Customer Reviews

Breakfast at Tiffany's

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3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The well-known short novel, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and three of Truman Capote's most famous short stories make for a continually fresh and exciting look at how human beings successfully connect with one another. No matter how many times you read these stories, you will be moved by Mr. Capote's marvelous sense of and appreciation for the specialness of each life and the ways we belong to each other. Having not read Breakfast at Tiffany's for about 30 years, I came away much more impressed with the novel than I was the last time I read it. Perhaps you will have the same reaction upon rereading it as well. If you are reading it for the first time, you have a very nice surprise ahead of you!

Breakfast at Tiffany's revolves around Holly Golightly, the former starlet and cafe society item, who floats lightly through life (like cotton fibers in the wind) looking for where she belongs. Ms. Golightly is and will remain one of the most original and intriguing characters in American fiction. Like a magician, she is both more and less than she seems. But she has an appreciation for people and animals that goes to the core of her soul that will touch you (if you are like me), especially in her desire that they and she be free.

The novel has a harder edge and is more revealing about human nature than the movie is. Of the two, I suggest you start with the novel and graduate to the movie. You will appreciate the portrayal by Audrey Hepburn of the inner Holly more that way. The same humor is in both the novel and the movie, as well as the innocent look at life for what it can be, believing in the potential of things to work out for the best.

Despite that upbeat note, her weakness is that for all of her ability to understand what motivates other people she does not understand herself well enough to know when she does belong with and to others. This is symbolized by her abandonment of her unnamed cat, and quick realization that they do belong together. As for the friends she leaves behind, she never seems to appreciate how much they love her and want to be with her. As a result, she abandons them as well . . . leaving them with memories to warm their winter nights.

Mr. Capote is now realized to have been a more autobiographical writer than was appreciated when he first published his fiction. Your understanding of Breakfast at Tiffany's will grow if you keep in mind that it was modeled in part on his friendship with Marilyn Monroe. If you do not know her history, you will find that it closely paralleled Holly's through age 18.

The same is true of his short story, "A Christmas Memory." I suggest that you read about Mr. Capote's childhood in the recent book, A Southern Haunting of Truman Capote, to fully appreciate the magic of this story. His "friend" in the story was based on a beloved figure in his young life, who endowed him with a special sense of being loved and appreciated that formed an important foundation for his character and his skill as a writer. The beautiful devotion that she showed to him is reflected in the loving descriptions he makes of their experiences during their last Christmas together before he was shipped off to military boarding schools at age 8.

"A Diamond Guitar" is about the Platonic love of an older man for a younger one in prison. Like all unrequited love, the older man eventually finds himself embarrassed and exposed. But the experience remains a touchstone to tender feelings in his heart, and he keeps his young friend's glass-diamond-studded guitar under his bed . . . even though it doesn't sound good when others play it and is becoming shabby with age.

"House of Flowers" is a hard look at the vast differences in the ways that women and men view their relationships with one another. Even when loving, the message seems to be that the men will always take advantage of the women. The women, however, acquire soulful beauty in their ability to overcome that needy exploitation and appreciate belonging to one another and to the men.

This story tells the tale of a young woman who works in a house of ill fame in Haiti, and is charmed into "marrying" a young, poor hill man who is dominated by his spell-casting grandmother. Together, the young couple overcome the challenge, and build on their love for one another.

Budding novelists are sometimes encouraged to study nature closely to draw inspiration. Although I do not know if Mr. Capote ever received or followed that advice, it is very clear that he retained a childlike ability to see the world as fresh and new every time. No detail, no nuance, no quirk was too small or unimportant to pass by him or to fail to cast its charm upon him. Kindly and gently, Mr. Capote takes the reader by the hand and shows what makes these elements so interesting to him. In this way, the reader's world is expanded, enlightened, and improved.

These four stories reverbrate against one another, like the continuing vibrations after a large bell after pealing four times, and create a combined effect beyond what any single story can provide.

After you have finished enjoying these stories and the movie, I suggest that you makes some notes about where you belong, who you belong with and to, and what that says about you. In this way, you can notice important connections that mean a lot to you and others that you may be slighting. Honor those tendrils in the way that Mr. Capote would if he were writing a story about your life.

Notice and touch life intimately and lovingly to find truth and beauty!

I re-read this book and was pleased to find that I wasn't wrong about it the other million times I read it. Truman Capote is one of my favorite authors and Breakfast at Tiffany's is my all-time favorite American classic. I don't read about Holly Golightly, I absorb this unique, eccentric character. The message Mr. Capote conveys in this novel is one of poignancy and charm. Holly, like her nameless cat, is a free spirit, a young woman whose quirks and unconventional lifestyle endear everyone, including the ambiguous narrator. This book overwhelms me with sadness every time I read it. Ms. Golightly's elusiveness touches me every time. I also love the film version of this novel. But the story gets lost somewhere amid the chemistry between Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. Peppard plays the narrator, and his character loses the mystery and ambiguity that is evident in the book. And even though I love the film's ending, the novel's conclusion is unforgettable. There are various differences between the book and the film, but they're both classics in their unique way. If you've seen the movie but haven't read the book, I strongly suggest you pick it up. Truman Capote is a brilliant writer, and he outdid himself with this timeless gem.

I had never read any of Capote's works, but after I saw the movie, "Capote", I realized I had a big gap in my survey of American fiction and I knew I had to experience the writing of this interesting and tormented person.

Other reviewers have gone into detail about the stories themselves and I don't find that very interesting anyway, so I'll leave you to explore that for yourself. I will tell you that if you like Hemmingway or Fitzgerald, then Capote's observations and will strike a cord with you. His writing - clear, emotionally invoking and efficient in word is perhaps not as poetic as these two, but is their equal in impact.

The stories are rather short and I found myself wishing they were longer if only to prolong exposure to his work. If you have little experience with Capote, you will not be disappointed.

Readers tend to be sadists. How else do you explain their desire to place themselves into the lives of, or to become, fictional strangers, even when the outcome results in having your heart ripped out? The answer has something to do with "want"; readers want what characters want. Or readers want characters. Especially in this case, in which the object of desire is a tease yet a prude; glossy yet tainted; experienced yet naive. Holly Golightly is as complex a character as ever written, but a hell of a lot more desirable, and I want Holly Golightly. Capote has penned the quintessential "bitch," which can only be defined as someone with the unique ability to pull someone in emotionally while pushing them away physically. And while Holly is a "bitch" of a character, Capote is a "bitch" of a writer, and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a "bitch" of a book. At the novel's onset, I met Holly, instantly fell in love with her, and from there I spent my time chasing her, and I chased her until the conclusion, the point when I realized that my pursuit was futile. (This quest lasted for approximately two hours.) So what did I do then? I picked up the book and started reading it again. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is for gluttons for literary punishment--and I mean this in the most satisfying way--which should be anyone who enjoys reading. This is an almost perfect book that satisfies while leaving the reader longing for more.

I'm a grown man of thirty with a child on the way. But on reading 'A Christmas Memory', I have to admit it brought tears to my eyes. Especially when little Buddy is sent off to the military school and his friend is left alone to prepare the christmas cakes all by herself. No where in literature can you find the definition of nostalgic memories so beautifully crafted as in the last two pages of the story.

Like I said, I'm a grown man, really unaccustomed to shedding tears especially if induced by a book. But it happened.

As for Breakfast at Tiffany's - Holly Golightly is something else. In the end, you pity her because you know, that she will never find her Tiffany anywhere in the world. The curse of the wandering soul has left her alone and lonely.

Brilliant. I can't say enough to recommend this brilliant book. Read it first, and then watch the movie. Though Peppard and Hepburn proved worthy actors, the soul of the book, the innocence and the stark realization of real life is not as clearly depicted as in the book.

Holly Golightly is nineteen and twenty in this novel. She says things she doesn't mean, sleeps with men who don't love her, and breaks the hearts of those who do. She "goes to Tiffany's" whenever she feels herself getting depressed, which can be seen as a metaphor for the way she lives her life-- she surrounds herself with what she can't have to convince herself that she is worth the unattainable. I won't give away the two major twists in the novel, because i want you to read it, cheer for her, and cry with her, without knowing what will happen. If you enjoyed or identified at all with Catcher in the Rye, you will love Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Like many readers, my first encounter with Breakfast At Tiffany's the book came after seeing the movie. The two have so much in common that it's difficult to separate them in my mind; the movie benefits from having Audrey Hepburn on the screen a lot in some nice costumes, but suffers from Blake Edwards' typical racial stereotyping, with its transformation of Mr Yunioshi into a bad joke.

But then, Audrey was in the story when I read it, too, so closely did her portrayal match the written character. It's rather difficult to believe that Capote favoured Marilyn Monroe for the part (as he is reported to have done) -- Hepburn even looks like the character described in the story, while Monroe doesn't.

Despite the similarities, there are some interesting differences too, which I won't list here, as discovering them will be part of the fun of the book for anyone who's seen the movie.

The story is of the narrator's relationship with his neighbour Holly Golightly, proceeding from glimpses on the stairs, to passing acquaintance, to volatile friendship, and finally to unrequited love, and loss. But the real subject of the book is the unfolding of Holly's character and past.

The book comes alive when Holly is in the room; she is one of the great memorable characters of modern fiction, and most readers will probably fall in love with her a little.

Also included in the edition I read (and most editions, so far as I can tell) are three short stories by Capote: 'House of Flowers', about a Haitian prostitute; 'A Diamond Guitar', set in a Southern prison; and 'A Christmas Memory', the narrator's (possibly Capote's own) reminiscences of a childhood friend. I wonder how many readers stop when they finish Breakfast? The other three stories are good enough, but lack the greatness of Breakfast. But then, so do most things.

Arguably the greatest writer of the 20th century, the only misfortune of Capote's work is that there is not more of it. In this somewhat peculiar collection of stories, Capote demonstrates his command of the written word. While one tale gives the book its title, another story shines even brighter in this collection.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a legendary work in the cinema, though fewer Americans every year realize it is based on a novel. While certainly more crude at times, the written version adds another intended dimension to the tale. In reality, Audrey Hepburn's potrayal was far too sanitized. "House of Flowers" is an odd story of a wife that never had the approval of her mother-in-law. "A Diamond Guitar" is a tale of prison friendship in which one character almost seems to be the adolescent male version of Holly Golightly.

"A Christmas Memory" is a story that some may find too sweet for their taste much like a Christmas fruitcake. But even better than the other tales in the collection, it symbolizes a friendship that ends far too premature for the characters. The youthful recollection is engaging enough to make readers recall elders, that have left this world before them, in yearning gaze.

Though this collection is tied together with a loose theme, it is a sample of Capote's command over language. With vivid details and command of plot, the knowledgeable reader will not be disappointed in Capote.

I have been a fan of the film for a very long time. To be honest, I was not really ure what I expected from the book. It is a very thin book, and the film is rather breezy, so I think the adjective that best describes what I expected is "slight".

In the end, I think the word that I would choose to most describe the book would be "sad". The film has elements of sad in it, but generally feels good to watch. The book almost hurts to read-- particularly in the ways where the ending is different. I had not really expected this kind of brilliance from Capote, to be honest. I have never been a huge fan of In Cold Blood, the only other book of his that I have read.

While the three other stories collected with BAT are also very well-written, special notice should go to "A Christmas Memory". The collection would be worth reading for that story alone.

The late novelist John Gardner said that an ideal fictional story invokes in the reader an unbroken, fictional dream. I like this way of thinking about reading a novel or short story. If you keep "waking up" during the reading, then the author isn't doing his job very well.

I just read Breakfast at Tiffany's--not 30 minutes ago--and I'm still not sure I'm fully "awake." Holly Golightly, the focal character here, seems so real to me, I can hardly believe she isn't in New York, this moment, missing her door key. Very few novels have affected me this way, this strongly. A Catcher in the Rye--that one did it. Jane Eyre, a few others. If you read, as I do, primarily for company, to share the company of fascinating "people," I think you'll love this little book.

Truman Capote was one of America's most gifted writers, and in this story, he not only brings his characters to life, he brings this New York City neighborhood, in the 1950s, to life as well.

A magical, unforgettable read.