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Dickens, Twain and Wolfe. Three of the best novelists of all time. And the trilogy of "Bonfire," "Man" and "Charlotte" (although not written as a trilogy) really defines American life as it was lived in the last twenty years. Name a current novelist who sells well to a large audience, is entertaining and insightful at the same time. You can't, can you? A hundred years from now you could read a Wolfe book and get the same in-depth view of end of the century America as you could with a Dickens novel of Victorian England. The book is over six hundred pages and I probably laughed five hundred times. I was sorry the book ended. The thing that all the reviewers have missed is that Wolfe - by himself - has invented a new way to write and capture dialogue that no one else has. He writes the way REAL people talk and think. I think the negative reviewers can be divided into three categories: idiots, liberals and those overcome with jealousy. If you can write a better book, then do it! Another possibility is that all the negative reviews are Updike and Irving using different names. Just kiddin'. I'm no prude but I was absolutely astounded at the language and sexual mores at some campuses. People need to take a hard, cold look at this. Coed bathrooms in the dorms? That's crazy on its face. Do you want your daughter at such a school? I told my fourth grader about this and she said, "Don't they have enough bathrooms?" One key point: while the academic reputation of some colleges may be top-notch prospective students need to investigate the cultural reputation also. If the school is on "Playboy's" top ten party schools, then maybe your money is better spent elsewhere. My fondest hope is that Mr. Wolfe has one more book in him and he brings together some of the characters of his last three novels into one final work. He wouldn't have to do all the research again. I'd love to see Hoyt meet up Sherman McCoy.