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Tom Wolfe

The Bonfire of the Vanities Paperback – March 4, 2008

by Tom Wolfe (Author)

1,188 ratings

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Vintage Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities, the #1 bestseller that will forever define late-twentieth-century New York style.

"No one has portrayed New York Society this accurately and devastatingly since Edith Wharton" (The National Review)

“A page-turner . . . Brilliant high comedy.” (The New Republic)

Sherman McCoy, the central figure of Tom Wolfe's first novel, is a young investment banker with a fourteen-room apartment in Manhattan. When he is involved in a freak accident in the Bronx, prosecutors, politicians, the press, the police, the clergy, and assorted hustlers high and low close in on him, licking their chops and giving us a gargantuan helping of the human comedy, of New York in the 1980s, a city boiling over with racial and ethnic hostilities and burning with the itch to Grab It Now.

Wolfe's novel is a big, panoramic story of the metropolis that reinforces the author's reputation as the foremost chronicler of the way we live in America.

Print length

704 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Picador
Publication date

March 4, 2008
Dimensions

5.51 x 1.24 x 8.2 inches
ISBN-10

0312427573
ISBN-13

978-0312427573
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A big, bitter, funny, craftily plotted book that grabs you by the lapels and won't let you go.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“The Bonfire of the Vanities chronicles the collapse of a Wall Street bond trader, and examines a world in which fortunes are made and lost at the blink of a computer screen. . . . Wolfe's subject couldn't be more topical: New Yorkers' relentless pursuit and flaunting of wealth, and the fury it evokes in the have-nots.” ―USA Today

“A superb human comedy and the first novel ever to get contemporary New York, in all its arrogance and shame and heterogeneity and insularity, exactly right.” ―The Washington Post Book World

“A page-turner . . . Brilliant high comedy.” ―The New Republic

“More than a tour de force.” ―Time

From the Back Cover

Tom Wolfe's modern American satire tells the story of Sherman McCoy, a Wall Street "Master of the Universe" who has it all -- a Park Avenue apartment, a job that brings wealth, power and prestige, a beautiful wife, an even more beautiful mistress.
Suddenly, one wrong turn makes it all go wrong, and Sherman spirals downward in a sudden fall from grace that sucks him into the ravenous heart of a New York City gone mad during the go-go, racially turbulent, socially hilarious 1980s.

Start reading The Bonfire of the Vanities: A Novel on your Kindle in under a minute.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; First edition (March 4, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 704 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312427573
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312427573
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.51 x 1.24 x 8.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #20,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #90 in Lawyers & Criminals Humor
- #266 in Fiction Satire
- #483 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
1,188 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		66%
4 star		19%
3 star		10%
2 star		1%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Kevin Meredith

A book so boring it could lull hummingbirds into a deep restful sleep

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019

Verified Purchase

Endless minutiae which goes nowhere. In Steinbeck, every bit of minutiae, every tiny detail builds a subtext, supports the inner life of the character. In the book, the details actually distract from whatever is supposed to be going on. Wolf wastes pages about his difficulties taking his dachshund for a walk. There is no imagination in the language. And sex everywhere. Believe me when I write that I am no prude, but sex, like everything else in literature, should be presented through the author's unique vision; so boilerplate references to tight women's jeans are presented as if we hadn't all heard that talk countless times. Then there is the completely unbelievable bit about him being trapped in his bedroom one morning by such a fierce erection that would be impossible to hide from the help. Nonsense. All men have faced this problem at one time or another, but there's always some way to walk sideways, or carry something, etc. If my review seems needlessly and gratuitously sexual it is because the book is so. Finally, I consider use of the "F" word the author's admission that he lacked the imagination to come up with something better. David Mamet, in his play Glengary Glenross is the only successful use of the "F" word I have ever seen. He uses it so much in that play (It's in nearly every sentence at least once) that he reveals the word's true vacuousness, it's real utter emptiness of meaning.

56 people found this helpful

Helpful

Donald Cain

Classic

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

Bonfire of the Vanities has made me a Tom Wolfe fan. It paints a truthful picture of late 20th Century morality. There are no heroes in this book. The egos and dark flaws of its characters are on display for the world to read. Who knows? You might find a bit of yourself in this classic. I don't consider myself a student of literature, but I'd be surprised if this book wasn't required reading for literature majors, or perhaps social studies and first year law students . It's a great read.

44 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Masterful Unmasking of the Human Condition

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

Wolfe is a genius of unmasking our oh-so-carefully constructed fictious lives. Bonfire of the Vanities, so aptly named, scorches the network of lies, deceit, and hubris that we dare to call "society." The under belly Wolfe exposes runs the gambit from the justice-free judicial system to corrupt civil rights activists, and the hipocracy of upper middle class elitism. A devastating, yet entertaining novel that will wake you from your smug confidence that "all is right with the world."

22 people found this helpful

Helpful

patriot vic

Prescient novel depicts what is happening today

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

I read Bonfire over 30 years ago when it was published. I wanted to reread it in light of what is happening in today’s society. I was not disappointed. The book accurately predicts the negative influences of the press, black leadership and legal establishment on our society. Mr. Wolfe skewers the elite establishment as well. What makes the novel so enjoyable is the interspersing of satire and humor throughout. Sherman McCoy, the villain becomes a hapless figure by the end. This is a great book and was just as enjoyable to read the second time. Tom Wolfe is one of our leading novelists.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Basil Argyros

Didn't live up to its reputation

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

I'm normally a fan of Thomas Wolfe, but oddly, I had not read Bonfire of the Vanities. I decided to remedy that oversight, but found it disappointing. While the politics of the novel resonate strongly with contemporary events, and the depiction of 1980s Wall Street (with which I have some personal familiarity) was amusing, I found the ending anticlimactic and unsatisfying. It was as though Wolfe ran out of ideas at the end, and just wrapped things up as expeditiously as possible.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

clubsodaleah@yahoo.com

Everyone has their own agenda

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

I read this book many years ago. I revisited it again as it was chosen by my book club. It is well written. This author has a remarkable ability to create vivid images of people and places. Some of this is humor as satire. I caution that in depicting the haves and the have-nots, there are considerable racial overtones. I took one star off for the racial stereotypes. There are some very funny scenes but this book is not a comedy. Wolfe shows the court system manipulated for political gain at the expense of truth and justice. Unfortunately, there are few people in this book for the reader to like or empathize with.

6 people found this helpful

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B. McMahon

Still resonates

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

After 30 years it still resonates -- kind of sad really. Excellent read, for "readers," not for those who like snippet type reading. Only beef. Why of all possible endings did he choose this one?! Very unsatisfying after a substantial commitment to the story. Feels like he rushed the ending.

20 people found this helpful

Helpful

Linda Brockett

A classic, this novel will not disappoint the reader

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

Written in his inimitable droll style Tom Wolfe in this novel pits the mores of the haves of the right upper Manhattan addresses against those of the have nots of the Bronx, all manipulated by the power structure of the over burdened judicial system as it seeks to maintain some sense of order, while pointing out the sort of corruption that can thrive in each segment of society.

9 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

hilzb

I don’t know why this book is considered ‘a classic’.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

I’m only halfway through reading this. I find the long descriptive passages covering characters and scenes too much and find I’m skimming these paragraphs. Wolfe is writing as though he’s giving descriptions for movie scenes. There is too much of this. I’d like the story to unfold more rapidly to hold my interest.

14 people found this helpful

Markmywords

The test of time

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

I read this when it first came out and was blown away by the energy of the writing - an invigorating cautionary tale in which, refreshingly, almost none of the characters are spared from Wolfe's acidic pen.
What struck me (in the summer of 2020) is how relevant it all feels today, from the crude exploitation of 'the mob' to the tiering of the US justice system in which your income can profoundly influence your fate.
A few of the reviews below have criticised the book for verbosity and unnecessary detail, which surprised me, in an era in which authors routinely take 500 pages to express an emotional landscape Graham Greene could have painted in a third of that. I don't think it's a fair criticism either. The novel is pacy and the scene-setting is there to contextualise the 'vanities' of the title.

2 people found this helpful

peej 34

NOT for me I’m afraid

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

I’m lucky to read 2/3 books per week, of various genres. I’ve never left a review before but feel I have to comment this time.
I’ve never been so baffled/bored/mystified by a book....... I hate to give up and battled on for 27%, but then conceded that as I would never get my time back battling on with it I gave up.
I really tried but in parts it was almost like it was written in code or an alien language.....or maybe it’s just ‘I didn’t get it’ .
I really wanted to read about 1980’s New York but just could not engage with any of the characters at all and found it far too ‘wordy’ and descriptive about things I just did not understand.
Anyway, on to my next book :-D

5 people found this helpful

Heather

Gripping

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

Interesting setting in time mid 80s and so racist in New York. Not to blacks alone but overt distinctions made between Irish, Jewish, white (WASPS) but of course black worse. An education in New York at the time.
Gripped by Wolfe's ability to show the story through dialogue and action. I did not want this book to end.
Struck how women are never portrayed sympathetically, no women's characters are developed. That said the male characters are not sympathetically portrayed. All their faults and foibles are on show, their vanities. Love it!

4 people found this helpful

maldon

Authors publishers and amazon can communicate to make great books available to a wider audience

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

Read this book years ago and loved it then what did I do lent it to a “friend” who promised to return it and the book never came back to me surprise surprise anyway over the years I trawled bookshops and charity shops and amazon to no avail but some time ago learned that amazon gives customers the opportunity to request amazon to communicate with the author or representatives of the author to make their books available on kindle so I ticked ticked that box for the book I am reviewing and a few others. Came back probably months later and delighted to find that this great read was available for kindle readers. Thank you amazon for making this classic read available to the e book family. The book is a reflection of the greedy yuppie eighties set in New York set amidst racism and wannabes and the ultra rich a bit like the JR and Dallas days and how the mighty fall if you purchase this Tom Woolf classic I hope you won’t be disappointed.
“

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