DrCris Reads

Book Review - Breakfast at Tiffany’s, by Truman Capote

January 26, 2009 9:32 am admin Review

Why I chose it

This book is on my favourite list - 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (amazon link).

The Buzz

1001 books:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a charmingly naughty fable, capturing in crystal a glorious moment of New York during the last gasp of American innocence. … Paving the way for the revolution to come, Holly is a gamine - sexually free, hedonistic, a prostitute. She lives for the moment, damns the consequences and makes up her morality as she goes along. … Daring in its day.. it may have lost its ability to shock, but its charm does not diminish.

What I reckon

I remember watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s when I was a teenager and not getting the fuss. Then some years later, on a re-watch, I realised I wanted to be Audrey Hepburn. Not the disaster, but the confidence, style and unflappability. Later I heard that she was a prostitute, sanitized for the big screen. That was disappointing.

Now, ten years later, I finally finished reading Truman Capote’s version of the story. Simply captivating.

If it is possible, the paper Holly Golightly is even more Audrey Hepburn than the celluloid version. And not, in my opinion, a prostitute (despite what everyone keeps telling me). More like a serially kept woman. I don’t want to be her, but I would like to be inspired by her. Grace, charm and confidence when life, finances and love are in tatters - definitely a skill for the modern woman.

The short novella is well written, with clarity of prose that is inspiring. The story is simply a woman of poise and style clambouring from one personal disaster to the next, meanwhile inspiring those in her wake to desire her. It sounds awful, but she is written in a way that makes desire understandable.

As an added bonus, my copy of the book included some more short stories, on entirely different themes. One written on the sacrifices of love still bounces around in my head.

I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to any seeking inspiration. My copy was registered with Bookcrossing. I released it into the wild at Noosaville, Queensland.