The Bonfire of the Vanities

By: Tom Wolfe

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 27 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©1987 Tom Wolfe (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A big, bitter, funny, craftily plotted book that grabs you by the lapels and won't let go." ( New York Times Book Review)
"Sheer entertainment against a fabulous background....Often hilarious, and much, much more." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"Erupting from the first line with noise, color, tension and immediacy....brilliant." ( Publishers Weekly)

might have been great in the 80's

as time has moved on since this was written, the basic story still rings true. Makes me very glad I do not, nor did not live in NYC. Politics are still the same, as are the religious types portrayed in the book. over all an ok listen to life in the 80's.

Excellent!!

Amazing story and acting, felt like a wonderful play. The characters had such depth while the story was spellbinding.

Excellent audiobook production

This book was a non-stop page turner, one of my favorite books. The audiobook production was the best I've heard. The book has so many different accents and the narrator does a great job imitating them.

Amazing

Wow. This is fantastic as an audible book. Amazing performance from start to finish. And an incredible storyline which you may or may not find palatable.

Way too long

This story could have been much shorter... it is filled with long descriptions and well defined characters. Some unnecessary. The performance made up for the length, though I listened to the entire book.

WOW!!!

finally a good book. I've been reading a lot of books lately and haven't been impressed. this was a beautifully written book with a lot of deep meaning. I feel like I'm lucky to have read it.

Add this to your list

I read this book when it was first published, and it has lost none of its impact over those few decades. The narrator was terrific -- conveyed the drama, despair, fear, and even humor and a variety of sound effects with skill.

wow

what an amazing journey this was.
imagine if Law & Order was more than an entire season with a very well developed cast of main, secondary, and tertiary characters.
truly entertaining and thought provoking

Amazing performance

The writing and performnce make for a memorable Audible book. I had forgotten how much I loved Tom Wolf's writing.

Incredible book and fabulous narrator

I read this book many years ago and always loved it.

Recently I downloaded it again and the narrator Joe Barrett made a marvelous experience.