The Grass Harp: Including A Tree of Night and Other Stories (original 1951; edition 1993)

Capote's early work, before the booze, drugs and despair ruined him. These are finely-written stories, full of Southern Gothic misfits and grotesques. The language is beautiful, the subject matter, especially in hindsight, quite heartbreaking. In a world full of outcasts and marginalized dreamers, one senses how the author himself felt alienated and out of place. ( )

From book cover: Set on the outskirts of a small Southern town, The Grass Harp tells the story of three endearing misfits...an orphaned boy and two whimsical old ladies...who one day take up residence in a tree house. As they pass sweet yet hazardous hours in a china tree, The Grass Harp manages to convey all the pleasures and responsibilities of freedom. But most of all it teaches the sacredness of love, "that love is a chain of love, as nature is a chain of life".

My first book in a Classics challenge I set for myself. I've seen the movie, and enjoyed it, as well as reading the book. I've always enjoyed Truman Capote's works. ( )

This is an utterly charming novella with all the qualities of a good fairy tale. I've always thought that Truman Capote is the bastard child of Eudora Welty and Tennessee Williams. This book is definitely on the Eudora Welty side of the equation, although it also reminds me in moments of We Have Always Lived at the Castle.

This is a tale of misfits, of the freedom of refusing to fit in, and of what it takes to make yourself and your family. The language is elegiac and the relationships are sweet, heartfelt, and complex. Everyone in this book is looking for love, for a place to be - the treehouse at the top of the china tree brings them all together and holds them peaceful in its arms.

There is, of course, the town and its folk who stand in opposition to the people of the tree and who, ultimately, bring the idyll to an end leaving only the shadows of voices on the wind.

What remains for me is the image of the kitchen with its smells of sweet and savory things baking, the sound of conversation on a hot day, and the bowl of goldfish swimming lazily in their bowl. ( )

One of Capote's early works, this novella is in the Southern gothic tradition and is highly autobiographical. Capote was such a great writer. It's a shame that he let his talent fritter away as he got older & decided to live the life of a celebrity instead of a serious artist. ( )

Book Group. An autobiorgraphical novel filled with wonderful and imaginative Southern characters. Running away to live in a tree house with a wonderful supporting cast, this novel is an endearing read. ( )