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He wasn't aging; he was growing up. Bonfire's pyrotechnic satire of 1980s New York wasn't just Wolfe's best book, it was the best bestselling fiction debut of the decade, a miraculously realistic study of an unbelievably status-mad society, from the fiery combatants of the South Bronx to the bubbling scum at the top of Wall Street. Sherman McCoy, a farcically arrogant investment banker (dubbed a "Master of the Universe," Wolfe's brilliant metaphorical co-opting of a then-important toy for boys), hits a black guy in the Bronx with his Mercedes and runs--right into a nightmare peopled by vicious mistresses, thin wives like "social x-rays," slime-bag politicos, tabloid hacks, and Dantesque denizens of the "justice" system. If the Coen and Marx brothers together dramatized The Great Gatsby, Wolfe's Bonfire would probably be funnier. Many think his second novel, A Man in Full, is deeper, but Bonfire will never die down.
You might find it interesting to compare the film The Bonfire of the Vanities, a fascinating calamity perpetrated by the geniuses Brian De Palma and Tom Hanks, with The Right Stuff, one of the very best films of the '80s. --Tim Appelo --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
At that very moment, in the very sort of Park Avenue co-op apartment that so obsessed the Mayor . . . twelve-foot ceilings . . . two wings, one for the white Anglo-Saxon Protestants who own the place and one for the help . . . Sherman McCoy was kneeling in his front hall trying to put a leash on a dachshund. Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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4.0 out of 5 stars
I'll play the Devil's Advocate...,
By
This review is from: The Bonfire of the Vanities (Paperback)
First off, let me say that this book really held my interest and I enjoyed it (I gave it four stars, didn't I?).Perhaps, though, I should not have read "A Man in Full" first. There are so many similarities between the two books that I found myself thinking that Wolfe re-wrote "Bonfire" to make "Man," yet based it in Atlanta instead of New York. Let's see...both books had racial tensions, both concerned lawyers that only looked out for their own interests, both had a strong main character that eventually fell in the end, both involved a lot (and I do mean a lot) of spouse-cheating, both had political figures that were determined to get re-elected at any cost, both had characters that were oh-so-concerned with thrusting out their mighty muscles to impress the women...etc. etc. etc. A previous reviewer stated that she didn't understand why people did not like the protagonist, Sherman McCoy. Let's see...hmmm...he cheats on his wife, repeatedly...he's a jerk to his fellow co-workers...he has no thought to what the consequences of his actions could do to his young daughter...in short, he generally thinks with the, er, "contents" of his pants. Granted, Wolfe writes in such a way that you do feel sorry for Sherman at the end, but I think it's important to remember that if he hadn't been cheating on his wife with Maria, then he never would have hit anyone with his car and the whole situation would have been avoided (although granted that would have made for a much less interesting book). All in all, though, even if "Man" and "Bonfire" are similar, one cannot overlook the original genious of "Bonfire." Wolfe's descriptives of different types of people (the "Pimp Roll," for God's sake, to describe how someone walked) and the vicious observations he makes on society and its shortcomings (and believe me, no one is exempt, not even authors) aid in the creation of an intricately woven piece of literature.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Capturing the Contradictions and Greed of '80's New York,
By
This review is from: The Bonfire of the Vanities: A Novel (Paperback)
It took me more than a few years to read this book because I had to remove the image of Tom Hanks in the lead role from my mind (done after the first 50 pages). Let it be stated that I love fiction set in New York and the 1980's is a fascinating decade worthy of examination (and post-rationalization). The interlocking story is so well known now that I will not reprise it in this review. Suffice it to say that this is a tale of greed, morality, ego, "classes", and lost values. Wolfe walks and drives us all over New York and it is a dizzying and fun trip.
4.0 out of 5 stars
All fired up and no place to go,
This review is from: The Bonfire of the Vanities (Paperback)
It's not often that you could say that a book changed your life, but Tom Wolfe's BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES did just that for me. No, it's not life changing in the way that McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD is, with its glorious food for thought, hysterical passages, and extreme messages, but it did make me think on an entirely new level. I was a college drop-out doing nothing with my life and one day my sister gave me this book. I'm not a big reader but I could not put this book down. I became completely involved with the great characters in this book, young attorney, Larry Kramer, writer Peter Fallow, Reverand Reginald Bacon, and of course, Sherman McCoy. Wolfe wrote in such terrific detail that you feel as if you'd known these characters all your life. I started talking about them in conversations like they were close friends of mine. The story itself is incredible, taking you through the highs and lows of four main characters with Sherman being the tie that binds them all. Now, as for the life-changing part, I knew very little about the stock market, but after seeing the high-life that Sherman led, the luxury car, the Park Ave. Co-Op, and of course his lovely ladies, wife Judy and mistress, Maria Ruskin, I knew thats what I wanted for myself(except for the mistress, of course). So, I took a couple of classes, read a few books and I passed my stockbroker exam on the first try. Wall Street has been great to me--I have a job I love, great friends and surroundings and I met my wife at my firm. In short, I have never been happier and I have Tom Wolfe and his tale of a wealthy financier to thank. Must also recommend the DOGWOOD book by McCrae and another called A MAN IN FULL by the author of BONFIRE.
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