Truman Capote (1924–1984)

As a big true crime reader for almost 30 years, I don't know why it's taken me so long to get to the book that has so heavily influenced the genre. It's extremely well-written, well-researched, and reads like a thriller novel. Very dark, and even disturbing at times, when in the murderers' POV, it's nonetheless a gripping book. It takes you through the crime, manhunt, arrest, and trial, but not in a "facts and figures" sort of way, but rather in a very human way. This one is not for the show more faint of heart, but it is an incredibly moving narrative. show less

Truman Capote brings to life this horrific murder. Many of the conversations were fictionalized, but by and large I think they move the story forward without detracting from the validity of the crime. Capote captured the character of not only the victims, but also the perpetrators. The backstories on Perry Smith an Dick Hickock were especially interesting, their upbringing and the psychology. Smith captured my attention the most, perhaps because I was most horrified by him. And I loved how show more Capote intertwined actual letters and other artifacts relevant to the case. For instance, I found the article "Murder Without Apparent Motive--A study in Personality Disorganization" completely fascinating and very disturbing. Here are a few thoughts and outtakes to give the reader a feel for what's in store:

I was duly impressed by Perry Smith's vocabulary: Thanatoid=deathlike; amerce=punishment, amount fixed by court; facinorous=atrociously wicked; hagiophobia=a morbid fear of holy places, etc. And his "diary" which really was just a place he kept favorite quotes and interesting tidbits of information. Whew!! The man was smart, but only book smart. He was morally bankrupt. I am horrified that his upbringing could have so warped him that he could go on to kill the Clutter family, especially when the prime instigator, Dick Hickock, seemed to back off the crime.

"The crime was a psychological accident, virtually an impersonal act; the victims might as well have been killed by lightening. Except for one thing: they had experienced terror, they had suffered." (Dewey)

And Perry's response? "'Am I sorry? If that's what you mean--I'm not. I don't feel anything about it. I wish I did. But nothing about it bothers me a bit. half an hour after it happened, Dick was making jokes and I was laughing at them. Maybe we are not human. I'm human enough to feel sorry for myself. Sorry I can't walk out of here when you walk out. But that's all.' Sullivan could scarcely credit so detached an attitude; Perry was confused, mistaken, it was not possible for any man to be that devoid of conscience or compassion."

A very compelling, if chilling read. Recommended. show less

For the most part, Breakfast at Tiffany’s the movie stays fairly true to the novella. Those areas in which the movie and the novella differ, however, change the entire flavor of the story. Readers who are only familiar with the movie may experience shock at how jaded and how very young Holly is. More importantly, they will not expect the darker feel of the story, the seediness of Holly’s relationships and the amount of manipulation she exhibits.

Truman Capote’s Holly Golightly is not show more the fresh-faced, harmless ingenue Audrey Hepburn created. Rather, his vision is a very clearly defined Marilyn Monroe lookalike who is all about sex and titillation. Of most importance is the fact that she is young, still several years shy of her 20s, but there is an air of hard experience that is disheartening to see. As she reveals her background to her unnamed neighbor, one realizes that the true tragedy of her life, the one that created the woman she is right now, lies in those unspoken memories she will never discuss. For all her lightness and ability to live in the moment, there is very much an aspect about her of a frightened deer, one who is always on the verge of running away to a safe spot.

Michael C. Hall does an excellent job narrating. As the unnamed neighbor, he comes across as a remote observer who is desperately trying to hide his fascination with Miss Golightly. Mr. Hall attempts to use different voices for the various characters but never lets them interfere with his main job as the unnamed neighbor/narrator. Rather, he ensures listeners understand that the neighbor’s studied indifference to Holly’s past is nothing but a front. His performance is dispassionate and collected, making the casualness with which he describes certain events that much more effective in showcasing just how much the neighbor admired and adored Holly.

The language is the true star of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Mr. Capote’s phrasing is superb, and those readers who like to take notes or jot down powerful phrases and sentences will have plenty of note-taking fodder. Mr. Capote’s observations about life, as filtered through Holly, are simply outstanding. He astutely tells readers how it is but does so without being overly saccharine or bitter.

While the movie version is beloved and acclaimed for a reason, one cannot help but feel the movie does Mr. Capote’s original story a disservice. By removing Holly’s harsher edges and glamorizing her lifestyle, the movie misses the point. While Audrey Hepburn captured Holly’s yearning for a better life, the movie is too much like a fairy tale, whereas the novella is much harsher in its depiction of life’s consequences. Some readers will not like the original, deeming it too dark and depressing. Others will adore the realism of the story and Holly’s very fragile sense of happiness and contentment. All readers will understand why critics consider Breakfast at Tiffany’s Mr. Capote’s masterpiece because he packs a powerful punch into a very short work of fiction. show less

Breakfast at Tiffany's is arguably Truman Capote's most famous work (rivaling only In Cold Blood), and it tells the story of a very young, eccentric call girl living in New York City, as told through the eyes of a her new neighbor.

The film version of Breakfast at Tiffany's has long been one of my favorite movies, one that I've watched and re-watched dozens of times. For some time, I'd been wanting to get around to reading the source material, and I'm glad that I finally did. I had been show more prepared to expect a different story from the one I knew from the film, especially two major changes: the not-Hollywood ending and that the narrator remains nameless without the relatively richer backstory of Paul Varjack. There were other notable differences as well - such as the novella being set in an earlier decade than the film lets on - but I was pleasantly surprised to see how closely the two sometimes aligned; large chunks of dialogue were exactly the same and certain scenarios were almost identical. The novella also surprised me in being able to pack so much in to what is essentially a long short story - about 80 pages of prose managed to give a number of interesting and memorable characters having a variety of adventures and misadventures. It also provides plenty of fodder for interpretation and speculation for those who wish to dig deeper.

My copy also contains three short stories: "House of Flowers," "A Diamond Guitar," and "A Christmas Memory." If I had to pull out a common thread among the three stories and the novella, it would be that unlikely friendships exist at the heart of each of them (although this is more of a stretch with "House of Flowers"): the unforgettable call girl and the featureless neighbor, the young flighty prostitute and the older grounded ones, the staid prisoner and the flashy one, the old mentally delayed woman and the young intellectual boy. The first two stories are clearly fiction, while the latter seems to be pulled at least in part from Capote's own childhood.

"House of Flowers" was my least favorite of the three; it started out with an evocative look at the lives of these three prostitutes and ended up with some weird voodoo stuff (because it takes place in Haiti so of course we have to go down that route). "A Diamond Guitar" was a touching story, also very evocative, about two prisoners who strike up a friendship that ultimately leaves them both disappointed. "A Christmas Memory" is about a young boy living with an older relative who is strongly implied to have some sort of developmental disability - she is very kind, but not very sharp. This is probably the story that touches readers the most, but it struck me as a tad bit too saccharine at times. Nevertheless, it was still an interesting "slice of life" read that is well written.

Altogether, the novella and the three short stories were very satisfying but also left me craving some more Capote works to read, which is really the best way for a book to end! show less