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The Bonfire of the Vanities

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 2 copies available
1 of 2 copies available

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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    • AudioFile Magazine
      This new production of Tom Wolfe's masterpiece of social and political satire, set in the upwardly mobile 1980s, is oddly prescient when it comes to the recent financial meltdown. Narrator Joe Barrett sends shivers up the spine in his portrayal of Sherman McCoy, a "Master of the Universe" who comes to control millions in investments with a single throwaway decision. Accents roll off Barrett's tongue, but it's the irony and pathos of McCoy's plight that create an emotional response in the reader. At times dated and quaint, Wolfe's "Bonfire" still burns bright with wit, mastery of plot and character, and an astonishing eye for detail. Take a trip down memory lane with Barrett as he navigates every emotion on the spectrum. R.O. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from October 15, 2009
      Wolfe's (www.tomwolfe.com) 1987 debut novel skewering the excesses and illuminating the racial tensions of 1980s New York has seen its share of highs (it was a No. 1 "New York Times" best seller both in hardcover and paperback) and lows (the 1990 film adaptation). On audio, it erupts instantly back to life, dumping listeners splat onto the gilded streets of golden-era Wall Street. Actor Joe Barrett, whose narration is generally very measured (e.g., "Roberts Ridge"), lets charmingly loose here. A superb complement to Random House Audio's downloadable edition of Wolfe's second novel, "A Man in Full" (1998), read with similar mirth and gusto by David Ogden Stiers. [The Picador pb also received a starred review, "LJ" 5/1/08.Ed.]Raya Kuzyk, "Library Journal"

      Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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