This title never appealed to me when it was first published. I flicked through a paper copy in bookshops a couple of times and put it back. I was interested to see if it appealed some years later as an audio title and welcomed the opportunity to listen to a ARC. My thanks to the publisher.

It starts with a bang, almost literally and it took a few minutes to attune to the language and dialect in the prologue. It then slips to the central character in his plush NY apartment. The sense of opulence and grandeur is immediate, along with a feeling that it’s all somewhat shallow. He’s not likeable in any way but is so acutely observed by Wolfe. It’s almost a comedy of mannerisms as much as mores and there’s little of the latter in this glitzy world of obscene wealth and cut throat attitudes. And there we have it; Wolfe has depicted that dreadful era when a world of extravagant excess was aspirational. I recall the scenes on the stock market floor as traders competed and the bubble was inflated but by but until it burst. I’m around two thirds through the audio version; narration is superb and I’ve relished every chapter. I’m swept along as a rather horrified spectator; it’s a bumpy ride but I’ve been sucked right in. This is a novel bursting with life. It’s a microcosm and even though it’s a time of greed and loss of moral compass, it’s compelling. I’ll listen to this again as it’s packed with references I’ve missed first time round. I’m pleased to be tackling this as a retrospective. It’s hugely entertaining and quite exceptional and I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much.

This may not be subtle but it is a big and bold 1980s novel for those of us who didn't live through those years. Capturing a zeitgeist of greed, racism, misogyny and corruption, this a panoramic view of NYC.

As an audio, this is halfway between a performance and a reading - a good way of entering into the spirit of the decade with a fine attention to language and the ways voices make up the texture of the story.