Finished this about a week ago - loved it. A chunky one (730 pages) but an easy read, the story just pulls you along with it.
For those who were/may be put off by the use of accents, a lot of the time they are explained - Sherman tends to translate what Maria is saying to himself.
A stange book in that I found no character/s to identify with, most of them have very few redeeming features, although Sherman McCoy seems to be a better person because of his ordeal - no longer a 'Master Of The Universe' more a 'man of the world'.
This 'felt like' a Dickens book I think mainly because of the way Wolfe names people/companies - the two law firms in the book are 'Dunnings + Sponget + Leaches' and 'Curry + Goad + Pesterall', they could have come straight out of Bleak House! I did look BOTV up in Wikipedia & Wolfe is influenced by Dickens & the story was originally a serialization of 27 parts in Rolling Stone magazine.
This is the first Tom Wolfe book I've read & I would definately read another, I thoroughly recommend it to anyone thinking of reading it.