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A review by slichto3
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
5.0
The Bonfire of the Vanities is a terrific story that is wonderfully told. It was so easy to get into, and this very quickly turned into one of those books that I kept on wanting to read. It was so refreshing! Every once in a while, I'll read a few books in a row that I don't like. They make me feel that reading is a chore, and make me wonder why I read at all. Then I hit a book like The Bonfire of the Vanities that just grabs me.
The story centers around Sherman, a millionaire bond-dealer having an affair. One night, he picks up his mistress, takes a wrong-turn, almost gets mugged, and his mistress maybe runs over a black teenager. This incident explodes into a major legal and social case in New York, and Sherman undergoes a personal transformation that felt natural yet was also somewhat astonishing.
The book, while gripping, is also pretty depressing. It brings racial tensions to the forefront, and is particularly fitting for news events today. However, it doesn't bring any resolution to those tensions. Instead, it exposes them, and makes me worry that the world is going to get a bit worse before it's going to get any better. I very much recommend the book, though - just be prepared to feel that the world is a more dreary place than you thought.
The story centers around Sherman, a millionaire bond-dealer having an affair. One night, he picks up his mistress, takes a wrong-turn, almost gets mugged, and his mistress maybe runs over a black teenager. This incident explodes into a major legal and social case in New York, and Sherman undergoes a personal transformation that felt natural yet was also somewhat astonishing.
The book, while gripping, is also pretty depressing. It brings racial tensions to the forefront, and is particularly fitting for news events today. However, it doesn't bring any resolution to those tensions. Instead, it exposes them, and makes me worry that the world is going to get a bit worse before it's going to get any better. I very much recommend the book, though - just be prepared to feel that the world is a more dreary place than you thought.