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The Bonfire of the Vanities
The Bonfire of the Vanities: A Novel | Tom Wolfe
Vintage Tom Wolfe, 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)
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dabbe
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TheEllieMo
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Stand back, I‘m going in….

#Chunskter

dabbe May the force be with you! 🤩😃😍 11mo
keithmalek I don't know what you mean by that, but that's a great book! 11mo
TheEllieMo @keithmalek at 730 pages, it‘s a little bit daunting! 11mo
keithmalek @TheEllieMo Was it really? It's obviously been many years since I've read it. Don't worry. It will fly by. 11mo
BarbaraBB I loved this one! 11mo
32 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Bertha_Mason

"A spasm of fear reached down to the very bottom of his descending colon."

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Bertha_Mason

Kramer needs an extended medical leave/jackoff break. He's much too horny to be a lawyer.

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Bertha_Mason

"Her clavicle stuck out so far Sherman had the feeling he could reach out and pick up the two big bones. He could see lamplight through her rib cage."

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Bertha_Mason

"Even if it‘s for people who are shallow and vain, it‘s something *real*, something describable, something contributing to simple human satisfaction, no matter how meretricious and temporary, something you can at least explain to your children. I mean, at Pierce & Pierce, what on earth do you tell *each other* you do every day?"

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Bertha_Mason

""Apparently Bacon called Joseph Leonard. You know Leonard? The black assemblyman?" Kramer‘s radar told him that *black* was too delicate, too refined, too trendy-liberal a designation for a conversation with Martin and Goldberg, but he didn‘t want to try out anything else."

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Bertha_Mason

"He found the dial tone soothing. He wished he could crawl inside the receiver and float on his back in the dial tone and let the hum of it wash over his nerve endings."

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Bertha_Mason

"A numb dull clattering—thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk thuk—rose from the keyboards, as if an immense mah-jongg tournament was in progress."

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Bertha_Mason

I love awful couples who deserve each other.

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Bertha_Mason

""Vulgar, but not as vulgar as Louis Vuitton," thought Sherman."

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Bertha_Mason

"He tensed his sternocleidomastoid muscles to make his neck fan out like a wrestler's."

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Bertha_Mason

"He was only forty, but had looked fifty for the past twenty years." ?

review
Ididsoidid
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Pickpick

A wild ride. It‘s not very often that a cast of so many awful characters is so enjoyable. A satire of schemes and ulterior motives as each character attempts to wield a horrible accident to their own advantage, but the joke is on them. 8/10

BarbaraBB Such a great read!! 2y
5 likes1 comment
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Ange44
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Round 44 #tenatatime TBR

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jenniferw88
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PuddleJumper Ooo nice! 2y
48 likes1 comment
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jenniferw88
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@PuddleJumper #roll100

Had already read #13, so have picked my #12.

rockpools Enjoy 😊. I‘ve had Every Heart on my TBR for SO many years now… 3y
BarbaraBB The Wolfe is so so good ❤️ 3y
PuddleJumper Looks great! 3y
49 likes3 comments
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GatheringBooks
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 📚🙌🏻 🔥 3y
Eggs 👏🏻📚👍🏼👌🏼 3y
44 likes1 stack add2 comments
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TheSpineView
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Eggs Perfect 👌🏼 3y
55 likes1 comment
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Susanita
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This book set in #NewYorkCity has been on my TBR for … a long time. #JulyJourneys

MrsMalaprop This was a favourite years ago when I first read it. 3y
Eggs There‘s nobody like Wolfe! 3y
35 likes2 comments
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TheSpineView
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#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Prompt: Kaye Winslet

Klou Good job!! 3y
47 likes2 comments
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Leftcoastzen
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Pickpick

When Sherman McCoy keeps calling himself Master of the Universe & with the incredible amount of !!!!!, wasn‘t sure I could take it.It‘s the greed is good 80s & Sherman takes a wrong turn in the Bronx, hits a young man w/ his car.The decisions he makes ,will change his life forever.It is a crafted study of good , bad, & ulterior motives across class,race, & ethnicity .A bit evil & darkly humorous .⬇️ #doublespin

Leftcoastzen Often those who feel they rule the world, have no clue how the world really works. 4y
Ruthiella I loved this book when I first read it in the ‘90s. Good to know it holds up! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
48 likes3 comments
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Leftcoastzen
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Ok , I am going to finish the night reading tagged book , but a baseball break and a cosmopolitan seemed like the right thing to do. 🍸⚾️

MrsMalaprop How I loved this book when I first read it 20-odd years ago. 😍 4y
ValerieAndBooks Read this eons ago — wonder what I‘d think now if I re-read. Your drink looks great 😍 4y
Leftcoastzen @ValerieAndBooks I waited years to read it, I read a lot of Wolfe‘s other books, & found the 80s obnoxious. I think it holds up pretty well. 4y
59 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Leftcoastzen
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For some reason Nacho doesn‘t want me to read my #doublespin book.😀😹

Soubhiville 😻 Hi Nacho! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Those eyes!!! So gorgeous!! 4y
TheLibrarian So cute! 😻 4y
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Ruthiella Oh Nacho! It‘s a really good book as I recall! Pretty please let your human read it. 😹 4y
Bette Beautiful coloring. ❤️🐱😊 4y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Nacho is gorgeous!!! ❤️😍❤️ 4y
Liz_M Nacho is only protecting you from that awful book (not a fan). 4y
61 likes7 comments
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RamsFan1963
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TheEllieMo
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I‘ve used this one before on a photo challenge; let‘s call it recycling!

#Bonfire #Spooktober @Eggs

Eggs Why not?? 🤗👏🏻 5y
28 likes1 comment
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MallenNC
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Going old school for today‘s prompt! Also it is still in the 90s here so there will be no bonfires tonight. #FallisBooked #Bonfire

Reviewsbylola I‘ve had this on my TBR for years! 5y
OriginalCyn620 For sure! Maybe we can have a bonfire in January...😂🔥 5y
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TheEllieMo
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🖤🔥🧡 5y
OriginalCyn620 👌🏻🔥🖤 5y
29 likes2 comments
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Eggs
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Ruthiella Loved this book! 5y
OriginalCyn620 I have never read this! Or seen the movie. I think I should read the book! 5y
54 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ElectricKatyLand
Pickpick

Hilarious, biting satire that skewers race, class, and society as a whole. Very much a sendup of 1980s New York City, the themes are equally as touchy and poignant in 2019.

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Amoon

I already reviewed this book. Just wanted to list my favorite 10 authors (as of 4/19).
Tom Wolfe, Pat Conroy, Joy Fielding, Lionel Shriver, Daniel Silva, Mariam Keyes, Wally Lamb, Ed McBain aka Evan Hunter, Alexander McCall Smith...honorable mention: Sophie Kinsella

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squirrelbrain
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#moneycitymaniacs
#timbittunes

I haven‘t read this yet, it‘s on my TBR shelf. As the blurb says, it‘s ‘a caustic satire on the money-feverish Eighties‘

And yes we do have the fire on! Despite record-breaking day time temperatures it‘s still freezing overnight...

TrishB We still had the heating on tonight! It‘s all a bit bonkers! 6y
squirrelbrain It is isn‘t it @TrishB ?! My car has been iced up every morning this week 🥶 🥵 6y
Cinfhen I saw the film but haven‘t read the book but it absolutely fits today‘s prompt perfectly!!! Stay warm....spring is almost here 🌷🌻🌹 6y
TheKidUpstairs Perfect fit! 6y
78 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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LMMP
Pickpick

Great NY book, got caught up in the hubris of it all. A bit too long and rambling at times but that all just added to the chaotic feel. Memorable characters, funny, scathing and honest.

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Sahar
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My book club selected this read...which I started with the best of intentions last night. Since my eyes closed on me, I‘m only 68 pages in, but to be honest, I don‘t know what to make if it yet—which is perfectly fine. So, onward and forward I go, deeper into the vault that contains this story‘s plot...

AmyG I loved this book! 6y
18 likes1 comment
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Ericalambbrown
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Pickpick

This was my first Tom Wolfe book. I‘d seen the abysmal movie adaptation in high school and never thought of it again. And then I ran into the book at our Friends of the Library sale. So glad I gave it another go. Really great satire of 80‘s materialism. I‘d love to see someone give this another go as a series.

Mindyrecycles An all time favorite! 6y
Ericalambbrown @Mindyrecycles I‘m so glad I picked it up and gave it a shot! 6y
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GripLitGrl
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vkois88 💜💜💜💜 6y
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Amoon
Pickpick

This is my favorite novel. I don't know how Tom Wolfe did it, but when you read this book you feel like you're in the car, in the courtroom, hearing the crowds shouting. There even is an expression "A Bonfire of the Vanities experience." I had this experience -it's when you (like the main character) are driving in heavy NY traffic and there are @6 exits ahead. The wrong choice could lead you to a sketchy, deserted neighborhood.

adesr16 One of the best books that I have ever read. 6y
Amoon I think I read it in my 20's, now I'm 63, thinking of reading it again (have never reread a book!) 6y
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EricQiao
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“Tom Wolfe, a great artist, got dressed in a suit and tie to write at his typewriter everyday. He wrote as he dressed, with style and precision in equal measure. He was, to use his own phrase, radical chic. Tom Wolfe was 88 years old.” —Brian Williams

RaimeyGallant Nice quote. :) 7y
45 likes1 comment
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Laalaleighh
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Reviewsbylola I‘ve been wanting to read this for years! I finally bought a copy. 7y
BarbaraTheBibliophage And Tom Wolfe passed away today. 😰 7y
Laalaleighh @Reviewsbylola it is really quite Dickensian, if dickens wrote about late 20th century New York instead of 1800‘s London! I‘m enjoying it but had to take a brain break about 300 pages in. Will probably pick it back up tomorrow! (edited) 7y
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Laalaleighh @BarbaraTheBibliophage I know! It‘s so sad! That‘s why I finally took the 700 page plunge! 7y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Laalaleighh How are you liking it so far? It‘s such a time capsule of the 1980s, isn‘t it? 7y
Laalaleighh @BarbaraTheBibliophage I just finished it! I really enjoyed it although I think the ending left me slightly wanting. I know literally nothing about the 80‘s so I can‘t comment on it as a time capsule, but the greater themes at large seemed like it could have been written today with just a few tweaks, I think. 7y
39 likes6 comments
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Samplergal

Rest In Peace. #TomWolfe

Andrew65 Left a great legacy. 😢 7y
Ruthiella Bonfire 🔥 is one of the best books EVER. He was a great talent. 7y
55 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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mklong
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Pickpick

I never would have read this if it wasn‘t a book club pick, but I ended up loving it! Moral ambiguities abound: power hungry prosecutors, profit driven media, self serving civil rights activists, and entitled aristocrats are all telling versions of the truth about a fatal hit and run in the Bronx, but it is all so, so murky, and therefore compelling. Even with some dated references, it is as relevant today as it was when it was published in 1987.

BibliOphelia An oldie but a goodie! Thanks for the reminder. 😁 7y
Leftcoastzen Love that cover! 7y
Neale I have wanted to read this for ages. 7y
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mklong Go for it @Neale It moves quickly so it really doesn‘t feel like 700 pages. 7y
mklong @Leftcoastzen Me too! It‘s so shiny. 7y
ClairesReads You‘ve inspired me to go for this one 7y
64 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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PagesOfKate
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This isn't exactly a talent of mine but I've given it a go! #spinepoetry
#Riotgrams

59 likes3 stack adds
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Reviewsbylola
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The rest of my Thrift Books haul arrived today. I‘m much happier with the condition of these, although the sticker ripped the spine of one of my books. 😩 I can get over that though. Now I just have to make room for these on my challenge shelf! #bookhaul

emilyhaldi Omg I did NOT know Bonfire of the Vanities was that long 😱 7y
emilyhaldi Also, not ok with that sticker 😦 7y
BarbaraBB Great haul! Bonfire is so good! It won‘t feel long at all. I also liked Mislaid a lot. 7y
Reviewsbylola I now have to copies of Bonfire, as I didn‘t realize I already owned it. 😂 @emilyhaldi And yeah, pissed off about the sticker but trying to move on. 🤣 7y
Reviewsbylola I‘ve always wanted to read Bonfire. Really looking forward to it! @barbarabb 7y
123 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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bookworm.krizia
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Mehso-so

Towards the middle, after the accident, I started to get interested and towards the end I can't put the book down. The book is really interesting just started a bit slow for me. If you're going to read it make sure to know or research Wall Street and lawyer terms/words to make reading easy for you.

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xicanti
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I sorted through a ton of papers from my childhood and teenage years today and ditched almost everything. Some of the stuff exists in digital form, some of it's been copied into my current journal, and some of it was too terrible even to recycle. I roasted marshmallows to celebrate letting it all go.

I DID find my first comics script, though, along with a short story that complements it, and I think there may be something to it. So that's good.

readordierachel You wrote a comic script? That's awesome! 8y
xicanti @ReadOrDieRachel it was much better than what I expected from my teenage self, too. 8y
20 likes2 comments
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Chelsibno
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I read this novel #PublishedInThe1980s for a literature of NYC class during my undergrad. While some of the absurd situations were hilarious, I wasn't the biggest fan of it. I will say this, it felt like The Great Gatsby of the 1980s, perfectly capturing the feel of the decade while it was still going on. #JuneBookBugs

38 likes1 stack add
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Mindyrecycles
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Pickpick

Loathsome characters, hilarious book! #satire #maybookflowers

MrsMalaprop Loved this book. Read it in my 20s. Wonder whether I'd love it as much now 🤔. 8y
Heidi2 Yeah, same here. Loved it many many moons ago. Wonder if it's worth a re-read... 🤔 8y
ninjypants Tom Wolfe is so great 8y
82 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Ubookquitous
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Panpan

#marchintoreading #didntlikeitstillfinishedit at some point I thought, well, maybe the book will be better...NOPE.

zsuzsanna_reads I tried it twice and bailed on it twice. 8y
15 likes1 comment
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catsuit_mango
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Book, cake, tea... and a notebook, that's a good afternoon ! #vendredilecture

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catsuit_mango
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What I'm currently reading.... or rereading for Furiously Happy. #vendredilecture