both on and off Broadway as well as in hundreds of radio and television commercials.