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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 Satire Urban Witty New York
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Masterpiece

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.

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A surprisingly tense 30 hours

Normally would expect an audiobook this long to have a certain number of sluggish bits, but there weren't many at all. There's a very tightly plotted legal saga underpinning all the '80s caricatures.

The narrator possessed quite an arsenal of "Noo Yoik" accents.

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Sense of place

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

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