Summary (from Goodreads):
It's New York in the 1940s, where the martinis flow from cocktail hour till breakfast at Tiffany's. And nice girls don't, except, of course, Holly Golightly. Pursued by Mafia gangsters and playboy millionaires, Holly is a fragile eyeful of tawny hair and turned-up nose, a heart-breaker, a perplexer, a traveller, a tease. She is irrepressibly 'top banana in the shock department', and one of the shining flowers of American fiction.
About the Author
Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Capote remained prolific producing both fiction and non-fiction. His masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a story about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was published in 1966 in book form by Random House, became a worldwide success and brought Capote much praise from the literary community. After this success he published rarely and suffered from alcohol addiction. He died in 1984 at age 59.
Edition Read:
Overdrive library .epub
Bit of Background:
I grabbed this one from the library because I wanted to read it and thought that my Capote book was In Cold Blood. When I actually went and checked my blog I realized I had gotten it backwards. ^^;
I've seen the movie a number of times, not a whole lot, but enough that the book did jog my memory.
Thoughts:
It's really hard to read this and not compare it to the movie.
I will admit, blasphemous though it may be, I like the movie better.
It just boils down to me not buying into book-Holly. I found her completely unlikable and can not understand why all the characters were falling all over themselves for her. I did understand her and "Fred's" friendship, but no one else. Audrey Hepburn made her believable.
Verdict:
5/10
I might recommend this only if you haven't seen the movie. Then, and only then, would I insist that you watch the movie immediately after. Or just go watch the movie.
It gets a 5 because it was readable and even not liking it – it was well written. Credit, where credit is due- I will likely read Capote again.
Minor Quibbles:
No chapter breaks!
The book manages to be generally more offensive than the movie. It was written in the late 1950s and set in the 1940s, so a lot of derogatory slurs and weird slang get thrown around. It fits the time period, I just felt like giving a warning to anyone who didn't know.
Incidentally, the depiction of Mr. Yunioshi is much more modern than the movie. In the book, he could have been any ethnicity and it would not have changed the book at all.
Overdrive library .epub
Bit of Background:
I grabbed this one from the library because I wanted to read it and thought that my Capote book was In Cold Blood. When I actually went and checked my blog I realized I had gotten it backwards. ^^;
I've seen the movie a number of times, not a whole lot, but enough that the book did jog my memory.
Thoughts:
It's really hard to read this and not compare it to the movie.
I will admit, blasphemous though it may be, I like the movie better.
It just boils down to me not buying into book-Holly. I found her completely unlikable and can not understand why all the characters were falling all over themselves for her. I did understand her and "Fred's" friendship, but no one else. Audrey Hepburn made her believable.
Verdict:
5/10
I might recommend this only if you haven't seen the movie. Then, and only then, would I insist that you watch the movie immediately after. Or just go watch the movie.
It gets a 5 because it was readable and even not liking it – it was well written. Credit, where credit is due- I will likely read Capote again.
Minor Quibbles:
No chapter breaks!
The book manages to be generally more offensive than the movie. It was written in the late 1950s and set in the 1940s, so a lot of derogatory slurs and weird slang get thrown around. It fits the time period, I just felt like giving a warning to anyone who didn't know.
Incidentally, the depiction of Mr. Yunioshi is much more modern than the movie. In the book, he could have been any ethnicity and it would not have changed the book at all.
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