The Bonfire of the Vanities

This is one book -- and a fine one, indeed -- where the reader makes listening perhaps even richer and more enjoyable than reading. There are a myriad of voices, accents, personalities, and he renders them with brilliant sensitivity. A stunning listen!

I think Tom Wolfe is a great writer and I was totally enthralled with this audio. The story kept you going the whole time and never seemed to drag. I was also impressed with the narrator and the voices he was able to create. It was a easy listen, I highly recommend it.

THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES is perhaps one of the most entertaining audiobooks I have listened to in a long time. The reader, Joe Barrett, does a fantastic job bringing the satirical nature of the story to life and actually enhances what is a very well-written book.

Some may say the story is dated, but I believe it could very well fit into today's world of Wall Street greed, strained race relations, and two-faced politicians.

Tom Wolfe is one of America's best living writers, and this book ranks among his most popular works.

By the way - do NOT see the movie directed by Brian Depalma. It is a piece of garbage that in no way resembles this great work of art. If you HAVE seen the film, listen to this book. It will redeem your opinion of the story.

I can't say enough good about Joe Barrett's reading of Tom Wolfe's excellent book about "Yuppies" and the Bronx of the 80s. The audio book is 27 hours long, but went by so fast I couldn't believe it was that long. Somewhat outdated (someone said this book's view of the Bronx is as outdated as Tom Wolfe's clothes), but still highly recommended.

I had read this book when it first came out. I have read all of Tom Wolfe's books and this was and is oneof my favorites. I think the narrator did an outstanding job of catching all the New York accents. I highly reccomend this audio book.

I did not realize how broken I was until Wolfe showed me the light. It is important to be reminded that one cannot change human nature. And what about that narration!

Why didn't I read this sooner? This is a fabulous story. It held my attention like few others.

Read this book when it first came out. Then listened to it many years ago and just listened again. It gets better and better. Brilliant writing and one of the best narrations I've ever heard. Joe Barrett is an outstanding reader. His voices truly enhance a very clever book.

It is always such a treat when a great book is read by a talented narrator. The book is a brilliantly cynical parody of the 80's and Joe Barrett is one of the best narrators I've heard. He vocalizes each character so distinctly that sometimes it's hard to believe it is the same man. One of the best recorded performances I've ever heard and as soon as I finish this review, I'm going to see what else he's narrated and buy them all.

This had me gripped! I truly loved this book. There are so many other stories that got me hooked but being one of the newer ones it was easier and more fun for me. So many parts lasso me in because of the incredible description but though the older books are good it was so much better with this one being able to relate to all of the technical and mechanical stuff described.