With her tousled blond hair and upturned nose, dark glasses and chic black dresses, Holly Golightly is top notch in style and a sensation wherever she goes. Her brownstone apartment vibrates with martini-soaked parties as she plays hostess to millionaires and gangsters alike. Yet Holly never loses sight of her ultimate goal - to find a real life place like Tiffany's that makes her feel at home. Immortalized in a film starring Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is full of sharp wit and in its exuberant cast of characters vividly captures the restless, slightly madcap era of early 1940s New York.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
The most romantic story ever written -- Alex James Guardian A master writer ... makes the heart sing and the narrative fly The New York Times One of the century's greatest storytellers Independent on Sunday
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Truman Capote was born in New Orleans in 1925. Leaving school at 15 he worked for the New Yorker - his first, and last, regular job. He is the author of many highly praised books, including A TREE OF NIGHT AND OTHER STORIES, THE GRASS HARP, IN COLD BLOOD, MUSIC FOR CHAMELEONS and ANSWERED PRAYERS. Truman Capote died in 1984.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By Vivek Tejuja
Format:Paperback
Just finished reading "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and let out a long sigh right after with a smile on my face. The ending may not necessarily be your typical happy-ending, nonetheless it is delightful. It was a re-read for me, for about like the 4th time and every time I have read it, I have found something different in it. While reading it this time I couldn't separate the movie from the book. Audrey and Peppard kept flashing in front of me as I was reading the book and it felt nice. As I type this so-called review I am listening to "Moon River" [instrumental] and watching Audrey in the opening credits. I love the book. According to me, no one can ever write a novella of such force [besides Marquez and Murakami] than that of Capote. As Norman Mailer said about it, "I wouldn't want to change any word of it. Its just perfect", that's exactly how I feel about it.
Breakfast at Tiffany's - if you already do not know what its about, may be because you haven't read it - the plot is simple: It is about lost dreams, sometimes unrequited love and a whole lot of wit, profundity and the chance to go the whatever length in order to get what one wants. It is about Holiday Golightly [love the play of words] and her life or rather a fragment of her life, as seen through the eyes of the narrator Paul. Paul who loves Holly like all the other men in her life. Holly, who is also an escort/call girl. A girl who is all of twenty and possesses the wisdom of a thirty-year old without losing her naivety. Who believes that one mustn't betray friends, no matter what. Who jumps into a cab and visits "Tiffany & Co." when she gets the `mean reds'. Holly is everything and more. She is promiscuous. She is brazen. She does things like stealing masks and as Billy Joel would put it, "She's always a woman to me"...
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella with many layers to it. Abandonment, loneliness, the need to belong and yet not be chained at the same time, the delight in the unorthodox and last but not the least about not loving a wild thing. As Holly says in the book, ""Never love a wild thing, Mr. Bell...That was Doc's mistake. He was always lugging home wild things. A hawk with a hurt wing. One time it was a full-grown bobcat with a broken leg. But you can't give your heart to a wild thing: the more you do, the stronger they get. Until they're strong enough to run into the woods. Or fly into a tree. then a taller tree. Then the sky. That's how you'll end up, Mr. Bell. If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky"
The book was written by Capote at the peak of his career. The somewhat "curious" title Breakfast at Tiffany's was inspired by a man from out-of-town that Capote heard about, who was "ignorant of New York". When the man was asked to pick from the best restaurants in New York where to eat breakfast, he replied: "Well, let's have breakfast at Tiffany's," which was the only place he knew of.
Written in 1958, it portrays a world in which women were invariably best seen and not heard, and totally reliant on men for money and worldly comforts. And yet Capote has created a female character that is largely independent and emotionally strong, although she's vulnerable too (loneliness, depression and desperation are hinted at). While she might be having a lot of fun, she's also on the run from a past that is forever trying to catch up with her as she tries to find a place that makes her feel as happy as Tiffany's does.
All in all, this short novella is a joy to read. Capote's writing is typically rich and lyrical. He describes this woman in such a way that you get the sense he has moulded her on someone that intrigued him, that held some allure or had an aura of mysticism that left a deep impression.
Breakfast at Tiffany's - if you already do not know what its about, may be because you haven't read it - the plot is simple: It is about lost dreams, sometimes unrequited love and a whole lot of wit, profundity and the chance to go the whatever length in order to get what one wants. It is about Holiday Golightly [love the play of words] and her life or rather a fragment of her life, as seen through the eyes of the narrator Paul. Paul who loves Holly like all the other men in her life. Holly, who is also an escort/call girl. A girl who is all of twenty and possesses the wisdom of a thirty-year old without losing her naivety. Who believes that one mustn't betray friends, no matter what. Who jumps into a cab and visits "Tiffany & Co." when she gets the `mean reds'. Holly is everything and more. She is promiscuous. She is brazen. She does things like stealing masks and as Billy Joel would put it, "She's always a woman to me"...
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella with many layers to it. Abandonment, loneliness, the need to belong and yet not be chained at the same time, the delight in the unorthodox and last but not the least about not loving a wild thing. As Holly says in the book, ""Never love a wild thing, Mr. Bell...That was Doc's mistake. He was always lugging home wild things. A hawk with a hurt wing. One time it was a full-grown bobcat with a broken leg. But you can't give your heart to a wild thing: the more you do, the stronger they get. Until they're strong enough to run into the woods. Or fly into a tree. then a taller tree. Then the sky. That's how you'll end up, Mr. Bell. If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky"
The book was written by Capote at the peak of his career. The somewhat "curious" title Breakfast at Tiffany's was inspired by a man from out-of-town that Capote heard about, who was "ignorant of New York". When the man was asked to pick from the best restaurants in New York where to eat breakfast, he replied: "Well, let's have breakfast at Tiffany's," which was the only place he knew of.
Written in 1958, it portrays a world in which women were invariably best seen and not heard, and totally reliant on men for money and worldly comforts. And yet Capote has created a female character that is largely independent and emotionally strong, although she's vulnerable too (loneliness, depression and desperation are hinted at). While she might be having a lot of fun, she's also on the run from a past that is forever trying to catch up with her as she tries to find a place that makes her feel as happy as Tiffany's does.
All in all, this short novella is a joy to read. Capote's writing is typically rich and lyrical. He describes this woman in such a way that you get the sense he has moulded her on someone that intrigued him, that held some allure or had an aura of mysticism that left a deep impression.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The book and the film, while both fantastic, are very different creatures. Both can stand on their own quite well. While I prefer the idea of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golighty, I like Holly herself in the book far better. She is a very frightened little girl (really, a girl-she is only 19), unsure of herself in a crazy, mixed-up world. She, of course, doesn't help the situation any. She is constantly looking for something-anything-to make her comfortable with herself and with her surroundings.
The book, unlike the film, has the correct ending. The first time I saw the film, I had not read the book. And, yet, I could tell that the ending-as sweet and fairy-tale as it is-could not possibly be the right one. Holly is searching for something that she will never and can never find. I often wonder what Capote thought of the film's ending. Did he like it?? Or did he find it a complete cop out??
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By J. Robinson
Format:Paperback
This is a short novella, and a page turner set in New York city in the 1950s or late 1940s.
Truman Capote, 1924 to 1984, is a well know American writer. I have read a number of his works including his famous In Cold Blood, a book that I recommend highly. Also, I read some of his early work including Other Voices, Other Rooms, and many of his short stories. Generally, he is regarded as an excellent writer or a highly gifted writer. He ranks among the best of his time. In Cold Blood is probably his finest work and one of the better crime books of the twentieth century.
There are some parallels between Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby and Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. Both show an attempt by the writers to write a novel different from their prior works using clear and straightforward prose, and with relatively coherent plots. One could say these works were more commercially oriented. Perhaps they had the idea of novels as the basis of screenplays or a play. The work is less complex than most of Capote's prior works and it seems more polished. Capote called it the beginning of his second career where he thinned out the prose. It is the opposite of his obscure and creative Other Voices, Other Rooms. F. Scott Fitzgerald made similar comments in his diaries on the preparation of Gatsby.
This is a short novel or novella. It involves the fictitious friend of the writer, Holly Golightly, and their mutual friend Joe Bell, a bar owner in Manhattan. She is a free spirit and a neighbour of the narrator living below him in an apartment. They share the telephone at Joe's bar, and Joe takes messages for them. We follow some of her escapades and the relationship between the narrator and Holly. We assume that the narrator is like Capote.
In my own mind, it seems difficult to equate the woman in the story with Audrey Hepburn who appears in the movie version. The woman in the book seems younger, more sexual, and more manipulative.
This is a very entertaining book which is hard to put down. It is among the best works of Capote
Fine writing: 5 stars.
Truman Capote, 1924 to 1984, is a well know American writer. I have read a number of his works including his famous In Cold Blood, a book that I recommend highly. Also, I read some of his early work including Other Voices, Other Rooms, and many of his short stories. Generally, he is regarded as an excellent writer or a highly gifted writer. He ranks among the best of his time. In Cold Blood is probably his finest work and one of the better crime books of the twentieth century.
There are some parallels between Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby and Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. Both show an attempt by the writers to write a novel different from their prior works using clear and straightforward prose, and with relatively coherent plots. One could say these works were more commercially oriented. Perhaps they had the idea of novels as the basis of screenplays or a play. The work is less complex than most of Capote's prior works and it seems more polished. Capote called it the beginning of his second career where he thinned out the prose. It is the opposite of his obscure and creative Other Voices, Other Rooms. F. Scott Fitzgerald made similar comments in his diaries on the preparation of Gatsby.
This is a short novel or novella. It involves the fictitious friend of the writer, Holly Golightly, and their mutual friend Joe Bell, a bar owner in Manhattan. She is a free spirit and a neighbour of the narrator living below him in an apartment. They share the telephone at Joe's bar, and Joe takes messages for them. We follow some of her escapades and the relationship between the narrator and Holly. We assume that the narrator is like Capote.
In my own mind, it seems difficult to equate the woman in the story with Audrey Hepburn who appears in the movie version. The woman in the book seems younger, more sexual, and more manipulative.
This is a very entertaining book which is hard to put down. It is among the best works of Capote
Fine writing: 5 stars.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty great
I loved the book. It's truely is a classc! The book was brand new and was small enough to fit in my purse or backpack!
Published 2 days ago by Hannah Rodriguez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great old story
loved the movie; love the book. Recommend to all who loved the movie. Truman Capote also happens to be a great writer.
Published 3 months ago by Kelliann
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Gift
Bought for my stepdaughter when she was going thru an Audrey Hepburn phase. She loved it. I think we could all use a dose of the book before the movie...
Published 4 months ago by Rachel Reed
5.0 out of 5 stars
Breakfast at Tiffany's
I love the classic look of this book - the size and feel was just right. Like a little black dress.
Published 4 months ago by Jean Alam
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!
A really great cover for a classic book. While rather different from the movie, Capote's novella never fails to impress!
Published 4 months ago by Corey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect
I was so excited to get this and read it. I love the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. There was a love note written on the first page, but it's small, cute, and makes me laugh. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lindsey519
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect, moving, beautiful
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a true work of art. A brilliant use of words in such a short space. If you liked the movie, another iconic masterpiece of the time, you'll love the novel. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lune Pur
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book!
Loved this book! Much darker than I had remembered the movie to be (though I was much younger when I watched it and that's only to be expected with films from that time). Read more
Published 9 months ago by HanaBellows
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dar and the Light Sides of a Same Story
I grew up with Audrey Hepburn's film interpretation of Holly Golightly, a rather sanitized version of the heroine in the book. Read more
Published 10 months ago by V. J. Verdolini
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tiffany
I got his book for my daughter's summer reading list, but decided to read it myself since I had only seen the movie before. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Vicki L. McEachern
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