Scan barcode
ashleysbookthoughts's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’m starting to think that maybe satire, or at least this version of it, is not for me. It just feels so loud. Does that make any sense? Reading this book felt like being yelled at. For 720 pages. It was exhausting.
I went into The Bonfire of the Vanities expecting a thoughtful sendup of 1980s New York society, which I guess it was. There’s definitely some insightful commentary in here about capitalism/consumerism, image-consciousness, and power, but the book is so bloated, a lot of it either gets lost or feels like you’re being beaten over the head with it.
The book is just obnoxious. The entire thing is angry white men blaming everyone else for the way their lives have turned out. And there’s just So. Much. Dialogue. And the dialogue all feels like the characters are yelling.
Idk. I read as a way of enjoying quiet time by myself. Even when reading something heavy, it helps me relax because of the quiet, solitary nature of reading. I don’t want a lot of noise. This book stressed me the hell out, but not because I gave a shit about any of the characters or the (barely there) plot. It took my quiet time and made it unbearably loud.
CW: racism, misogyny, body shaming, infidelity, antisemitism, hit and run, homophobia, fat phobia, general assholery
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, and Car accident
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts